As a frequent viewer of movies and television, and also as a reader, I believe the first few minutes of a book movie or television show should tell the reader or viewer about the characters and the setting and also maybe some past information about the characters that would explain why the characters are the way they are. In the novel Macbeth, Shakespeare, one of the great masters of writing, does just that. In the first two acts we find out a little bit about Macbeth and what is to come for him in the play, we learn he is going to be named ‘Thane of Cawdor’ because the past Thane had been stripped of his title for betraying the king. We also learn of Banquo, Macbeth’s good friend and fellow soldier, and through the witches’ prophetic speech we learn he is to be the father of kings, which comes as quite a shock to Banquo. Shakespeare does a wonderful job of establishing the main characters in the play just as you should do in a novel or movie. Another example of a good introduction in a television show is in the first book of the
Harry Potter series. In the first few pages we learn of Harry Potter’s fate being left at privet Drive by an ominous group of wizards, in these first few pages we learn a little bit about Harry, not a lot, but enough to get he the book starter and to draw the readers interest in.
Macbeth has a lot of symbols motifs, and themes, one of these symbols/motifs that I believe will be recurring throughout the novel, is the three witches and their prophecies. I did some research on this motif/symbol, and apparently not only are the
three witches important in Macbeth, but apparently they are a symbol for a grim future in German literature. I believe that the Three Witches are going to be a recurring theme because our class has only read two acts and The Witches have made an appearance twice where they foretell Macbeth’s future and talk about themselves. Finally I believe that power is going to be a large recurring theme/motif through out this novel because Macbeth, as told by the witches, will gain a lot of power in a short amount of time and the witches predict he will soon become king and the power he was promised may force him to become a person he is not used to. I will also make a prediction about what will happen in this play, i think he will eventually feel the need to kill the king because it is natural to thirst for more power especially if you are in a position to gain it. Also he will be pushed into killing the king by Lady Macbeth his wife because she seems quite bent on making him king and she seems like she will do anything in her power to get him there.
