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Macbeth Explication Essay

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Matt Cuyler 12/17/17 F Block Macbeth Explication The “Tragedy of Macbeth” by William Shakespeare tells a tale of deceit, murder, and ambition, beginning with a cutthroat rise to power, followed by calamitous downfall. At the start of the play, Macbeth is a brave and loyal captain in King Duncan’s army, but after three witches prophesize that he himself will become the king of Scotland, and that those born of a friend, Banquo, will be king after him, Macbeth is overtaken by ambition and gluttony. Instigated by his wife and his own lust for power, he murders Duncan, assumes the throne, and subsequently sends mercenaries to kill Banquo’s sons. While awaiting battle, Macbeth addresses the death of his wife in Act V, scene 5. Throughout the …show more content…

The idea that: “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more” (V.V. xxvii - xxix) conveys that life is something that lacks substance, that it’s an actor who only spends a short time on stage. This metaphor explains how life is short and passes quickly. Finally, Macbeth refers to death as the last act of an awful play or “...a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing” (V.V. xxix-xxx), demonstrating the ending to a long journey down an existential path. Over the course of the tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare uses various literary devices to bring to attention the importance of his diction, as well as relate the speech to the common theme of death and life’s worthlessness. Beyond the figurative language mentioned above, there are elements that are significant on their own, specifically foreshadowing, metaphors, repetition and alliteration. Shakespeare hints at an important upcoming event using Macbeth’s boastful attitude when he describes the walls surrounding his main character. This element of foreshadowing allows for the reader to predict that something tragic and significant will soon take place. As the speech progresses, the author continues to emphasize Macbeth’s idea that life is brief

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