At the first scene of the play, what ever is said in it has to be very carefully chosen as it is like a base to the play and leaves a picture in the mind of the audience of what to expect next. Shakespeare presents Macbeth very carefully using evil witches in the first scene to give the audience the feeling that Macbeth is linked to them. In act 1 scene 1, the witches plan to meat with Macbeth ‘There to meet with Macbeth’. Shakespeare is trying to get the message that the witches want to speak with Macbeth or tell him something important. They discuss the place and they decide to meet him ‘Upon the heath’. This makes the audience look forward to the meeting and start to think what might happen in the meeting. In the same scene, line 12, the witches use the words: ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair’.

Shakespeare uses the same type of words later on in the play in act 1 scene

On line 34 of the same scene King Duncan describes him as a valiant cousin and a worthy gentleman

‘So foul and fair a day I have not seen’

‘O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman’

Shakespeare then uses the ‘Asides’ technique to present Macbeth to the audience. The asides are very important to the play as the audience can hear the actor’s thoughts. In the third scene of act one, Shakespeare uses asides to show Macbeth’s thoughts to the audience just after he had heard from Angus and Ross that he has been awarded with the ‘Thane of Cawdor’. This is a crucial part of the scene as the audience are eager to hear what Macbeth has to say. ‘ Two truths are told, as happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme’. Here, Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s greedy-ambitious side, were he wants to be king even though he had just been presented with a new title. This is very effective as Macbeth’s thoughts are fully exposed to the audience and there is no reason for him to be mis-informative as he is speaking to himself.

When Macbeth starts to think about what had happened, he forgets about Banquo, Ross and Angus. Banquo then talks to Ross and Angus and says:

Some topics in this essay:
Shakespeare Macbeth, Macbeth’ Shakespeare, King Duncan, King James, Shakespeare Macbeth’s, Ross Angus, Banquo Macbeth, Angus Ross, Macbeth…Disdaining Fortune, Thane Cawdor, shakespeare macbeth, macbeth audience, act 1 scene, act 1, ‘thane cawdor’, 1 scene, ross angus, scene king duncan, imperfect speakers, speakers tell, king duncan, scene play, imperfect speakers tell, ‘stay imperfect speakers, valiant cousin worthy,