Usage of abstruse language in texts, especially those of Old English, is very common and manipulated to advance plots and character development. This is no different in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, as equivocation, language used to conceal truths and to avoid exposure, is cast by many characters in the play. Whether it is confessing a murder or signaling danger, the characters that bring this story to life are not seen to “tell it like it is,” in most cases. The play drips with equivocation as it is used to explain the personalities of the wicked, such as the three witches and Lady Macbeth, and show the motives of power that possess Macbeth until his death.
Foul deeds played a huge part in the story of Macbeth, and when the characters would allude to these actions, they would always present them in obscure manners. For instance, the Three Witches, were the biggest source of examples for equivocation within the story. They acted in lore, the Three Witches stating to Macbeth, “All hail Macbeth to the, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! (Shakespeare 15)” At this point in time, Macbeth didn’t even know he was to be the Thane of Cawdor, but the witches also alluded to him being the King, representing that the death of the King was near, but Macbeth, so taken back by the wild statements, did not catch this detail, wrapped within the cryptic speech, no less that he would cause that death. The most powerful
Foul deeds played a huge part in the story of Macbeth, and when the characters would allude to these actions, they would always present them in obscure manners. For instance, the Three Witches, were the biggest source of examples for equivocation within the story. They acted in lore, the Three Witches stating to Macbeth, “All hail Macbeth to the, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! (Shakespeare 15)” At this point in time, Macbeth didn’t even know he was to be the Thane of Cawdor, but the witches also alluded to him being the King, representing that the death of the King was near, but Macbeth, so taken back by the wild statements, did not catch this detail, wrapped within the cryptic speech, no less that he would cause that death. The most powerful
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