Discuss Macbeth and Its Dramatic Relief.

Ans.

Introduction

‘Dramatic relief means change of scenes and situation between which there is an emphatic contrast. It is provided for emotional relief. The change of scenes is required to soothe and pacify the feelings of the spectators when they are agitated and excited by intensive action. In all stories there is this pitch of excitement when a particular emotion-of pity, terror, love or mystery-reaches its highest point. It is then that rest and relief are required. It is as if the spectator is running with the action and becomes breathless in the process. He is then made to stop and take breath so that he is ready for further movement. In short, dramatic relief is emotional relief and the spectator’s emotions are regulated by an understanding and Judgement of the dramatist in such a way that there is a harmony in the end. He is to be neither bored nor fed too full with one single dish. A good play is like a good feast where a number of different dishes provide a rich variety of tastes and together gives a sense of delightful satisfaction. Accordingly, the scenes of varying and contrasting emotional effects are to be arranged by a playwright as to provide ‘dramatic’ or emotional relief.

Shakespeare’s use of Dramatic Relief

Shakespeare is an adapt in providing a rich dramatic fare. His usual practice is to introduce the fool or the jester to provide comic relief. This is common in his comedies where other varieties of relief are the songs and dance which frequently appear. But comic relief is also boldly introduced in hi most soul-string tragedies. The babblings of the Fool in King Lear’ the irrelevant jokes of the grave diggers in Hamlet’ are the most successful forms of dramatic, comic relief. They intensify the tragic scenes as if the light of laughter were suddenly switched on to show the dark atmosphere of tragedy. These comic scenes make darkness visible. Else, how do we know we know we were in the dark. Shakespeare’s knowledge of human nature showed him that the audience require changes of scenes while witnessing a dramatic performance.

Macbeth is no exception to this rule. In it, too we are provided with scenes which relieve us from the intense emotions aroused by the, preceding or following scenes in the midst of which they are placed. There are comic, ironical supernatural and other relieving scenes in this play which together produce a rich orchestral effect where contraries are resolved into harmony. We may note, further, that relief is provided by scenes, which are not always comic. They are only set in a lower or higher key than those that precede and follow them. Thus the brief scenes of domestic peace and happiness represented in the dialogue between Macduff’s wife and her little son is contrasted with the bloody resolution of Macbeth to murder them and the actual execution of it which follows. Such is the nature of emotional relief and this is very necessary in a tragedy. This is well illustrated by the following scene of ‘Macbeth’.

Act I

(a) The first scenes of Macbeth’ are sufficiently long and continuous to arouse intense emotions of horror and suspense in the audience. The witches, the battle, the murderous resolve to Macbeth and his wife-these produce in our minds feelings of tragic foreboding and supernatural mystery. The sixth scene is, therefore, a brief dramatic relief from the five preceding ones. In this short scene we pause with Banquo and Duncan as they are about to enter the castle of Macbeth. The scene is poetic, one of those sweetest songs that tell of saddest thoughts. It is full of sweet, summer images, contrasting with the murky atmosphere of the heath where the witches mutter strange incantations, and the murkier minds of Macbeth and his spouse nursing murderous thoughts. The lines in which Banquo sings lyrically, the serenity and beauty of the scene are a wonderful relief from the darkness within and without the minds of the witches and the Macbeths.

This guest of summer

The temple-haunting martlet, does approve.

By his loved mans irony, that the heaven’s breath

Sinells wooingly here…..I have observed.

(Act I, Scene VII)

That is how, we think, Banquo’s eyes seek the relieving beauty of this scene from the horrors of the preceding ones.

Act II

(b) The murder of Duncan occurs is the second scene of the second Act and the emotions of horror produced by this deed to which we have been looking forward reach a certain unbearable intensity as the scene closes. The next scene, therefore, opens with the porter’s entrance and strange, half conscious mutterings, Covering a space of twenty lines, the dialogue of the poeter is intended as a sorely needs relief from our overwhelming sense of horror and disgust at the bloody deed. The comic ironic overtones of the porter’s speech take us to the vastly different world from the ghastly hell of which he seems to be the gatekeeper! It is not comic in the ordinary sense but the tone of banter, satire, and ironic comment on human nature which the porter adopts is indeed provocative of bitter mirth and pungent laughter.

(c) Immediately as the third scene closes we see Ross and the old mart entering in the next scene. The whole of third scene is surcharged with a sort of hectic movement in which a number of characters keep entering and departing, giving us an impression of rush and speed and horrifying excitement at the discovery of Duncan’s murder. To relieve us from this breathless speed and rush of such action, the fourth scene comes as a breathing pace in which we stand and survey what has happened. Ross and the old man act as a sort of chorus in this scene which takes place outside the palace. It is as if we were brought out from the suffocating atmosphere within the castle to rebreathe the fresh air in space and to listen to people who are not directly involved in the ghastly deed that we have witnessed in the preceding scene, This is a different type of relief- shall we say chronic relief-from the semi-serious speed of the porter.

Act III

(d) The long fourth scene of Act III is followed by two shorter ones which are set in a key, quite different from and opposite to it. The ghost of Banquo is sitting before Macbeth’s eyes and the weird atmosphere produced by this hallucination of Macbeth produces in the audience a sense of mystery and horror from which relief is sought in the next two short scenes. These two scenes serve the same purpose of dramatic relief though in different styles. The fifth scene introduces the songs and dances of the witches and the sixth scene is similar to the choric relief we found in Act II, Scene VI above. The wit, banter and burlesque in Lennox’s speech in the sixth scene- he tells the old man the news of the murder of Banquo-is intellectually relishing and emotionally relieving. This gives the audience a delightful form of quiet irony and sarcasm which is highly enjoyable for its intellectual relief from the emotional tension of the preceding scene. The satiric tone of his speech is similar to that of the porter, though the latter is semi-conscious of the humour he offers us. Thus we see that two short scenes are presented as a relief to the long one which precedes them.

Act IV

(e) Similar relief is provided in Act IV, Scene II where the peace and beauty of domestic happiness in Macduff’s family is a delightful contract to the devilish schemes which Macbeth and his wife plan and the growing separation between husband and wife which their crimes have brought about. The innocent prattle of Macduff’s little son with his mother is extremely toughing and pathetic and the scene is charged with feelings of tenderness and natural piety which are a welcome relief from the harrowing scene of horror which is soon to descend on us in the murder of this innocent creature.

(f) Finally, the long scene between Malcolm and Macduff (Act IV, Scene III) is also intended as an emotional relief from tragic scene to which we are now being led.

Conclusion

Besides, these specific scenes which provide dramatic relief in ‘Macbeth, there are also smaller touches of poetry and lyricism which serve the same purpose. The alternation from verse to prose and the introduction of rhymed couplets and songs are stylistic variations serving the same principle of contrast and relief. Together with the scene described above they form a nucleus of emotional relief with which the action of the play is agreeably varied.