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Macbeth is a play about the tragic fall of a king from grace and nobility. It deals with many issues which are raised during the play which were significant, and could be related to by Elizabethan audiences. Although Macbeth was written way back in 1606, people today are still able to understand its meaning and appreciate the qualities of the play which over the centuries has become a universal performance. The play Macbeth is structured in a way that is effective in developing the issue of order and disorder.
Throughout Macbeth, this issue is raised in many ways and is structured in the play to create a strong impact on the audience. Because Macbeth is ultimately a play based on order and disorder, the way in which the issue is developed in the play is an essential part of how it is it is portrayed to the audience. Elizabethan audiences were slightly different in the way they understood and perceived what was happening on stage. In that period in time, people who watched plays were believers that whatever they saw was real. In other words, to them appearance was reality.
If a bad person was killed, they believed this meant everyone was happy, not realising that there may be another side to the story where others may not totally agree with what was being told in the story. However, people now days who watch the same thing, understand that this is not true. We know if we see something, it does not mean it is necessarily true. At the beginning of the play Macbeth, the audience is introduced to a character who has just defeated two invading armies from Ireland and Norway. Macbeth, along with his compatriot, Banquo are immediately hailed as heroes when they return to Scotland and the audience is led to believe Macbeth is wonderful. Because of Macbeth's heroic deeds, everything in the kingdom seems to be in good order; the king is happy and so are the people.
But the introduction of the three witches into the play casts an unnatural twist, where the audience is suddenly confronted with a dramatic change in mood. The success of Macbeth, followed suddenly by the evil witches, creates the issues of order and disorder, with the order being Macbeth's victory, and disorder being the unnatural witches. However, you must realise that the battle that Macbeth and Banquo were involved in was, in itself, a type of disorder, as the attacking armies were apart of a rebellion against King Duncan. Before the battle there was obviously a sense of disorder but this was resolved after what Macbeth accomplished. Hence, the Elizabethan audience liked him for this as they belied he was a saviour. Because they believed in appearance being reality, to them everything was now in good order.
As soon as the witches come into the play, the audience senses something is not quite right. For a moment the kingdom seemed to be back in good strength when news of Macbeth's victory was heard, but straight away things turn suspiciously wrong again, making the audience realise that this play is not over yet. (Not that it would be because it has only just started). The witches, or weird sisters as they are called, let the audience know that there is an evil side to this play, which is yet to be resolved. Their establishment into the play has an ominous ring to it as the witches announce their intentions of disorder amidst the thunder and lightning. After Macbeth receives his prophecies from the witches, he is very sceptic about them yet accepts them as reality, unlike modern people who wouldnt accept it as being true and see it as a joke. Elizabethan audiences would also believe that this was true, whereas audiences today would laugh at it.
Macbeth writes to Lady Macbeth anyway to let her know what has happened. Being the obsessive lady that she is, Lady Macbeth straight away takes these prophecies as being the truth and plans a way to fulfil these predictions. As we can see, Lady Macbeth is also guilty of accepting Macbeth's letter as being real as well. Lady Macbeth is clearly creating disorder and the audience can see that she will be instrumental in tragic things to come.
When Macbeth returns to the kingdom, Lady Macbeth has already devised a plan to get him crowned King. Lady Macbeth forces Macbeth to murder King Duncan and the audience once again realises that Lady Macbeth is the instigator for this disorder. When Macbeth murders King Duncan, the audience knows there is no turning back, and that things can only get worse from here. Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain flee from the kingdom in fear that they may too be murdered, telling the audience that even the upper ranks of Scottish nobility is in disorder.
Everything after King Duncan's murder is clearly out of order (apart from Macbeth being named King). From Lady Macbeth's sleep walking to the murder of Macduffs family we can see that disorder is a prominent issue in the play. There is without a doubt more disorder than order in the play giving the audience more of a reason to be against Lady Macbeth for what she has done. For a moment yet again in the play, there is a period where things are back in order. Macbeth has been named King due to Duncan's death, yet the audience knows the story behind all of this.
This is what we call irony in the play, when the audience is aware of something which the actors do not know themselves. Lady Macbeth on the other hand, is suffering the effects of what murdering King Duncan can do to you mentally. She is having constant sleep walking fits and starting to get worried about the consequences they may face if they get found out due to the crime she and Macbeth have committed. Macbeth is also getting apprehensive about it all, and as a safety measure, sends out 3 murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance who are heir to the throne. Banquo is killed but Fleance escapes. Elizabethan audiences also believed that those who created disorder needed to be punished.
This made them think twice about what they thought of Macbeth, as he saved the kingdom, yet soon after was the result of King Duncan's death. They already knew what Lady Macbeth had done, but Macbeth was a character to them who could be portrayed as a good or bad figure in the play. However, as the play went on, the audience began to see the dark side of Macbeth more often as his ambition of being king caused him to fall from power. But the audience was also aware that Lady Macbeth manipulated him. Things in Scotland continue to get worse, with the death of Lady Macbeth.
Because Macbeth feels he is vulnerable without her, he goes to see the three witches for further prophecies for protection. Certain that the witches new prophecies guarantee his invincibility he is shocked to hear the news that Birnam Wood is indeed coming to Dunsinane, fulfilling half of the witches prophecy. By now the au...
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