Besides its overall cyclical structure and tragic arc, Macbeth is rich with stand-alone extracts that oscillate in focus, pace, tension and motifs - perfect for embedding structural analysis. A good example is Act 2.3 - the discovery of the regicide: 1/
This scene begins with a continuation of the 'knocking' from the previous scene. The reoccurring sound creates an ominous cause and effect impact, suggesting Macbeth cannot escape the consequences of committing regicide. This riddles audiences with anticipation and excitement. 2/
The 'knocking' is then abruptly interrupted by the Porter's lewed, nonsensical speech. It provides much needed comic relief for audiences to process the regicide. Yet, laughter seems inappropriate, emphasising the unaturalness of the event and raising discomfort levels further 3/
The proceeding references to the fate of sinners hint that Macbeth is likewise doomed for 'hell'. However, the proleptic irony is lost on audiences, fuelling the impression that they too have become participatnts in the injustice by withholding their knowlege of his sins. 4/
Macduff's subsequent arrival is perfectly timed. Besides resolving the mystery of the 'knocking', it exposes him as a christ-like figure who will save those trapped within the 'hell' of Macbeth's castle - just like Jesus in the Harrowing. There is hope for divine retribution. 5/
If Macduff is Christ, then it's apt that Macbeth arrives next as the anti-christ /devil. The staging and timing ensures that both are projected as opponents and foreshadows the final battle where they will face one another again - judgment day. 6/
Macduff's exit leaves audiences to observe Macbeth's laconic exchange with Lennox and witness his birth as an equivocator. The dramatic irony invites scorn and amplifies distaste for his duplicity. Attention is however divided by imaginings of Macduff's discovery offstage. 7/
The re-enterence of the horrified Macduff is aptly dramatic. It triggers the ensemble of all the major characters creating visual chaos. The order of entrances and exits reveal the wider role that each will now take: Macduff, the first, will be the hero, saviour and revenger. 8/
Macbeth then exits with Lennox and is replaced on stage with Lady Macbeth. This marks their unity and interchangeability. Audiences watch LM once again play the part of a woman to her advantage. Attention however is divided again by what is happening offstage. 9/
Banquo arrives next - he reacts with shock and skepticism, raising hopes of justice. Following this, Macbeth re-enters with Lennox and Ross - the gathering crowd intensifies the tension as audiences anxiously watch Macbeth teether between feigned emotion and insanity. 10/
Malcolm and Donalbain enter (and exit) last and separately - a reminder that Macbeth's path is not clear yet. Alongside the abrupt dispersal of the other characters, this creates confusion and uncertainly, which is a fitting culmination to a high impact scene. 11/
Here is a snippet of how this could be used in a lesson for 2in1 revision:
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A paradox is a statement which appears self-contradictory, but when examined closer turns out to be true.
Paradoxes expose how the lines between what is true and untrue are arbitrary. However, those trapped within them rarely realise this. 1/
The witches are arguably the most paradoxical characters in the play: they are supernatural, yet live in the natural world; they do not lie, yet do not tell the truth either; they 'should be women', 'yet [their] beards forbid [us] to interpret that they are so'. 2/
It's fitting then that they're the first characters we meet. Their paradoxical existence sets the tone of the play by confirming how all thresholds are interconnected. The impact is heightened for Jacobeans since their belief in witches blurrs fiction with reality. 3/