Everything in this play works together to create an unsettled atmosphere that contributes to the madness of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and subsequently their total demise. They hallucinate as a result of their guilt and see many eerie spectral images that refuse to let them have any peace. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth become consumed with guilt as their environment becomes more and more unstable and they cause more and more crimes and killings to be carried out. Almost all of their prophecies come true but the mystery that is emphasized with the gloomy and foggy weather holds with the prophecies as well-were they really destined to be through some metaphysical workings? Or were they simply self-fulfilling? A final notable motif is hallucinations. The Three Witches prophesize that Macbeth will become king of Scotland among other things. The weather tends to mirror the violent action of the play and enhances the sense of disorder and chaos that the characters go through. For example, when King Duncan is murdered, an unrelenting storm rages on throughout the night. First, the motif of violence ties directly in with the weather. These motifs help to reinforce the overall themes of the play. This violent and depressing weather of dreary northern Scotland plays in with the story’s motifs. The play opens as the Three Witches meet during a storm, which enhances the sense that some evil and/or deception is at play before the main characters and plot are even introduced. All of these features of the setting contribute to the gloomy and fearful mood of the play. This part of Scotland is known for being dark, rainy, damp, and cold. Macbeth is set in northern Scotland in the 11th Century.
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