Macbeth+Project-+Silvia+S-+Soundtrack

 Song #1: Skins Theme Song Season 5 by Fat Segal. This first track is for the opening scene, when the witches are talking to each other about Macbeth and fate. Their last line "fair is foul and foul is fair" (1.1.12) gives the beginning of the play a very mysterious and nature-y tone.

Song #2: Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars. This second song relates well to rest of the first act. Macbeth is awarded the position of Thane of Cawdor when he defeats the traitor who had previously held that title (1.2.66). The song also relates to Macbeth's growing ambition, mostly related to Lady Macbeth. In Scene 5 she rejoices over his fate and how she can "feel now / the future in the instant" (1.5.55). Although Macbeth will be the one to kill Duncan and Banquo, Lady Macbeth is the hand on the dagger. Her encouragement and 'trash talk', so to speak, keeps Macbeth in check.

Song #3: This River is Wild by The Killers. This River is Wild embodies the theme of pathetic fallacy, as we can see at the end of Act 1. Macbeth is feeling guilty about his plan to murder Duncan because "as his host //who should against his murderer shut the door//not bear the knife myself." (1.7.14-1.7.16). Nature seems to be very out of order and as more characters become aware of it, the more obvious it becomes. As Lennox frankly states, "the night has been unruly." (2.3.48) He continues to describe chimneys being blown down, hearing strange sounds and experiencing strange events. Just after this quote, Macduff arrives to let everyone know of Duncan's death. This song shows us all how nature can reflect people's emotions in //Macbeth.//

Song #4: Be Still by the Fray. Be Still has a much slower tempo because of how shocked and upset people were about Duncan's death. Duncan was an honorable King and all of the characters either were sad or acted sad about his passing. "The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence// the life o' th' building" (2.3.62) Although most of the men seem to be angry and want answers, the women quietly mourn, which is what //Be Still// accurately displays.

Song #5: The City by Ed Sheeran. The City is a definitely more vibrant, as we hear less about mourning and start to hear clear examples of pathetic fallacy. As characters in the book discuss Duncan's death, an old man said that "this sore night // hath trifled former knowings" (2.4.3-2.4.4). The King's death had apparently disrupted nature entirely and even an old man had seen nothing like it. In reply, Ross said that "by th' clock, tis day // and yet dark night strangles the travailing lamp." (2.4.6-2.4.7) The mourning of Duncan's death was reflected in nature as a 'dark day' and //the City// by Ed Sheeran is a good example of that. //The City// describes a nature of noise, crowd and metropolitan life; much like The City, the setting of Macbeth shifts after Duncan's death into a confused and trivial state. Lastly, this song represents Macbeth's paranoia and his inability to act normally or sleep at all.

Song #6: Set Fire to the Rain by Adele. I found that, when listening to //Set Fire to the Rain//, it fit perfectly with Macbeth's storyline. The fire, which could be the bloodshed Macbeth has caused, has covered his past deeds. Although he was a good man before the play, having been the hero of a battle, his ambition (and Lady Macbeth's ambition) got the best of him. Macbeth states in the middle of play, 'We have scorched the snake, not killed it." (3.2.14) Even after killing Duncan and Banquo, his king and best friend, Macbeth believes he isn't done.

Song #7: Wicked Game by James Vincent McMorrow. Although Wicked Game is about love, the lyrics and tone of the song can relate to Macbeth because of ambition and tactics shown in the play. Macduff, after leaving his family for the sake of the country, states "Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure // for goodness dare not check thee." (4.3.31-4.3.32) Macbeth has caused so much disorder and chaos that Macduff has to 'play along' and sacrifice what he treasures. Nature is turned out of order when Macduff is seen as the bad guy for trying to do what's right, while Macbeth is made king. In addition, throughout all of Act 5 Scene 1, we can see what 'playing the game' has done to Lady Macbeth. Her ambition got the best of her, and the blood she shed has caused her to go crazy.

Song #8: After the Storm by Mumford and Sons. After the storm is a great representation of the end of the play because it represents a hope of returning to their old ways. As we can see, Malcolm will be a much more honorable king than Macbeth was, and he will act as Duncan had. After the Storm is a fabulous song because it goes back to pathetic fallacy and shows that the 'storm' has ended; Macbeth has been killed, Lady Macbeth committed suicide and now the bloodshed has end. "As calling home our exiled friends abroad // that fled the snares of watchful tyranny" (5.7.96-5.7.97) is a line that shows us how people can safely return home and everything will be okay in the end. Despite the tragedy seen in this play, we can tell that Malcolm, Macduff and the others are respectful people.