Leter: Holinshead Versus Shakespeare Essay, Research Paper

To Master Ralph Holinshead,

Thank you for notifying me of the ?misuse? of your chronicles. I have, however, needed to change your chronicles for the better development of dramatic tension, visual drama and to enable the exploration of Macbeth’s mind, to show the way in which he turns from good to evil.

First and foremost I have changed the chronicles for dramatic effect. I have used three witches instead of one to create a more mystical and magical atmosphere. It sets a sense of evil and mystery in the air. The number three is also a superstitious number and when the three witches chanted together it is much more powerful and enchanting, especially when casting spells “double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble”. It also sounds much more effective with three voices than one. Macbeth is led to murder in three main ways: by his wife, the witches, and the want to be king. Firstly the witches tell him he will become Thane of Cawdor and that he ?shalt be king here after?.

Using Lady Macbeth as Macbeth’s accomplice rather than Banquo suggests a partnership between the two. Lady Macbeth urges her husband to murder Duncan by taunting him, . Macbeth?s heavy guilt is shown by him seeing Banquo?s ghost and shouting into the air, ?Hence horrible shadow, unreal mock?ry hence! ?Lady Macbeth (as I have mentioned) before taunted and pressurised Macbeth to murder so they could have the throne. She also knew how to aggravate and torment him in just the right way to push him over the edge, by making comments such as, ?Art thou afraid? ?When you durst do it then you are a man!? “Wouldst thou live a coward?” I was able to establish their close relationship, Macbeth writes to his wife immediately after his encounter with the “three” witches, and begins the letter by addressing Lady Macbeth as his “dearest partner”. They are accomplices in both work and pleasure, with this sort of relationship I was able to show Macbeth as a man who, like any other, is vulnerable in love. This partnership also creates sexual tension between the king and queen, husband and wife.

I have created the ghost and banquet scene purely for dramatic purpose and to see how Macbeth’s mind begins to become corrupted and warped. It shows the guilt and torment of the mind, which has begun to affect Macbeth. This also creates a mind image for the audience. When he sees Banquo as a ghost he cries out in fear, “Never shake thy gory locks at me!” The bloodshed that he has created finally overcomes Macbeth and he tells Lady Macbeth that he was “in blood stepped so far that should I wade no more returning were as tedious as go o’er”. He feels he has no alternative but to carry on with murder, until he has gained control and dispensed with those who challenged him.

I have created the sleep walking scene for dramatic purpose. The visual effect on stage is magnificent. It shows that mentally the murders have had more effect on Lady Macbeth than her husband, which seems quite ironic as she herself was the one who encouraged Macbeth to murder in the first place. However the heavy guilt is now on her. The sleeping walking scene shows the confused, guilty, and warped mind of Lady Macbeth. She starts to go insane asking herself, ?What, will these hands ne?er be clean?? and crying, ?Out damned spot! Out I say!? Lady Macbeth?s mind and imagination become tortured by the thoughts of murder!

I have condensed the time in which the events of the murders have happened from ten years to a few days, because it is just not practical to have ten years in a play. It also keeps the tension going and captures the audiences? attention.

I was particularly interested in the exploration of Macbeth?s mind and what thoughts ran through it before and after he had committed the murders. The questions of what makes a villain? And, how does guilt affect you, are very fascinating, do you not think Master. Holinshead? One of the ways I showed this was by the use of soliloquy.

After having met with the three witches, through the use of soliloquy, we learn of Macbeth?s first plans to kill Duncan. He expresses his private thoughts out loud, talking of a ?horrid image? and ?horrible imaginings?, suggesting that he is wary of murdering and even nervous. Before Macbeth murders Duncan I used soliloquy to show his nervousness and edginess. He never refers directly to the murder but calls it ?the deeds?, ?this blow?, ?bear the knife? and ? th? assassination?. Macbeth also weights up the pros and cons of his act: he is ?here in double trust?, he feels he should not murder Duncan because he is ?his host? but he has a great desire to become king.

Macbeth also had his own great desire to become king and rule Scotland, ?if chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir?.

The ghost and sleepwalking scenes show the intense guilt and fear which had begun to warp both Macbeth?s and Lady Macbeth?s minds. We see, as I have mentioned earlier, that lady Macbeth starts to go mad

So you see Master Holinshead, there are many reasons why I have changed your chronicles. The two main reasons being for dramatic changes and the exploration of Macbeth?s mind and by doing so I can best answer the question, why does Macbeth turn from good to evil?

Master William Shakespeare.