What methods does Shakespeare use to spark interest and create atmosphere in Act 1, Scene 1 of Macbeth?
Your question had many sub-questions in it, so I will answer your query about the atmosphere and the methods Shakespeare uses to achieve it.
The play itself doesn't really create atmosphere. The setting, characters and action implied by the characters' words give a good foundation upon which to build a plan for creating atmosphere, but the atmosphere itself is a purely theatrical construct and must be created by those who produce the play.
In Shakespeare's day, they would have had some impressive (for the day) special effects for thunder and disappearing/reappearing by way of trap door -- all of which could be utilized to set a rather ominous, spooky and other-worldly atmosphere for the opening of the play. Lighting of any kind was not an effect in the open-air performances of The Globe, so the audience and actors would all have remained in the afternoon sun that lit the performance.
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In Shakespeare's day, they would have had some impressive (for the day) special effects for thunder and disappearing/reappearing by way of trap door -- all of which could be utilized to set a rather ominous, spooky and other-worldly atmosphere for the opening of the play. Lighting of any kind was not an effect in the open-air performances of The Globe, so the audience and actors would all have remained in the afternoon sun that lit the performance.
The appearance of the witches to open the play would have definitely sparked the audience's interest in Shakespeare's day. In the same way that we, today, have audiences who are fascinated with vampires (think Twilight), Shakespeare's audiences were fascinated and repelled by witches. In fact, there were witch hunts still going on in Europe at this time, and ordinary citizens believed that a witch might cast a spell on you if she did not like you or you offended her in some way.
So, all of the witches talk in spell-casting rhyme, their talking about their familiars (animal sidekicks), etc. would have really caught the interest of Shakespeare's audience. Add to this the special theatrical effects and the atmosphere would have been ominous, creepy and supernatural.
What key writing techniques in act 1, scene 1 of Macbeth create?
In Macbeth, Shakespeare employs at least two expository techniques in I.i. The first is the paradoxical couplets which bracket the act. Both couplets suggest contradictory but nonetheless true situations. ll. 3 & 4 reference the obvious physical battle currently being fought but, more importantly, they indicate the battle for Macbeth's soul which is being waged by the witches without his knowledge ("When the battle's lost and won"). "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" states the obvious theme to be developed: namely, Macbeth, Duncan's beloved champion, will murder him in the very castle where he was warmly welcomed. And, eventually, all fairness will be blotted out by "the fog and filthy air."
The manipulation of time and place is another device used by Shakespeare. The first scenes tell us that the witches' "vetting" process of Macbeth has been going on for some time in the past. The witches appear briefly in the present and they designate the future meeting time and place--"set of sun," "upon the heath"--for their encounter with Macbeth. As rapidly as they appeared, they vanish to meet their talismanic cat and toad.
What writing techniques are used in Macbeth, act 5, scenes 4-6?
One technique Shakespeare uses in Act 5, Scenes 4-6, is to make the length of the scenes very short. Scene 4 has only 27 lines of text and focuses on just one conversation. Scene 5 has only 59 lines of text and focuses on only one event: Macbeth learns that his wife has died and he responds to that news. Scene 6, the shortest of this group, has only 11 lines and focuses on one brief event: the moment before the final charge of Malcolm and Macduff's army. The purpose of this technique is to speed up the action; when the scenes are short like this, they go a lot more quickly, and so this builds tension for the audience as the story races toward its climax. Further, this technique -- in speeding things up -- makes these events seem more exciting; again, tension builds as we prepare for the inevitable stand-off between Macbeth and Macduff (who said earlier in the play that he wanted to be the one to kill the tyrant who ordered the murder of his family).
In addition, the scene that reveals the death of Lady Macbeth is sandwiched between two scenes that show how well the fight against Macbeth's forces is going. This is a quick but dramatic way to show us that things are not going well in the Macbeth camp and that it cannot be long now before he falls from power; sandwiching his tragic scene between two others that focus on a determined and powerful enemy foreshadows his impending demise.
Another dramatic technique that Shakespeare employs in Scene 5 is a soliloquy. A soliloquy is when a character speaks to him or herself while alone on stage; it is a way to show the audience what that character is truly thinking and feeling. After Macbeth learns of his wife's death, he laments the shortness and ultimate meaninglessness of life; it may seem loud and dramatic for a while, but -- in the end -- is has no purpose or point (5.5.22-31).