Is the fearsome atmosphere the essence of Macbeth’s plot? It is indeed very challenging to draw every petal of this core nature.
It is undeniably an utterly arduous task to describe or criticize the craftsmanship in Macbeth. The reason is that the author of this renowned play is none other than William Shakespeare.
Macbeth is one of the best Shakespearean tragedies that became popular for uncovering a distinctive, fearsome atmosphere. It is unquestionably true that Shakespeare proved his artistic unity while portraying the plot of Macbeth with an atmosphere of bloodshed, horror, and gloom within a shape of uniformity.
Before Shakespeare, many Greek and Roman authors wrote down several time-winning epics. The relevance of these literary pieces is invaluable. But, when the discussion surrounds Shakespearean inventions, then the comparison is meaningless.
Shakespeare is unquestionably the first and only playwright who, for the first time, proved that tragedies could be the only source to portray the most popular character in a play. And this truth appeared as the sole lifeblood in the plot of Macbeth or The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Macbeth’s introduction hugs darkness and disorder:
Macbeth begins with a dark shadow that portrays the opening scene with thunder and rain and the presence of three strange apparitions. It seems that the stormy weather is gathering darkness on a black night. The ambiance is so scary and creepy that the deep darkness doesn’t hesitate to threaten the night sky.
Interestingly, the entire occurrence takes place on the desolate heath, where the three witches interact with each other in enigmatic language. Moreover, they melt into the air with the concluding remark, “fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
It is undeniably true that the uncanny, desolate spot appears as the fittest place with an atmospheric disorder where the three witches make a prediction.
The best part of the Shakespearean artistry is a striking beginning that unfolds mystic surroundings in tragic dramas. And Macbeth is the best evidence of this rare trait. There is no denying that the fearsome atmosphere in the first scene is the epitome of the entire atmosphere in the Tragedy of Macbeth.
A rare literary artistry to make gloomy darkness the pivotal part of the play:
Readers of Macbeth or viewers of “The Tragedy of Macbeth” can quickly discover that the gloomy darkness plays a pivotal role in creating the coveted atmosphere in the said play. Frankly speaking, William Shakespeare has turned the world of Macbeth into a dark, desolate one where everything is black. This fact is distinctly visible in the Act –III of the play.
“Light thickens; and the …….
…………………………………wood;
Good things of day begin to droop and drowse
While Night’s black agents their preys do rouse.”
One vital fact related to it is that “The Tragedy of Macbeth” contains nearly twenty scenes that portray only darkness. On the other hand, only two times the sun shines in the world mentioned.
The sun shines for the first time when King Duncan, with his sons and Banquo, is about to enter the castle of Macbeth.
Apart from the first one, it is during the concluding scene of the play that markedly witnesses the sun shining for the second time. Without any doubt, it happens mainly to establish that justice is done, and now everything will be in order.
Now, apart from these two times, the rest of the time, darkness spreads its wings; even General Macbeth doesn’t hesitate to say –
“Stars, hide your fires!
Let not light see my black and deep desires;
The eye wink at the hand; yet let………………
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.”
Interestingly, General Macbeth is not the only person who prays for darkness in Macbeth; his wife, Lady Macbeth, even prays for the blackness of night. She says –
“Come, thick Night,
…………………………………..smoke of Hell,
That my keen knife…………………………..
Nor Heaven peep through the blanket of the dark”
The presence of darkness and light in Macbeth uncovers the existence of the nature of contrast. It is unquestionably true that the black atmosphere becomes more vivid at the beginning of the play with the lightning of thunder and storm. In addition, the appearance of the candle in Lady Macbeth’s hands in the famous sleep-walking scene and the glittering dagger before Macbeth together trigger a sharp contrast that ultimately intensifies the presence of black darkness.
A tragic play that unfolds a tale of bloodshed:
Many critics often say that Macbeth is a tale of bloodshed. They opine that the bloody atmosphere and persistent references to blood appear constantly throughout the play.
Readers can find that at the beginning of Macbeth in Act -1, Scene –II, a bleeding Captain enters and reports to King Duncan about a bloody battle. He describes how General Macbeth executes his duty with his blood-soaked sword. The Captain utters, “with his brandish’d steel,
Which smok’d with bloody execution”
After that, the bleeding Captain reports another incident where the battle was fought so furiously that it became highly bloody. He utters that the soldiers,
“meant to bathe in reeking wounds
Or memorize another Golgotha”
There are many more instances to show how Shakespeare depicts the bloody ambiance in the play. A vision of a dagger before Macbeth portrays how blood is dripping from its handle. No one can deny that the said scene raises an uneasy gloom.
Fear is the key ingredient to explore the coveted atmosphere in Macbeth:
It is unquestionably true that Shakespeare successfully establishes fear as an integral part of the play “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” The invention of various supernatural elements, persistent references to blood, and deep chaos in nature all together create an atmosphere of fear in the play.
For every human, fear is a symbol of emotion. It is predominant, and it is hard to find a person on earth who is not afraid. Likewise, it is challenging to find or locate a character in Macbeth who doesn’t feel even a bit of uneasiness throughout the play.
The advent of the sleep-walking scene and the confession words of Macbeth in the later part of the play, too, trigger fear because these setups are portrayed as part of the nightmares. And the crucial thing is that Macbeth and his wife become the worst victims of these nightmares. In addition, some sudden incidents like screams, strange sounds, and the blown down of chimneys aggravate the depth of the fear.
A feeling of “unearthly abnormality” in the unruly nights makes nature awry. A reader can easily understand that Shakespeare invents the said abnormality through various supernatural elements, such as the witches, the apparitions, the ghost, and many others. In a word, the author leaves no stone unturned to create an ambiance of evil and terror.
Macbeth portrays a theme of fear against the honest conscience of courage. Triggered by ambition, Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, ultimately follow the course of evil deeds, and they eventually suffer severe impacts, i.e., disillusion and fear.
Before murdering King Duncan, General Macbeth doesn’t hesitate to express his feelings. He utters, “if it were done, when ’tis done..” It shows as a human being with a conscience, Macbeth is truly afraid of the aftermath. His fear of consequences is so deep in his conscience that he can’t ignore it easily.
Likewise, Lady Macbeth confesses her fear with more practicality. After becoming the queen, she has the illusion of having hands with a stain of blood on them. She even thinks that “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.”
All these words and utterances clearly show that the impression of blood and fear is deep and pervasive in this tragic play. Furthermore, they create an atmosphere that is ideally suited to make the characters alive forever.
It is undeniably true that the fearsome atmosphere ultimately shifts the mood from a gloomy side to a brighter and happier side, obviously at the end of the play.