Figurative Language In Macbeth

Diction and imagery play large roles in Macbeth. Shakespeare's use of these devices create a better image in the mind of the audience and set the stage for foreshadowing. In the scene before Duncan's murder in Macbeth, Shakespeare uses diction and imagery to establish Macbeth's guilty, anxious frame of mind. Shakespeare uses imagery as soon as the passage begins by writing, "Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand," (II.i.1-2).

The couple sat, quietly, watching the world passed by in the carriage windows. The trip to Banquo's home was a short ride away and soon they would have dinner with their fellow colleges. Macbeth knew that he would have to come off as sad and grief struck at the events to follow, so he quickly changed his demeanor. Lady Macbeth spoke quietly as the ride processed, " so what will come of this situation?". Macbeth thought for a few moments as they continued on from the journey. No longer was Banquo there to suspect him of crime. " Nothing, life will go on and we will live" responded Macbeth, " and so we

In Act 2 (scene 2), Lady Macbeth says that she’s “drunk [which has] made [her] bold” (2.2.1-2). While she waits for her husband to return from killing the king, she hears a shrieking owl and recognizes it as a “fatal bellman” announcing the murder (2.2.5). When Macbeth enters the room, Macbeth expresses his guilt and horror, announcing the crime as “a sorry sight” (2.2.8). Macbeth is particularly bothered by his inability to bless the guards before taking their lives, but his wife is quick to tell him to “[c]onsider it not so deeply” (2.2.41). blah blah blah…

Many words can be found in Shakespeare’s plays that have different meanings today than they did at the time the plays were written. Reviewing the definitions Shakespeare would have been familiar with can offer valuable insight to the mechanisms of his plays. For example, “milk” today is usually thought of as the liquid that comes from mammals. When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, however, “milk” also referred to “something pleasant and held to be nourishing to the mind or spirit.” In saying that Macbeth “is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness,” Lady Macbeth is saying that she fears Macbeth is softhearted and compassionate (1.5.18). A few lines later, Lady Macbeth states that Macbeth has ambition, but no “illness,” or the brutal qualities needed

Finally, the final use of imagery related to the theme of darkness and light is seen when Macbeth begin his soliloquy by comparing his life to a lighted candle. The flame of the candle is a metaphor for short life or sudden death and it demonstrates how our reality is nothing but emptiness and darkness. Our very existence is merely just a brief moment of light and life, the flame of a candle. We are surrounded by darkness before birth as well as after death. We believe that our desires and ambition has great meaning, but once that candle is blown out, our aspirations are meaningless. This is what Macbeth is referring to in the quote, telling us that he wishes that his flame burns out as well; losing all interest in everything he aspired to be and earn.

In this part of Macbeth, the main protagonist, Macbeth, realizes that his life is coming to an end. Everything has gone wrong for him, his wife will soon die, Malcolm will become King, and he will not be able to achieve what he desired. At this moment Shakespeare implements an epiphany in his writing. Shakespeare uses an epiphany to allow the reader to comprehend the theme and what is the main reason for having a turning point at this scene. Furthermore, the use of an epiphany allows for the reader to connect Macbeth’s life with our own, however, it may not be at Macbeth’s extent. When Macbeth has his epiphany he realizes that death is inevitable and how life may not give whatever he wants. He understands that him striving for achievement was

In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses diction and alliteration to express the theme of having a hard time dealing with guilt. Diction is the choice of words Shakespeare decides. Alliteration grabs the attention of the reader because of the repeating sound that comes from the same letter. First off, diction is expressed in Macbeth’s soliloquy to inform the reader that Macbeth does not want to deal with the guilt. “Though sure and firm-set earth” (2.1.56). Macbeth wants to commit the crime, and have the power of being a king, but he does not want to take the punishments for it. The desire for power makes Macbeth do something that he will feel guilt about forever. Shakespeare’s choice diction provides Macbeth's guilt by murdering the king. The second way

Ross: "by the clock, 'tis day, / And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp" (II.iv.6-7).

He says that days of every human on this earth are short, like a brief candle and is like an ignorant walk towards a fruitless final demise, that of lighted fools all the way to dusty death. He says that an idiot that is, for instance, the playwright who tells a tale with so much sound and fury shows it, but the life is contrived, senseless and will eventually fade into oblivion. Macbeth makes life look like something of unimportance, likening it to an actor in the play, who fills a minor role in a silly play. Macbeth says all these when all seem to be turning against him, his wife succumbs to death and his armies have turned against him, he falls to such pessimism of likening life to above claims mainly due to the rapid change of circumstances in his life. His words seem to be justifying his actions, if things in life in life are useless, then also his dreadful crimes are made to look less awful, just like everything in his life

Shakespeare, via the protagonist Macbeth, pessimistically approaches the significance of life as Macbeth discerns that Lady Macbeth died. Shakespeare eliminates Macbeth’s dwindling sanity, consequently exposing Macbeth’s despair caused by the intolerable burden of time. In the scene, Shakespeare utilizes Lady Macbeth’s death as the undoing of Macbeth himself. Shakespeare tragically illuminates the trudging of time with rhythmic repetition, “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day…”(Shakespeare 19). The repetition of “tomorrow” expresses the incongruous passing of time as after Lady Macbeth’s death, Macbeth no longer grasps onto a secure future compared to the beginning of the play and his foretold

The importance of this expression is that life is aimless, futile and vacant and consistently is simply crawling like different days, which have passed. After his better half, time appears to Macbeth a grievous weight and future a mind-boggling power that leads him to his fate, inverse of regular and simple future he had fantasized with his significant other before killing Lord Duncan. After the passing of Woman Macbeth, he feels his future miserably repetitive and exhaust, while life looks incredibly

Macbeth is talking about how there isn't much point in him living anymore, his wife is dead malcolm will become king and he will soon be dead.

Macbeth learns he has lost his wife after coming home. The famous speech know as Tomorrow creates a sudden strike to Macbeth making him realize "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,/And then is heard no more” (Act 5, scene 5, lines 23-25)making him now believe his efforts to become king have been in vain. He continues on with "It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing.” (Act 5, scene 5, lines 25-26)The temporary nature of existence will ensuring that his memory dies with him. Macbeth’s emotions turn into a train wreck due to him shortly having to fight a battle for his crown, and his life, knowing he will loose.

Macbeth on the other hand is arguing that everyone’s life is waste because no one truly does anything important with their lives; more specifically Macbeth views his life and the life of his wife as wasteful because all they did was murder a perfectly good king in self interest. We see this quote in act five, scene five, lines 24-28; “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.” Not only does Macbeth say that life is wasteful, he says that it represents nothing. By this he means that everyone is living for nothing and is wasteful at the same time, no one is important.

In Act V Scene five, of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth says the most quoted soliloquy in the entire play—his “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” speech (Act V. Scene 5. 18-27). This soliloquy is so popular is because at this moment Macbeth is going through a time where he had just killed the king and he feels that nothing can make life better and life is useless and meaningless. This lead Macbeth to feel like he killed the king for no reason and what he thought would happen by killing Duncan would have given him and his wife a fantasy like future with his wife as king, but in reality, it was everything but that. At this time Macbeth also just found out that his wife (Lady Macbeth) had committed suicide which leads him to enter a