Reimagining Macbeth

Year 10 concluded their close study of Shakespeare’s Macbeth with a creative exercise, inventing a scene to insert into the tragic play to demonstrate their understanding of themes and language elements.

The Witches attempt to kidnap Fleance

Our scene follows Banquo’s murder in Act 3; we feature the witches who intervene and attempt kidnap Fleance so that Macbeth can fulfill his prophecy.

ACT 3 SCENE 3
The moon hangs low, casting an eerie glow over the forest. BANQUO lies slain, and FLEANCE, a young boy, kneels beside his father, tears streaming down his face. The THREE WITCHES, cloaked in shadows, emerge from the darkness, their eyes glinting with malice.

BANQUO
My dear son-

FLEANCE
(sobbing) Father, thou shalt not wither,
For in my heart, thy spirit lingers.
He touches Banquo’s face, desperate for a sign of life.
Awake, dear father! Rise from this dark slumber!

The WITCHES circle around FLEANCE.

FIRST WITCH
(leaning closer, her voice a hiss) My eyes feast upon thy prey,
A tender morsel, ripe for the fray.
What say you, sisters? Shall we claim him now?

SECOND WITCH
Yes, let us extinguish this flickering flame,
For Macbeth’s throne, we play our game.
The boy must die, unless he rise to defy,
The crown that shall be Macbeth’s always.

FLEANCE, sensing danger, rises to his feet, trembling but defiant.

FLEANCE
(voice shaking) Who dares approach? What foul spirits are there?
I am no prey for your sorcery!
My father’s blood cries out for justice,
And I shall not yield to your wickedness!

The WITCHES exchange glances, intrigued by his spirit.

THIRD WITCH
(with a sly smile)
The child hath survived, what a miracle
But can he withstand our wicked might?
What say you, sisters? Shall we test his fate?

The FIRST WITCH raises her hand, conjuring a dark mist that swirls around FLEANCE.

FIRST WITCH
(tauntingly) Come, little one, let us see your strength,
In shadows deep, will you fight, or will you flee?
What say you, boy? What shall it be?

FLEANCE
(defiantly) I shall not run from shadows or fear,
For my father’s spirit guides me near.
Though you may weave your wicked schemes,
I’ll rise above, I’ll shatter your dreams!

THIRD WITCH
Brave words for one so young and small,
But heed this warning, for shadows fall.
The chain of kings is not yet complete,
And your fate is tangled in the web we weave.

SECOND WITCH
What if we spare you, little heir?
To watch your kin fall, a fate most rare.
Would you not prefer to join our dance,
And seize your destiny, given the chance?

FLEANCE, realising the gravity of his situation, takes a step back, his resolve wavering.

FLEANCE
I will not be a pawn in your cruel game,
Nor will I bow to your twisted claim.
If my father’s blood runs in my veins,
Then I shall rise, despite your chains!

The WITCHES, momentarily taken aback by his courage, exchange glances filled with dark amusement.

FIRST WITCH
Then let the game begin, dear child,
For fate is fickle, and the night is wild.
We shall see if you can break our spell,
Or if you’ll join your father in the depths of hell.

With a wave of their hands, the WITCHES vanish into the mist, leaving FLEANCE alone with his father’s body, the weight of destiny heavy upon his shoulders.

FLEANCE
I shall not falter, I shall not fall,
For I am the son of Banquo, after all.
He wipes his tears, determination igniting within him.
I will seek the truth, I will find my way,
And one day, I shall rise to claim the day.
The scene fades, leaving the forest shrouded in darkness, the echoes of his vow lingering in the air.

Purpose: to reinforce the importance of following the prophecy and emphasise the theme of fate/free will introduced by the witches

Stylistic features:

• Metaphor of Fleance as a “flickering flame”
• Biblical allusion – reference to hell
• Pathetic fallacy – importance of setting and weather to reveal tone and theme
• Context of great chain of being and disruption of natural order
  

Olivia M, Claudia T, Sofia B, Robbie N, Paddy M

King Duncan’s ghost appears to Malcolm

Malcolm is in England after fleeing, and King Duncan’s ghost appears before Malcolm to demand that he return to Scotland to overthrow Macbeth and restore the natural order.

