The Importance of Sound in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Essay

Written by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven” is a famous short poem known for the dark fantasy that it portrays. From the mindset of a first person narrative, one may experience the tale through the eyes of a haunted man who is in mourning for the death of his beloved Lenore. As this man sits in his chamber, within a dark and dreary December night, a “raven of the saintly days of yore” visits him. The raven is no ordinary bird, for it is like a ghost, silent, yet it answers every inquiry the man presents in it’s own personal way. This dark and tragic tale grabs one’s attention through the rhythmic, yet melancholy verses, through the classic references, and through the dark imagery that all play a critical role within this poem.

The raven directs all further action in the poem, it ridicules and patronizes the narrator throughout the composition and its evil force permeates the air and induces suffering and anguish within the character. Emotions culminate with the attainment of a climax as the narrator faces his confused and disordered world. The narrator, in his madness, shrieks, “Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!” (98). Poe’s calculated use of symbolism was influential in establishing the literary reputation of “The Raven”. The raven is established as a symbol for the narrator's mournful and ceaseless remembrance of his lost love. The raven is of significant importance to the melancholic theme because it is often seen as being a harbinger of death.

In “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe, a raven perched on a bust outside of a chamber. At first, the reader of the poem doesn't suspect anything weird of the raven. But, as you read further into the story you will find that the raven is used as a demonic symbol. “Prophet! I said. Thing of evil!-prophet still,

The raven also symbolizes the torture the narrator has inflicted upon himself due to the death of Lenore, a "rare and radiant maiden?nameless here forever more" (731). The raven's refusal to answer any question asked of him with an answer other than "nevermore" only tortures the narrator even more.

In the play ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare, light and dark imagery is used throughout the story in order to show the difference and symbolism between good and evil. Light represents innocence, truth and purity while darkness is used to represent cruelty, guilt and corruption. Towards the end of the play, Shakespeare correlates the ideas of both lightness and darkness to portray life and death. Ultimately, they represent good and evil. Shakespeare uses these two themes to drive the plot and story forward in order to create conflict, twists and symbolism.

Macbeth is the ultimate story of a fight between the forces of good and evil. It tells the tale of a tragic hero whose quest for power leads to his ultimate downfall. Macbeth starts out as an honorable warrior but changes when his ambition becomes uncontrollable. As he becomes increasingly paranoid, Macbeth uses violent means to eliminate threats to his Scottish throne. As the play progresses, blood continuously plays a part in the events as the murders become more frequent. William Shakespeare, the author of Macbeth, uses blood imagery to develop Macbeth’s character, create a foil in between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and to symbolize honor and guilt.

The poem, “The Raven,” written by Edgar Allen Poe shows the deep depression and confusion that the narrator is experiencing since the death of his beloved wife. The gloomy setting of the poem predicts the visit of the Raven, whom is a sign of misfortune, darkness, and death. Throughout the poem, the narrator is continually mourning his wife, Lenore. He secretly hopes that the Raven will bring good news regarding his wife and his future; however, the Raven informs him that he will forever remain depressed. Furthermore, Poe uses setting, strong word choice, and symbolism to illustrate the Raven as the messenger of darkness and explain the narrator’s emotional state.

Therefore , Symbolism is used in the poem to symbolize the raven. As the raven is tapping at the speaker’s chamber door and the raven has entered, it then holds power over the speaker. The raven's darkness may symbolize death; the line “Here I opened wide the door, Darkness there and nothing more.” the darkness brought from the raven is than just a constant reminder of death for his lost love,

According to the Great Metaphysical Chain of Being, the falcon is the supreme bird who rules over all of the others, with the owl ranking a few notches below it. The death of the falcon at the owl’s hand illustrates that the natural order of things has been disrupted, a situation that bears resemblance to what has just occurred at Dunsinane, with king Duncan having been murdered by Macbeth, a man who was beneath him in terms of power. This parallel between the upset in nature and the upset that occurred at Dunsinane reinforces the idea that the owl symbolizes Macbeth.

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

(Screeching) Hark! Ravens don’t bother an owl’s nest! Get out, get out! Your talons are too small to scathe my perfectly preened feathers. Stop darkening my mind and heart you horrible devil’s messengers. (Flings her fist around her crazily, batting at non-existent ravens flapping around her. She begins speaking in a frustrated voice) That horrendous murderer, he seeks something more than power, he is greedy yet he only deserves death. A death so horrible it awakens those mortally wounded by his blade. (Picks up dagger used to kill the king and his two guards) He shall die tonight! Awake Duncan and his guards; give me the strength of a vengeful man. (Looking to ceiling as if talking to spirits) Bring back my strength, spirits, rid me of this

The Raven tells a story of a man with much grief over this loss of his love, Lenore. As the poem opens, the narrator is trying to find peace through his books. He states, “…while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,” (862). The setting, a chamber in a house, is described in such a way that creates a very dark, almost melancholy style. The narrator, while trying to find comfort for his loss, hears a tapping at his window. As he opens the window, a raven, a long time symbol of death, flies in, and refuses to leave. Poe uses the symbol of the raven, and his repeating word of “nevermore”, to show that the narrator will never get over the loss of his love, Lenore.

For the narrator, an Emersonian transcendentalist, the raven is the material manifestation of divine nature. The transcendental symbolism the narrator attaches to the bird extends to its refrain, “nevermore.” For the narrator, the refrain symbolizes the dreary end to human existence coming from a bird spiritualized, twice described as “ominous” (Poe 690.70-1). The narrator attaches such meaning by positing questions in their conversation that would lead to predictable morbid determinations. For instance, the narrator references a biblical allusion, by asking: “is there balm in Gilead?”

In the popular television show, “One Tree Hill”, Lucas Scott once stated, “Some people believe that ravens guide travelers to their destinations. Others believe that the sight of a solitary raven is considered good luck or more than one raven together predicts trouble ahead.” People have many different opinions about what ravens signify. In Poe’s “The Raven” it becomes clear that the raven symbolizes emotional suffering and also portrays a vivid understanding of reality.

The Raven is widely regarded as one of the greatest poems of its time. But many examples of deep symbolism are incorporated into the dark work. The raven itself is a huge symbol. It represents a death messenger, sent from the same place as the narrators deceased wife. The narrator's wife also holds a lot of symbolism of Poe’s life. As the many women close to Poe died, he would fall into the a similar stage of madness expressed by the narrator. The setting of the narrators chamber is a strong symbol as well. As he tries to distract himself with literature and books, the raven (the death messenger) enters, and he finally