Macbeth Act1 Scene (1-5) Flashcards
Blank verse + iambic pentameter ❤️
poetry with no rhyme but specific rhythm higher class characters
Prose
no specific meter / rhythm (letter, confused state or mind - madness)
Rhyme & Rhyming couplets
witches, spells, incantations, riddles, confusing
indicates end of scene
Soliloquy
thoughts and feelings, alone on stage
Aside
other characters do not hear although onstage
Word choice (lexical field =
number of words or expressions all relating to a specific topic) - death / evil / power, supernatural…
Imagery & symbolism (avian, classical allusions)
- personification - dagger, fate,
- metaphor (picture or image) - flower, serpent; sailor and ship in the storm = Macbeth who is sleepless due to guilt: Scotland almost destroyed under his violent reign
- simile like \ as ….. as
- alliteration - M sound Murdering Minsters, sibilance s sounds
Dramatic irony
Thane of Cawdor prediction, Duncan’s visit to the Macbeth’s castle
Hyperbole
direst cruelty
Anaphora
the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a sentence = to persuade (rhetorical technique)
Shakespearean theatre
no women actors, no lighting or curtains, open air, performance during the day….
Pun
play on words
Stichomythic dialogue
quick rapid fire dialogue = PACE AND ENERGY to create urgency, panic, anxiety …
THEMES
reality and appearance, good and evil, supernatural, Kingship (Divine Right of Kings), ambition, loyalty and betrayal, fate and free will
Characters
Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Witches, Duncan
