DoubtsUncertainties in Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing free essay sample

Love, hate, fair and foul are tightly entwined around the core of drama. Although they are extreme opposite, they blur together to create the perfect partnership, which allows characters to appear different to their internal feelings. Whether it’s through the ‘barbed banter’ of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ or the ‘saucy doubts and fears’ of Macbeth, Shakespeare presents scenarios where central characters place their credence where they should have agnosticism and their doubts where they should act with surety. Shakespeare clearly presents Beatrice and Benedick rooted in animosity towards one another. They frequently express their certainty of this; for example when Benedick labels Beatrice as ‘Lady Disdain’, so she retaliates by naming him as ‘pernicious’. Shakespeare shows conflict between two complicated characters in a transparent way through their ‘merry war’ of derision, which often descents into a brawl of weaponly words like ‘you are a rare parrot-teacher’ – the pomposity of which camouflages their raw doubts and uncertainties. â€Å"He lent me it a while, and I gave him use for it. A double heart for his single one. † In this quotation, it appears that Beatrice has peeled away her malicious mask to reveal a small insight into her past with Benedick. ‘He lent me it awhile’, referring to his heart, suggests the two shared a romantic history, which may have met a bitter end. ‘Lent’ has connotations with a temporary agreement rather than a relationship, which implies Beatrice believes Benedick’s love for her was faux. This is further backed up by ‘a double heart for his single one’, which insinuates that Beatrice loved him twice as much as he did her. The quotation is infused with a sense of regret, and could lead one to believe that their romantic occurrence caused Beatrice to be hardened with an impenetrable shell that impedes any feeling of love, and her philosophy that she ‘would rather hear my dog bark at a crow than have a man swear he loves me’. If this extract was to be spoken in performance, it would present the actress with a rare opportunity to portray Beatrice’s hidden vulnerable, uncertain side, allowing her character to be looked upon from a different viewpoint. It is in Acts 2 and 3 when Beatrice and Benedick are duped into thinking the other has feelings of ‘enraged affection’ towards them, so we see responses riddled with doubts and uncertainty in an unaccustomed way for each character. â€Å"Is’t possible? Sits the wind in that corner? † Shakespeare reveals Benedick’s doubts as he questions the situation, pondering whether what he is hearing could possibly true. It is unsurprising that he feels so uncertain, having recently been told ‘nobody marks you’ and called a ‘disease’ by Beatrice herself. As Leonato, Claudio and Don Pedro continue to use false words in order to mislead him, Benedick attempts to persuade himself it’s true – ‘I should think this a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it. Knavery cannot, sure, hide himself in such reverence. ’ Shakespeare presents Benedick weighing up the situation: that it must be a trick, yet Leonato (Beatrice’s uncle) speaks it, so there must be an essence of truth. He also adds that ‘knavery’ or wicked deceit, could not be presented in such a manner, as it is too cruel for the theme of affection. Beatrice also experiences very similar thoughts. â€Å"What fire is in mine ears? Can this be true? † The first question Beatrice asks herself alludes to the old superstition that a persons ears burn when he is being spoken of. As realisation of Benedick’s feelings dawns upon her, Beatrice is filled with thoughts of doubt as it is incomprehensible for her to think that he could feel anything more than scorn towards her. The speed at which she accepts what she is hearing could signify that there may still have been some underlying feelings for Benedick hidden beneath their ‘skirmish of wit’, and that secretly she had been withholding for the moment when she could justify to herself that it is not a crime for her to have feelings towards him – ‘Benedick, love on. I will requite thee’. Beatrice’s emotions have experienced a drastic change since Act 1 Scene 1, where she is noted as insulting Benedick’s appearance by saying ‘Scratching could not make it worse, and ‘twere such a face as yours were’. Judging by this, it seems almost impossible to think she could feel any remotely benevolent feelings towards him, but further analysis into the play suggests the opposite. In act 1 Scene 1, Beatrice says ‘I know you of old’, which proposes the idea that there has been a history between the two, unknown to the reader. When Beatrice and Benedick finally profess their love for each other in Act 4, Shakespeare continues the sprinkling of doubts and uncertainties through his convoluted use of syntax, repetition of negative ideas and paradox. ‘I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is that not strange? ’ In Act 4 Scene 1, Beatrice and Benedick are left in private, which gives them the opportunity to reveal their feelings for one another. The addition of the question at the end of the quotation denotes that Benedick has realised the enormity of what he has just stated, so therefore questions Beatrice and labels it as strange to make it seem less significant, as he still has feelings of doubt over his new emotions. Benedick is eager to know what Beatrice really thinks of him, much like in Act 2 Scene 1 at the Masked Ball, where he questions ‘I pray you, what is he? ’ in hope of uncovering a deep feeling