answersLogoWhite

0

Line numbers are not very helpful because they are different from edition to edition of the play. If what you mean is, "Could the play Macbeth end at the moment Macduff cuts off Macbeth's head?", then, the answer is, yes it could. Producers of Shakespearean productions frequently cut lines and passages from the plays to get the running time down to something a modern audience can put up with. The play might well end at that point, and leave out Macduff's report to Malcolm, his line "The time is free", hailing Malcolm king of Scotland, Malcolm's creation of English earls instead of Scottish thanes, and his invitation to come to his coronation.

Artistically, the play may not feel as satisfying if you end with a fade to black when Macduff's sword hacks off Macbeth's head. Macduff needs to underline the fact that Macbeth is dead and his reign of terror is over. At the very least, Macduff must say "Behold where stands the usurper's cursed head. The time is free!"

If you end the play there, you allow the audience to forget about the question, "What happens next?" Having Malcolm hailed as king reminds the audience of the weakness of his character, and that in some ways he may prove a worse king than Macbeth (or, if his character is built up, would reinforce the relief felt that Macbeth is dead). The creation of earls is important in a reading of the play that sees Malcolm as an English-backed Anglophile bent on destroying the indigenous Scottish customs.

But if you marginalize the character of Malcolm throughout the play, it would be consistent to end the play with "the time is free".

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Performing Arts

Where was Duncan's murder supposed to take place in 'Macbeth'?

In the Shakespearean play 'Macbeth', the murder of King Duncan I [d. August 14, 1040] was supposed to take place in the Macbeths' home at Inverness Castle. Macbeth and his wife planned to murder their sovereign when he and his two royal guards would be most defenseless and vulnerable. He had made the journey from his palace at Forres, to Inverness. He had to get up early the next day to leave with Macduff and Lennox. He was tired, had just eaten his dinner, and was getting ready for bed in the rooms that the Macbeths had fixed up for him. Lady Macbeth had given his two royal chamberlains drugged drinks. The killing went as planned. The King and the guards were stabbed to death. When the bloodied corpses were discovered the next morning, the crime scene looked exactly the way that the Macbeths intended it to. It looked as though the guards had killed their sovereign and then each other in a fit of crazed drinking and drugging.


What is our response to Lady Macbeths death?

Most of us feel a little sorry for her. Yes, she talked Macbeth into doing the murder, but she soon found out that she had a tiger by the tail and she was not in any way in control of the situation. Further, the queenship which she had coveted at the beginning of the play has turned to ashes in her mouth. And guilt has eaten her alive just as it is eating Macbeth alive.


Why does romeo think death would be a better punishment?

Romeo thinks death would be better because he believes he cannot live with Juliet.


In Death of a Salesman how does Willy feel about Charley and Bernard?

Willy is very jealous of them and how they become successful, bu he thinks they are complete dorks.


Why would someone write a poem about death?

simple. Their Emo.

Related Questions

What was lady Macbeths condition before her death?

Lady Macbeth was suffering from extreme guilt of the act of murder against Duncan. She was confessing to the crime in her sleep. The guilt was eating away at her until she committed suicide.


Can a mortgage be omitted from probate if the property was deeded to someone else before death?

No, the mortgage is a debt of the estate. That mortgage must be resolved before the property can be transferred.


How can you complete the first quest in Death on Adventure Quest worlds?

it is easy just complete it. :P


What would most likely happen if the impulses traveling from the brain to the spinal cord were stopped?

The most likely result would be complete paralysis followed by death due to lack of breathing.


If you have a mini crack on your head will you bleed to death?

No. Mini cracks are not known to cause death. A complete crack is what is needed to cause death.


What is complete biographies?

A complete biography tells about a specific person's entire life, normally from birth to death.


When does starvation cause death?

Complete starvation in adults leads to death within eight to 12 weeks.


How do you get to death in sakkara episode 2?

Complete episode 1


What can happen during earthquakes?

huge destruction and complete death


What is complete stoppage of all heart activity is called?

Death


In Macbeth Did Macbeth try to kill himself when he heard about lady macbeths death?

Not at all. In fact, her could have cared less. This was also the time in the play when the fortunes that the apparitions told him were beginning to come true, first with Birnam wood moving to Dunsinane. He had more pressing issues to attend to than the death of a woman that he didn't care for at all


When a person dies what is complete rigor.?

Complete rigor is the stiffest the deceased will become after death, due to the muscles contracting because of intramuscular chemical changes. It is around 12 hours after death.