Macbeth- Act One, Elements of the Gothic.

Gothic Elements:
Scene One

• The immediate focus point is the setting. There is thunder and lightening, a pretty dismal weather to be out in, and also a key feature of many gothic texts. The three witches are said to be meeting soon on a heath, which gives the feeling of iscolation and open landscape.
• Idea of the three witches is, in itself, an element of the gothic literature. Witches often play a part in gothic texts, and they link with the supernatural. They are devilish creatures, and something horrid that can often perform various items of witchcraft, such as divination and communicating with the dead.
• The witches have 'familiars'.

Scene Two

• The heavy, descriptive language gives a sense of how bloody the battle fought was. 'Which smoked with bloody execution'. (Line 18) 'bathe in reeking wounds'. (Line 40)

Scene Three

• The witches turn up to Macbeth, and speak of the future- make predictions. This hints at the supernatural, which is a main element of the gothic genre, 'shalt be king hereafter!' (Line 49)
• The appearance of the witches is ghastly. 'So withered and so wild... look not like the inhabitants o' the earth'. (Lines 39-45)
• The weather is yet again a perfect setting for a gothic scene. (Thunder)
• The witches speak of murder, a grotesque element of the gothic.
• Mabeth fears the witches (Line 130-140)

Scene Four

• Light/Dark contrast. 'Let not light see my black and deep desires'. (Line 52)

Scene Five

• Ambition shown by Lady Macbeth. She appeasr to b power-hungry and wants to do all she can to get Macbeth to be king. Although she is aware that murder is the only way, she seems to not want to do anything so horrible, and calls on spirits to make her feel no guilt and to make her cruel. 'Stop up the access and passage to remorse'... 'unsex me here'. (Lines 36-42)
• Heaven/Hell. 'dunnest smoke of hell'... 'Nor heaven peep through the blanket of dark'.
• Light/Dark. 'blanket of dark'
• Doppelganger suggested? By Lady Macbeth using the language of the witches, is she showing a second personality, much like theirs? Sounds like an incantation. She also shows duality in her character- 'innocent flower... be the serpent'.

Scene Seven

• Macbeth shows ambition, but he does not want to kill anybody to reach his goal. Doesn't want to betray Duncan.
• Lady Macbeth uses grotesque imargery in persuading Macbeth to understand murder is the best way to go about it. She said he had promised her, and that she would kill her own child if she had said. 'And dashed the brains out' (Line 58)

Coursework Ideas

For my comparative coursework essay, I will use Charlotte Bronte's novel, 'Jane Eyre' and possibly Daphne du Maurier's novel 'Rebecca'. As I have not finished reading Rebecca, I will focus this on possible themes within Jane Eyre.

One of the themes is the social status of women. Jane Eyre is treated with little, or no respect throughout her life, but this is due to her situation rather than her gender. The wealthy, upper class women that Rochester mixes with are treated completely different to Jane, so this is an argument against the idea that women are degraded. However, even the noble women are expected to marry and have children, in contrast today, where they can have a career, and it is not expected of them. Another woman in the novel is Rochester's mentally ill wife, Bertha Mason. She is hidden in the attic of Thornfield, and is kept as a prisoner in secret to keep Rochester's name and reputation safe. The three main male characters each try to keep Jane in a typical 'womanly' role, where she is not permitted to voice her emotions and opinions.

From this, I could look at the importance of status/reputation. How Jane and Rochester cannot be together as Jane refuses to stay while Bertha Mason is still around. She only returns having come into an inheritance, so that could signify that she does not want to be seen as needing him. Her pride, morals and self-respect prevent her from staying with him. Rochester hides his wife, as he is ashamed. His pride prevents him from acknowledging her existence. A theme of pride?

There are also the themes of love/passion, independence, morality and religion.