Theme Of Metaphors In Macbeth

How far would people go to gain power? In the beginning of the play Macbeth, Macbeth is a loyal soldier to King Duncan. His loyalty to his king soon changes when he is given predictions at the hand of three witches. Their predictions describe that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and soon after will reign over Scotland. With Lady Macbeth’s persistent behavior, Macbeth is able to fulfill their plan to kill Duncan so he will be able to take throne. His guilt for killing Duncan and ambition for the predictions to come true drives Macbeth to murder friends, like Banquo, that he believes are a threat to his power. Macbeth’s deranged actions lead to his own downfall. William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606 for King James. Shakespeare utilizes similes,

     The second type of literary device that Shakespeare uses in Macbeth is symbolism. The predominant symbol is blood and is used as an effective method to describe the theme of the play. Not only does blood symbolize bravery, it is also a means of showing treachery and treason and probably most importantly, guilt. One example of bravery occurs when the captain says, "For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name--/Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel,/Which smoked with bloody execution"(1.2.16-18). Soon after this blood changes into a representation of treachery and treason. Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to "Make thick my blood,/ Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse" (1.5. 43-44). She asks the spirits to take away compassion and make her remorseless for the actions she is about to take. Also, when Ross asks, "Is’t known who did this more than bloody deed?" (2.4.22), he tries to figure out who performed the disloyal act of murdering the king. Blood is also used many times to express the guilt-ridden consciences of the characters. For instance, Macbeth says, "What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine own eyes!/ Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash the blood/ Clean from my hand?" (2.3.58-60). Macbeth obviously feels guilty for killing Duncan in cold blood. Later in the play, Lady Macbeth

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.

When Macbeth and Lady Macbeth discuss the murder of King Duncan, Shakespeare uses a variety of motifs, such as the repetition of blood and hands, to show that Lady Macbeth lacked remorse for the murder. This scene portrays a contrast between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s feelings. While Macbeth is worrying that his hands will never be clean from the blood, Lady Macbeth is unphased and simply tells him to “wash [the] filthy witness from [his] hand” (II.ii.59). The

Macbeth middling character is shown in these lines “If it were done tis done…first I am his kinsman and his subject...who should shut the door on his murderer” (I.vii.1-15). This suggests that Macbeth doesn’t actually want to kill Duncan. However, due to his tragic flaw of his pride and ambition Macbeth resolves to kill Duncan. We seen that Lady Macbeth in Act I insulted him as a man, warrior and husband. It was after such insults that Macbeth then decides to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth is almost like the little devil portrayed on his shoulder whispering evil bad things in his ear. When Macbeth resolves to kill Duncan he sees a dagger floating in the air pointing towards Duncan’s chamber. Here he is presented a choice of whether not to follow through. “Is this a dagger which I see before me...A dagger of the mind a false creation,” (II.i.33.39). He also prays that the earth will not hear his footsteps as he completes his bloody plan. He doesn’t want anything including the earth to witness what he is about to do or is thinking of doing. “Thou sure and firm-set earth, Hear not my steps, which they walk, for fear” (II.i.57-58). Lady Macbeth rings the bell as a signal to let Macbeth know that the coast is clear for him to proceed with the evil deed. The bell symbolized both the final death of Duncan and Macbeth’s conscience a he chooses to actually follow through with the murder

In lines forty-three to forty-four Macbeth says “Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going; And such an instrument I was to use.” Macbeth acknowledges that he is being led to kill King Duncan instead of being the one who is leading. The reader can see that Macbeth is allowing others to influence his decisions. Imagery is also used to display Macbeth’s fearful state of mind.

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.

h is portrayed in the beginning of the play as a courageous hero, whose valour is depicted as "he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops." Although he puts on a fearless persona during conflict, his soliloquies reveal a character that it fuelled by greed and desire. Not only does Macbeth obliterate the notion of The Divine Right of Kings, but he goes against the Righteous Rule. Throughout the play, Macbeth lets irrational greed overcome his logical conscience. It is clear that Macbeth is reluctant to murder Duncan as he states, “We will proceed no further in this business,” yet his vaulting ambition and desire to become King outweighs his conscience. Before murdering Duncan, Macbeth utters “I have no spur to prick the sides of intent, but only Vaulting ambition.” In his soliloquy, he continuously reasons with himself as “first I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against deed, then as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself.” Shakespeare utilises the recurring motif of hallucinations to depict a dagger as a symbol of guilt and murder. Macbeth’s thoughts of murder create an imaginary bloody dagger, showing him the path to the king's chambers as he questions "Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still." As the tragedy continues, Macbeth transforms into a more conventional villain, and attempts to control Fate and Fortune. Macbeth’s ambition is further explored when he visits the witches and witnesses the four apparitions.

Throughout history, writers have developed a plethora of literary devices.  This allows them to essentially spice up their writing, or make it more interesting to the reader.  One of the most commonly used and talked about literary devices is theme; theme is a specific idea or lesson that an author is trying to get across.  Just a few examples are, ambition, guilt, things may not always be what they seem, or even nature verses the unnatural.  In fact, these are common themes used by one of the greatest play writes of all time, Shakespeare.  All throughout arguably his most renowned play, Macbeth, we see Shakespeare use each of the four previously listed themes.

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.

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

The book Macbeth written by Shakespeare. Macbeth takes you through twists and turns but also teaches a very important lesson that people should take away form it after they read the book. Also shows many different themes such as Guilt, Nature v. Unnatural, Things are not what they always seem, and Ambition.

As Macbeth, is contemplating whether to kill Duncan or not, it seems as if he is having a battle with his own mind: “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee, I have thee not, and yet I see thee still!” A rhetorical question is used here which suggests that Macbeth is nervous and unstable as he is still making the decision to kill Duncan. The dagger could also be symbolic of the throne itself: Macbeth sees it there, but cannot grasp it, and once the dagger is grasped so is the throne. After being confronted by the dagger, Macbeth begins to have second thoughts about murdering Duncan: “Alarm’d by his sentinel, the wolf, whose howl his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, with Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design, moves like a ghost” This suggests that the wolf’s howl is a signal that it is the correct time for Macbeth to kill Duncan. Personification is used to compare Macbeth to Tarquin, a man who came in the night to rape his friend’s wife. Macbeth fears he will become like Tarquin due to the fact that their crimes are so similar – both attacking their victims in their sleep, when they are most vulnerable. A simile is also used ‘Moves like a ghost’ which suggests that Macbeth will move stealthily and shall remain unseen: the connotations of a ghost are

At the same time, Macbeth’s fear that “[w]e still have judgement here, that we but teach / Bloody instructions which, being taught, return / To plague th’inventor,” foreshadows the way that his deeds will eventually come back to haunt him. The imagery in this speech is dark—we hear of “bloody instructions,” “deep damnation,” and a “poisoned chalice”—and suggests that Macbeth is aware of how the murder would open the door to a dark and sinful world. At the same time, he admits that his only reason for committing murder, “ambition,” suddenly seems an insufficient justification for the act. The destruction that comes from unchecked ambition will continue to be explored as one of the play’s themes. As the soliloquy ends, Macbeth seems to resolve not to kill Duncan, but this resolve will only last until his wife returns and once again convinces him, by the strength of her will, to go ahead with their plot.

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.