Lady Macbeth, Macbeth and the Murder of Duncan (Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II, Scene II) 1825 - 1840

Charles Rolls created this print depicting a scene from Shakespeare's Macbeth. The composition is structured with Lady Macbeth in the foreground, starkly contrasted against the unfolding murder in the background. The artist used fine lines to create tonal variation throughout the print. The spatial arrangement directs our attention from the emotional turmoil of Lady Macbeth to the brutal act occurring just beyond her. Light and shadow play a crucial role in drawing a distinction between the foreground and background. The architectural setting, with its arches and heavy drapery, suggests an enclosure or a prison-like space. This can be seen as a metaphor for the psychological entrapment that both Macbeths experience as they descend into ambition and guilt. Rolls uses form to comment on the drama's themes of power, guilt, and destiny, all framed within the confines of human action and consequence.