Theme Of Imagery In Macbeth

Conflict is a major theme in countless stories, but the ones used in Macbeth particularly striking.

Blood, whether it be the color, smell, or importance is vital to life itself. However, almost exceeding the importance of physical blood is the imagery of blood found throughout William Shakespeare's, Macbeth. The continual presence of blood in Shakespeare's, Macbeth is constantly reminding the audience how significant the consequences of the characters actions are. The imagery of blood in Shakespeare's, Macbeth represents the guilt felt by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth due to their brutal actions, thus developing the theme ‘the corrupting power of unchecked ambition’. As their guilt grows, so does the importance of the blood imagery and how it haunts both characters, staining their soul.

Recall the story of Snow White. The girl took a bite out of an apple because it looked delectable. Little did she know that it would knock her out and put her into a deep sleep. Think about the tale of Aladdin. He found this magic lamp which was to bring him an immense fortune, but his greed got the best of him and it ended up consuming him in the end. The Lion King, a young cub was exiled after his father’s death, only to return years later and take back his rightful throne. In Hercules, an evil god was given a prophecy by three fates and forced them to come true which resulted in his own undoing. Macbeth shares a template with a plethora of tales and stories, many of which have gained popularity in the Walt Disney Franchise. Whilst these narratives and the play may have different overall storylines and characters, the vital themes and character framework remain very similar to the core ideas of the 16th-century play.

In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth undergoes many emotional and psychological changes. Shakespeare uses motifs and numbers to show Lady Macbeth is stoic and unrepentant in the beginning, but becomes desperate for death by the end because she is frantic and overcome with guilt.

Shakespeare is unarguably famous for his creative and vivid use of imagery in his acclaimed plays. Animal imagery is one literary device he uses often to develop theme and characterize individuals in his plays. One of his most prominent tragedies, Macbeth, contains many examples of animal imagery, most of which characterizes Macbeth himself. Animal imagery at the beginning of the tragedy, such as the comparison of Macbeth to an eagle and a lion, characterize him as loyal, brave, and honorable. As the play develops, however, the animal imagery used, like a predatory bird and a ferocious beast, begins to characterize him as power hungry, violent, and truly inhumane. In his tragedy Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses animal imagery to reflect

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.

A motif is a repeating symbol that takes on a figurative meaning. A motif can be an object, a color, the weather, or even an idea or a concept. Motifs are usually used to establish a certain mood or a theme, and they have a symbolic meaning. For example, in a fairy tale, some motifs would be: the handsome prince, the wicked witch, talking animals, and magic fairies. Another example would be the song “Beasts of England” in Animal Farm by George Orwell, and it is a motif that mainly serves as propaganda to the animals. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, motifs are seen all throughout the book, like the motif of blood and how it represents guilt. The motifs of blood, sleep, and birds affect the character development and relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

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.

Although some might say that Scotland is a great country, in reality, it is filled with lies, evil, and blood. Through the Tragedy of Macbeth, a popular theme that keeps appearing is the will of desire. In the play, the main character Macbeth gets blinded by the desire to become king which leads him to do evil and savage things. In Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, the main character Macbeth displays a vivid theme of desire to become a king which eventually leads him to do savage things like murder King Duncan, kill Banquo and also destroy Macduff's family.

Imagery makes use of words that help to create a visual of ideas in one’s mind throughout works of literature. According to Caroline F.E Spurgeon, “the imagery in Macbeth appears to be more rich and varied, more highly imaginative, more unapproachable by any other writer, than that of any other single play (Spurgeon 155). The imagery helps readers to understand and imagine the complexities of the play. One particular piece of imagery that is evident throughout Macbeth is the picture of Macbeth himself.

     In the play ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare uses brutal imagery, with association of blood.  The mood of disgust and horror towards the characters and setting is established by the references to the universal representation of death and pain. The first mention of blood seems to establish a sense of honor. The second mention of blood seems to communicate betrayal.  Lastly the third allusion of blood appears to establish a sense of guilt All of these images of blood help develop the atmosphere and scene and contribute to the over all drama of the play.

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.

William Shakespeare use of imagery creates a picture in the mind of his audiences that tells a thousand words. In most of his literary work, he shows the importance of imagery, and how authors can manipulate a reader's feelings towards a character. In Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, he shows his very skillfully uses imagery. Macbeth is one of the great tragedy themed plays by William Shakespeare. It’s about three witches that decide to manipulate a Scottish general called Macbeth when he returns from a war. The Scottish king, Duncan, honors Macbeth with the title Thane of Cawdor for his heroic. Macbeth and his friend Banquo meet the witches. They predict that he will one day become king. So he decides that he will murder King Duncan. Macbeth's wife agrees to his plan, and so his ambition builds. In The play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, his use of imagery is display through symbolism of light and darkness, Macbeth ill-fitting garments and the images of blood.

            Instances of imagery and symbolism are seen throughout the play. Imagery and symbolism are unavoidable features in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. One of the most prominent symbolic factors in the play is the presence of blood. It has been

English playwright William Shakespeare, author of works such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is very well known for his use of descriptive imagery throughout his literary work. The definition of imagery states that it is the formation of mental images, figures, likenesses of things, or of such images collectively. Shakespeare does a brilliant job of creating realistic and clear images for the reader to envision, most notably in the play Macbeth. Shakespeare goes out of his way to emphasize certain themes such as darkness, blood, clothing and animals. Throughout the entire play these themes are embodied within characters and events.