In the beginning of the scene, Malcolm is asleep (demonstrating his purity and goodness in contrast to Macbeth), when he is awoken by the ghost of King Duncan. Duncan demands that he return to Scotland to overthrow Macbeth and take his rightful place as King.

ACT 4, SCENE 2
An extravagant castle bedroom. MALCOLM sleeping in a bed. Enter ghost of KING DUNCAN, with clear wounds from his murder.

DUNCAN
Awaken, Malcolm. Open thy eyes from thy pure sleep.

MALCOLM awakens and sits up

MALCOLM
Father!
Is my soul’s wish cruelly deceived by the mere vessel of my mortal eyes?
Or has thy great, yet blood-stained King Duncan truly appear’d before me?

DUNCAN
‘Tis I, speak not and grant my words entry to your mind; absorb with lucidity.

MALCOLM
Aye, but how can this be?
Thou life was stolen in cold blood.

DUNCAN
‘Tis the reason for my appearance.
As Macbeth ravaged the natural order
Through his sanguine obliteration of my life
He hath wreaked havoc on our sacred country
His theft of your heritage
His greed
And his vaulting ambition.
Is a threat to all purity and benignity.

MALCOLM
Macbeth’s once benevolent intentions,
Hath been forever altered by his immutable sins.

DUNCAN
Truth hath never been spoken before thine words
By reason whereof your imminent return to Scotland is of utmost necessity.

MALCOLM
My conscience complies, yet my sense refuses to.
Macbeth wields undeserved power, yet power, nonetheless.
I wish wholeheartedly for peace, but by what means to the end?

DUNCAN
By the same means Macbeth employed.

MALCOLM
Corruption? Sin? Murder?

DUNCAN
Nay. Valour. Courage. Justice.
Macbeth’s blood must spill.
By thy hand or fate’s decree
Worry of guilt is unneeded, for thou art not committing a crime; but a victory
For upon thy country whose soil, hath crime stepped on it.

MALCOLM
I shall follow the light of your esteemed knowledge
Like a disciple to the knowledge of powers great and almighty.
I shall make you proud, while victory shall rain upon the land
And rightfulness shall be restored in th’ name of thy holy Duncan.

DUNCAN
Make pride shine within my immortal eyes and return this greatness.
Do not hesitate for that hath been an inconceivable part of the order of Macbeth.  
He who is not worth the dust the rude wind blows in thy face. 
Go at the fifth ringing of the bell in the coming day,
Late enough for the sun to shine and early enough to arrive back and be victoriously   
Crowned King within the day.  

MALCOLM
(rising from his bed, troubled) My father, in his grave, doth beckon me,
And yet, within me stirs a treacherous fear
To face Macbeth, to strike him down as he deserves,
Would make me like him, a man of blood and sin.
The crown calls, but at what cost?
Should I, like a beast, become the very thing I seek to destroy?
Yet justice cries from every corner of this land.
Scotland suffers; her cries reach even to the heavens.
The crown that once was mine by right, is now polluted,
Stained by a man unworthy of the name.
What choice is there but to strike?
If I hesitate now, I shall lose all to him,
And Scotland shall be lost forevermore.

DUNCAN
Delay not, my son. Act swiftly and with resolve.

MALCOLM
(Aside) Then let the heavens bear witness to my cause!
By steel and spirit, I shall reclaim what was stolen.
Scotland shall wake from its cursed slumber,
And my father’s name shall be avenged!

Themes:

• Natural order
• Supernatural
• Appearance vs Reality

Stylistic Features:

• Parallel between Macbeth and Malcolm as they represent opposing ideas (good vs evil)
• A type of irony, as a supernatural being (the ghost), that defies the natural order, implores Malcolm to restore the natural order.
• Juxtaposes the tragedy of King Duncan’s death with the hope that Malcolm provides.
• Biblical allusion to Jesus’ resurrection and meeting with his disciples.
• Enjambments & caesuras to show imperative language and the urgency of the situation- urgency for Malcolm to return to Scotland
• Asyndeton lists the reasons Malcolm should return to Scotland – defeat Macbeth, restore the natural order, etc.

Ella M, Souhaylah S & Lucy C