How have the settings in Macbeth affected the tone and mood of the play? In what way does Shakespeare use these settings to enhance the advancement...

Macbeth, based on Holinshed’s historical Chronicles, is set in medieval Scotland. The play opens with three witches meeting amongst thunder and lightning. They discuss a battle, a “hurlyburly,” which seems to be taking place as they speak. This ominous scene, a mixture of natural and supernatural disorder, sets the tone for the rest of the play. The storm coincides with a military clash, suggesting the presence of both fate and flawed humanity in Macbeth.

Macbeth famously meets the witches “upon the heath,” a wild, open setting. They tell him that he will be thane of Cawdor and then king, a prediction that is made all the eerier because of the abandoned place where they tell him. Though much of the play is set outside, a number of scenes take place in palaces and castles, large, echoing chambers that once again contribute to the creepy atmosphere. The knocks at Macbeth’s door reverberate throughout the castle, startling Macbeth and reminding him of his guilt.

One of the most important ways in which setting plays a part is the premonition that Macbeth will be safe until “Birnam forest come to Dunsinane.” He finds relief at this impossibility, but his enemies meet “Near Birnam wood” and disguise themselves with the trees: “Let every soldier hew him down a bough / And bear't before him.” The prophecy comes true. Once again, the natural, occult, and human combine to drive the plot forward and set a dark mood.