The Imagery Of Macbeth By William Shakespeare

The witches were the very first factor in Macbeth’s progression to becoming a power hungry and bloodthirsty character. Their speech was always laced with a hint of truth but mostly false hope as they were creatures of the supernatural. Their half prophecies played Macbeth like a puppet, constantly trying to live by their words, though they were just illusions to make his life look good, through a mirage of carefully planned schemes. Looking back at the opening of the play, Macbeth was portrayed as “brave”, as he, Banquo and his army had just won a

Lady Macbeth also directly spoke to the evil spirits and said ‘unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty’. She asked for the limited goodness to be taken from her and in return replaced with pure evil so that she can take part in the murder of King Duncan and not feel guilt. She tells her plans to Macbeth. Her words to Macbeth ‘Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it’. She told him to look innocent while hiding his evil intentions.

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, imagery is used to set the tone of a passage, provide contrast and irony to scenes, and help to display character. Shakespeare applies the imagery of clothing, darkness, and blood in an exceptional manner to describe his play. Each one of these is an important symbol used throughout the play. They add to a complete understanding of a passage or the play as a whole.

Every one of Shakespeare 's plays are heavily imbedded with motifs. A motif is any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through the entire body of literature. (motif) I chose to examine the play Macbeth. It is a very intense play full of violence, betrayal, and even the supernatural. It is well known to be saturated with themes and motifs that are repeated throughout the play. These motifs are important because they often foreshadow events on the play. They also create a atmosphere that helps shape the events of the play. I am going to focus on two motifs that seem to play a heavy role in the storyline of Macbeth. The two I have chose to focus on are the motifs of blood and nature. Since Macbeth is know for its violence blood is a very important part of the play. Nature also is representative of things to come and upsetting the natural balance of things. These are only a fraction of motifs that are present in this tragic play.

Imagery is a way to amplify theme in Macbeth by William Shakespeare. It portrays many different themes in the play. Imagery is used in many different ways, such as blood, animals and, light and dark.

In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth evil is conveyed in many ways through characters, themes and settings. Many themes are explored in detail contributing hugely to the sense of evil with characters being used along with these themes to create evil within the characters. These themes and characters are shown in different settings at different times consequently affecting the mood and atmosphere of the play.

The supernatural elements presented in The Tragedy of Macbeth each demonstrate hints of wickedness or evil. For example, the three witches. When presented in the story, their presence always gives off bad vibes. In the exposition of the tragedy, the First Witch asks, “When shall we three meet again? / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” (I:I, 1-2). The use of “thunder, lightning, or in rain” indicates to the reader of the malicious nature of the three witches. Upon encountering the three witches, Macbeth is astounded. Their prophecies alarm him, causing him to ask what they mean by “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (I:iii, 50). Many times, the paradoxes used by the witches confusing. In one scene, the witches appeal in favor of Banquo. The use of their paradox, “Not so happy, yet much happier,” indicates their intention of portraying things not as they really seem. (I:iii, 66). Meeting the three witches is Macbeth’s first step in losing his sanity. He struggles to differentiate what is real and what is not.

The three witches in the tragedy Macbeth are introduced right at the beginning of the play. The scene opens with the witches chanting three prophesies: Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis and King. These prophesies introduce Macbeth to his plan of defeat and to over power. Macbeth will eventually follow through in killing king Duncan. Some people believe that the witches had the ability to reverse the order of things. This brings into the play idea of fate and the role with which it has in the play. One can only wonder if Macbeth ever had a chance of doing what was right after he met with the witches. It is however, more realistic to believe that Macbeth was responsible for his own actions throughout the play and in the end,

     The Three Witches are the ones who introduce the paradox that runs throughout the play. The theme affects these characters because although they speak of the future, they do not seem to affect the course of it. They are the agents of fate because they only speak of the truth of what will happen. Macbeth refers to the Witches as the Weird Sisters. In fact the word "Weird" comes from an old English word

lady Macbeth asks the spirits "Make thick my blood." In this quote she wants to make

The highly acclaimed play called Macbeth often uses many literary devices and imagery to come to a conclusion about a topic. One of the frequent uses of imagery in this play is the imagery of sleep and death. Shakespeare often uses the sleep and death imagery to set a tense and eerie tone in the play. This is seen in the actions of Lady Macbeth in act 5 of the play, the actions of the character Macbeth, and the scene of and following Duncan’s death.

The three witches are pure evil, and their prophecies are the cause of treachery and murder in Macbeth’s mind. The technique of foreshadowing is used to make a reference to an earlier event, so the audience knows that the prophecies were true. The quote ‘All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!’ is from the witches in act 1 scene 3, it is the first prophecy which initiates Macbeth’s dark ambition after it becomes true. The witches’ prophecies tempt Macbeth’s dark desires for power; however they do not force or interfere with his evil acts. The witches’ ugly, androgynous appearance, bizarre potions and rhymed speech

Most of the imagery I have picked out from this play adds to the power of the play. There is a lot of imagery such as, sleep, blood, nature and darkness. In my opinion I believe that recurring imagery in Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ does add to the

An individual’s imagination is an incredible and persuasive influence on his or her actions. Imagination is defined by Google as “the. . . action of forming new images or concepts . . . not present to the senses.” Many tales and stories have a protagonist with a game-changing imagination. Imagination often persuades people to think one way or another, even though it is often obvious that the reality is much different from their perception. In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the main character is often influenced by his imaginative mind, and evidence of this can be found in three scenes: act 2, scene 2 after the murder of king Duncan; act 3, scene 4 when banquo’s ghost haunts the feast; and act 5, scene 3 before the final battle.

In all of Shakespeare's plays he uses many forms of imagery. Imagery is the art of making images, the products of imagination. In the play 'Macbeth' Shakespeare applies the imagery of clothing, darkness and blood. Each detail is his imagery, seems to contain an important symbol of the play, symbols that the audience must understand if they are to interpret either a passage or the play as a whole.