my english teacher has set me an essay for next week and i have no idea what to do the title is discuss how shakespeare builds up tension in the scenes directly before and after the murder scene in macbeth i havent got a clue what im supposed to look at i find it difficult to understand the tools that sheakspeare uses to create tension ican barely understand the language let alone pick up specific details.
hi
Don't worry there are loads of things in Macbeth that Shakespeare uses to build tension.
it starts with Lady Macbeth convincing Macbeth to kill Duncan. Think about what she says about killing her own child. It is a powerful scene and really makes me feel uncomfortable.
Try to mention the influence of the supernatural - "Is this a dagger i see before me?" it is pretty scary and strange, like some unnatural force acting on Macbeth.
Finally think about pathetic fallacy in the play. The cover of darkness masks Macbeth's crime and the entire thing starts with "Thunder and Lightning" which sets uptension for the whole play.
Good Luck.
caitlin
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