Symbolism In Macbeth

“Blood itself - the color, the smell, and importance - is vital to life and shocking to see. ”-Anonymous. Throughout Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, blood plays an important role. Blood represents guilt for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It’s not until after the murder of Duncan that their guilt begins to manifest.

Act 1 Scene 1, the opening scene of Macbeth, consists of numerous different literary devices and techniques, which combined, contribute significantly to the overall foreboding, and evil atmosphere which is carried throughout the play. The Scene begins with stage directions, “A desolate place”. Desolate refers to an abandoned and/or uninhabited place. This depicts that the witches are secretive.

Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a play that mainly focuses on one common theme of insanity. Macbeth gradually becomes plagued by intense guilt as his desire for power drives him to attain his goals by any means necessary, including committing murder. He kills Duncan in cold blood in order to become King, has Banquo killed by three murderers because he wishes to maintain his position as King, and finally, he has Macduff’s family slaughtered. Each of these occurrences takes place because of Macbeth’s will to be King, or they are a result of his guilt. Nonetheless, they are all completed of his free will, which is what causes him to deteriorate mentally.

Symbolism is a very prominent literary technique throughout Shakespeare’s famous play, Macbeth. These symbols lead to a better understanding of the play, and add a lot of deeper meanings to it as well. While there are countless numbers of these symbols and motifs, specifically, blood, clothing, and birds are three very important ones. Blood is a symbol that portrays guilt throughout the play. Second, clothing stands for something the characters are not, for example when Macbeth is crowned Thane of Cawdor.

Greed for power leads corrupt leaders to pursue power through ruthless and violent ways, putting their countries in an unstable state. Macbeth commits murders and violent acts to earn his absolute power, but his corrupt mindset of yearning power leads to instability in the Scotland. After hearing from the witches, Macbeth admits that, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical/ Shakes so my single state of man/ That function is smother'd in surmise /and nothing is but what is not.”

William Shakespeare's works have been highly regarded throughout the many years since their conception, this regard could stem from Shakespeare's expert integration of the themes and motifs. His play Macbeth, contains a plethora of themes and motifs that intermingle to produce a work that is timelessly intriguing and unique. Through the use of character interaction Shakespeare flawlessly incorporates the theme of gender and the motif of faces and masks. The first act of Macbeth establishes the groundwork for both the theme and its supporting motif of faces and masks.

Unlike in previous acts, the word night in Act III is used in a variety of ways. In the first instance, night refers to a time of joy, as the banquet would be held by Macbeth for his lords. In scenes 1 and 2, all the characters, including Banquo, Macbeth, and the servant knows that night is related to the time of the banquet and a time of joy. Therefore, night has a positive connotation to it.

Secondly, as the play progresses, the use of animal symbolism illustrates the decline of Macbeth. In Act I, the Sergeant speaks of Macbeth and Banquo stating that they are: “As sparrows, eagles; or the hair, the lion” (I.ii.35) to their enemies. Specifically, the Sergeant refers to them as an eagle and a lion. Traditionally, these animals are inferred to be noble, strong, proud, and fierce. This shows how Macbeth is first known to have these traits.

Macbeths guilty conscience makes him unable to play the ‘true’ role of a villain of the play. Macbeth begins to see ‘false creations’ before murdering Duncan; the image of a floating dagger taunts Macbeth’s senses. Macbeth is devoured in his anxiety he starts to hallucinate the crime before going through with it. Macbeth is unable to dispose thoughts of his guilt and doubt, which prevents him from being stuck at the point where it is too late to turn back, yet the fear of his nature prevents him from turning completely into a ruthless coldblooded

Shakespeare uses metaphors to influence the audience's understanding that not everyone is fit to rule. The idea that not everyone is fit to rule is shown through Lady Macbeth’s manipulation. After Macbeth receives the prophecy that he will become king of Scotland, he is manipulated by Lady Macbeth to carry out the murder of King Duncan, so that Macbeth can take his place in the great chain of being. Lady Macbeth knows she must be manipulative and forceful over her husband to make sure he carries out the murder and the ambition of power is fulfilled for them both, she says “Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear, and chastise with the valour of my tongue”. This metaphor influences the audience’s understanding that Lady Macbeth

This doesn’t stop Macbeth from continuing to commit murder for his own selfish gains and to become king but in the regrets the path he has chosen.

Symbolism and representation portray a variety of ideas and concepts using objects or characters. The Bloody dagger used in the Macbeth is a symbolic representation of the bloody journey which Macbeth is about to embark: the beginning of Macbeth’s moral demise. William Shakespeare continuously uses the metalanguage and especially symbolism and representation in Macbeth exemplifying the overall theme of murder. Consequently, During the Shakespearean era, kings were associated with sunset. The death or conquest was associated with sunset.

There is a political parallel between Macbeth with 2 connected revolutions going on. In Macbeth’s mind, the shadow is attempting a coup d'etat against his persona, while in Scotland, Macbeth is attempting a coup d'etat against King Duncan, and with that, comes insanity on both sides. It starts with the rise of Macbeth’s Shadow, the rise of King Macbeth, and after the revolutions, the aftermath of such actions. There is a political parallel between Macbeth’s character and Scotland and it starts with the rise of Macbeth’s shadow. At the start of Macbeth, it starts with a battle.

A Figure In the Passage Concurrently, two women appeared at two ends of a passage running beside the Apollo Theatre in the Adelphi. This passage was short and rather dark, so that the women were only able to discern each other’s silhouettes, but each woman knew exactly who the other was. They were rivals of sorts and both were quite unforgettable. Lank and lean, the first was a woman of considerable stature and popularity during that time, for Lady Willow Seymour was not to be forgotten. She held distinguished positions in all women clubs and was ranked among the most renowned aristocratic women of the time.

Celia Beyers Tinti Period 1/5 12 April 2015 Literary Analysis: Macbeth In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, he presents the character of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is shown, as a character that schemes into making rebellious plots. She reveals the desire for wanting to lose her feminine qualities in order to be able to gain more masculine ones.