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No matter how big or small the part, every actor
needs to know the answers to the following questions:
1. What does your character want in this scene?
To kill Macduff’s family and fulfill his contract
with Macbeth, mentally wounding Macduff and “helping” Scotland. He could
also figure out where Macduff is through his family.
2. What is your character’s
motivation for doing what he or she does?
Macbeth has most
likely convinced the murderer that Macduff was a traitor, and he probably
also paid him. The murderer thinks that he is helping Scotland, so he is
doing this partially out of patriotism.
3. What obstacles stand in his or
her way?
He has to commit the murder quickly and leave to
avoid confrontation with guards. He also has to combat his personal
conscience and morals.
4. What happens when your character
confronts these obstacles?
His patriotism wins out and he kills Macduff’s
family, even ignoring his conscience enough to kill a little boy. He also
kills the boy quickly, and chases the lady to avoid her warning others of
the murder.
5. Are there any distinctive
elements in your character’s way of speaking? (Is his or her language
elaborate, plain, musical, or what?)
He speaks in short sentences full of malice. He
doesn’t seem to be a character who speaks thoughtfully, rather a man of
action.
6. What is your character thinking during the
scene? (How does he or she react to the other characters and events?)
The murderer needs to make sure that his partner
is okay, and also must make sure that there are no witnesses to the murder.
To the family itself, the murderer has to maintain a balance of hostility,
aggression, and thought to successfully commit his dire crime.
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