Annotation Of Macbeth

Shakespeare's plays are known for being one of the four genres; comedy, tragedy, history, and romance. Out of these four, his tragedies are the most popular because of their take on the once present day politics and how they were not only seen as entertainment but also as a way to spread information. Macbeth, one of his most famous plays, is a tragedy that follows a character through his path of becoming king. Apart from Macbeth being a tragedy and being Shakespeare’s bloodiest play, this play is also completely open for interpretation. Directors around the world have been remaking this play and have kept many aspects of it the same while also slightly changing it from the original. The dagger in Act two, scene one should be shown because it

This dagger is tempting him to grab it and he says “Thou marshal’st me the way that I was going, And such an instrument I was to use” (2.1.54-55). This line shows how Macbeth already had the plan to use a dagger, and now his mind is tricking him into seeing that same weapon that was to be used. His intentions here are clear because the dagger is involved. In Roman Polanski’s version of this scene in his 2010 remake shows a dagger in front of macbeth. When Macbeth says “I see thee yet” and there is a dagger visible to the audience it makes Macbeth’s scheme to murder Duncan more realistic. With the murder weapon visible to a viewer it not only makes the murder seem much more possible but it also shows that Macbeth’s mind is set on killing Duncan to become

This theme continued into act two by showing how Macbeth is no longer relying on fate to give him the role of king and has now taken it into his own hands. When first imagining the dagger, Macbeth says “A dagger of the mind, a false creation proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain? (2.1.50-51). His “heat-oppressèd brain” represents the fear he has at this moment and the worry he has about murdering Duncan. This fear was the original factor in Macbeth turning to fate to make him king, but this “false creation” he is seeing contradicts that and shows him what he must do. Similarly, in Roman Polanski's version of Macbeth, when Macbeth says “the handle towards my hand” we actually see the handle facing him and the dagger looking like it could be grabbed (Roman Polanski, 0.12). The fact that the dagger is so clearly angled towards Macbeth it makes it seem like using the dagger is the best option. The direction of the dagger towards Macbeth suggests that it is only right for Macbeth to grab it. Since the dagger was shown in this play, the audience is able to see the daggers angle towards Macbeth. In a play that didn't show the dagger facing Macbeth, such as Rupert Goold’s 2010 version, a viewer would not see how this dagger is inevitably going to be