that Beatrice holds for him, only to be labelled a ‘dull fool’. ‘It were as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you. But believe me not, and yet I lie not: I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing. ’ This medley of contradictory phrases portray Beatrice’s continuing doubt and reluctance to admit her love for Benedick†¦. ++(public scene) It is clear that Shakespeare is not presenting us with characters who are content with their thoughts, making their capricious behaviour a medium for their wavering between certainty and doubt – ‘quotes’, and as a result produces characters who are troubled in their behaviour and outlook, struggling between the distinction of love and hate. **linking Para** Macbeth makes the transition from ‘peerless kinsman’ to ‘dead butcher’ as he becomes his own worst enemy, tormenting himself with his own harrowing thoughts of doubt, uncertainty and sheer guilt, as he fails to asunder between right and wrong, described by the witches as ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’. The tale is a tragedy of ambition studied through the prism of temptation. As such, it stands as a starkly humanistic morality play, more observing of Macbeth’s evil than editorialising upon it. â€Å"Is this a dagger I see before me? The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. † The ‘daggers’ appearance can be viewed ambiguously; is it an omen that Macbeth should proceed, or is it a final warning of his conscience? Macbeths dismissal of the dagger later in the speech (‘a dagger of the mind, a false creation’) would suggest that he’s trying to make himself believe that it’s a good sign, as a bloodied dagger seems self explanatory before Macbeth was due to commit murder. In the whole speech, Shakespeare foreshadows the toll that Duncan’s murder will exact upon the conspirators. For now, the appearance of a bloody dagger in the air unsettles Macbeth, filling him with uncertainty. Even he doesn’t know whether the dagger is real, or is simply a figment of his guilty imagination. It is, however, certainly a harbinger of bloodier visions to come, for both him and Lady Macbeth – ‘Out damned spot! ’ and ‘Avaunt, and quit my sight, let the earth hide thee! ’. As Macbeth fears, the murder of Duncan is not a deed that will be ‘done, when ‘tis done’. The last vestiges of the ‘honourable’ Macbeth wither at the end of this soliloquy ‘Whiles I threat, he lives: Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives’. It is a fleeting match between Macbeth’s ambition and revulsion. The bell ultimately tolls for Macbeth as it does for Duncan; the dagger of the mind is as potent a killer as the dagger Macbeth wields in murder. Towards the end of Act 3 Scene 4 after the disastrous banquet, Macbeth and his wife are left alone in private where Macbeth enters a mysterious personal world of evil and contemplates the consequences of his actions. â€Å"It will have blood they say: blood will have blood. † Blood having blood is a continuous system. In this quotation, Macbeth is implying that killing is likely to become a habit and his guilt will not grind to a halt. They will both be continuous actions. Shakespeare uses the power of three by repeating the word ‘blood’ which gives it great emphasis, and makes it apparent just how much blood has been shed at Macbeth’s hands. This is the first line spoken by Macbeth after the forced exit of the banquet guests, which shows the dramatic contrast between his public front and his private character, tortured by his own troubles. Continuing the theme of blood, Shakespeare later paints the image of Macbeth wading through a river of blood – ‘I am in blood, stepped in so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er. ’ The quotation displays Macbeth’s distorted justification behind his despicable actions, temporarily masking his doubts and guilt over what he has committed. His reasoning is that it would be just as ‘tedious’ to refrain from any brutal deeds that he may as well just continue. Shakespeare uses the metaphor ‘wade’, which conjures an image of someone in a substantial amount of blood, which again emphasises just how much blood Macbeth has spilt and displays his brutal hunger for power and his devotion to gain it. In the film production produced by Roman Polanski, this scene is presented with a red filter over the camera which creates an eerie atmosphere and causes the private conversation to appear even more demonic, along with giving connotations of blood. In Act 3 Scene 4, Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s fears and doubts combined with his determination to retain his power as he plots for the future. â€Å"There the grown serpent lies, the worm that’s fled, hath nature that in time will venom breed† Shakespeare has used an extended metaphor to describe the death of Banquo and the escape of Fleance. Banquo is described as a ‘grown serpent’ which highlights the hypocrisy of Macbeth by moulding an image of Banquo being a snake for the audience. However, the reality is that Banquo is entirely innocent and so Macbeth is presented as a cowardly yet ruthless murderer emphasising the corrupting influence of his ambitions. The metaphor ‘serpent’ also suggests that Macbeth is trying to justify his actions to himself and find an excuse for doing something as disgraceful as killing his closest friend. Although Macbeth must be suffering through abhorrent guilt after arranging for Banquo to be murdered, he continues to use a deranged front which shows his tenacity to retain his throne. He is beginning to suffer the consequences for his actions, and is uneasy as to what the future holds for him.