Savannah Williamson Brandie Trent Ap Literature March 14, 2023 Macbeth’s Growth Through Allusions The play Macbeth, written by William Shakespere, tells the tragic story of how a well-loved war hero met his untimely death. Throughout the play, Shakespere uses multiple allusions to better help the readers follow along this journey. He also uses them to explain human nature and how humanity is quick to fall when over-ran with greed and corruption.
Shakespeare, in Act 5, Scene 5 of his play The Tragedy of Macbeth, portrays time as unfeeling. Shakespeare’s purpose is to make the audience ponder the nature of time and denounce ambition as a vain notion of humanity through repetition and personification. In the speech, Macbeth adopts a grim and weary tone in order to convey the meaninglessness of day to day life and the cyclical nature of time to the Elizabethan audience. In Macbeth’s speech in Act 5, Scene 5, Shakespeare uses repetition to create a grim tone which reflects the speech’s message surrounding the cyclical nature of life and time.
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most memorable plays. Macbeth was first performed in 1606 during the reign of King James I. The symbolism of blood can be found all throughout Macbeth. Shakespeare uses blood to symbolize the guilt Macbeth feels for killing Duncan. Macbeth says “What hands are here!
[c]lean from [his] hand”(2.2.79). The blood of the dead will stain Macbeth’s hands forever, in which he will feel eternal guilt. Although Macbeth realizes this, he continues his journey to becoming king by committing several other murders. In a discussion between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he is “in blood/ Stepp’d in so far that, should he wade no more/ Returning were as tedious as go o’er’”(3.4.168-170). Macbeth has regret and guilt for his actions, since he knows he is too far in to go back to his original, heroic life.
The author William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth uses many different rhetorical devices to explain his position on the world stage. One speech that shows 3 rhetorical devices is Act 2, Scene 1 Line 35-60. This speech is right before Macbeth kills Duncan Macbeth is hallucinating that there is a dagger floating and leading him towards Duncan’s room to kill him. And Macbeth is talking to himself about his courage to kill and what he is going to do. The text states “I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare deals with the concepts of power, ambition, evil and fear. One particular scene in the play seems to deal with more of the concepts of fear and power, as well as feeling nothing. In Act 5, Scene 5, Shakespeare uses differing types of figurative language to add to the somber tone and dark nature of the scene/play. In this scene, Macbeth is preparing to go to war with the people who were once on his side.
Macbeth by William Shakesphere, has numerous allusions throughout the entire play. Two examples would be, “His silver skin laced with his golden blood.” and, “We have scorched the snake, not killed it.” Both allusions have many important meanings that help develop the plot, characters, and meanings of the play as a whole.
In “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare; more specifically in Act 3, Scene 2 he uses metaphors and diction to demonstrate the feelings between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth feel about being king and queen and further plans to kill Banquo. In terms of diction in this scene, shakespeare utilizes it to dramatize the feelings of the characters. For example when Lady Macbeth asks “What’s to be done?”, Macbeth replies with “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed” and it’s Shakespeare’s way of showing how Macbeth dodges the question his wife asks him and that she won’t know until what needs to be done is done, or has already been accomplished if you will. Another example of diction in this scene is when when Lady Macbeth
Macbeth feels regret and guilt after murdering King Duncan. He is beginning to understand the consequences of his actions and the disruption of the natural order that he has caused. Macbeth’s guilt shows that he still has some understanding of the natural order, but his ambition and desire for power are clouding his judgment. “I am in blood / Stepp’d in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.136-138).
Lauralee Swartz Brandie Trent AP Literature March 15, 2023 Shakesphere is a hard writer to understand, but once you get the hang of things, you will realize everything has a connection as you read further into this essay. I will be helping the readers understand two main allusions Shakespeare gives us. In the beginning, Macbeth has Banquo killed to be out of his way of the throne.
In Macbeth, Shakespeare writes about a man named Macbeth, who has a very strong ambition to be the the king of Scotland. His credulousness led him into believing the prophecy from the three witches without thinking rigorously. Because of this prophecy, Macbeth is willing to do everything he can to gain the throne, even to the extreme of murdering someone. Shakespeare uses syntax, similes, and personification to convey the evolution of Macbeth’s insanity.
This passage clearly exemplifies how blood can be deceiving being seen in a heroic light only later to be a dark burden on the Macbeth’s. Lastly, Shakespeare shows the reader how blood deceives lady Macbeth by being able to be cleaned off easily at first but then weighing her down with the guilt and responsibility of her actions. Lady Macbeth later realizes bloodshed’s misleading nature and eventually goes insane trying to cleanse her soul saying, “Out damned spot, out, I say! One.
This direct quote said by Macbeth, shows his selfish ambition and proves that he does not care about anybody other than himself. Macbeth is also stating within this quote that he has walked so far into a river of blood that even if he tried stopping now, it would be easier for him to keep killing people than to become a good person again. Based on his actions, Macbeth has shown that he has quickly transitioned from good to evil and that he does not have any remorse for all the killing that he has done.
Macbeth exclaims his internal battle when planning for the death of Macduff: “I am in blood, Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,” (3.4 141-143). When Macbeth says this he is expressing that he feels so far into this game of murder, and Shakespeare dramatically describes this as Macbeth figuratively, being in blood. Macbeth believes that he has “waded” so far into this blood that it would not make sense for him to stop, but to keep murdering anyone that could prevent him from becoming king. Macbeth and his men are not successful in killing Macduff, but do kill Macduff’s wife and son. Macbeth remains in a confident state, even as Macduff’s forces advance towards Macbeth’s estate.
At the beginning of the play, blood can often be seen to symbolise strength, heroism and stereotypical masculinity. The Captain describes Macbeth’s efforts on the battlefield with imagery such as “ smoked with bloody execution” to display blood as a war trophy and badge of bravery. Shakespeare’s use of descriptive language such as “smoked” conveys a tone of achievement and grandeur: which in turn implies that the act of murdering men on the battle field is heroic and praiseworthy, as it is displayed in such an impressive manner. However, Shakespeare shows the audience a very different side to Macbeth after the murder of Duncan. Shakespeare displays Macbeth’s overwhelming guilt and remorse in the words “my hand will rather/ the multitudinous seas incarnadine making the green one red” in which Macbeth states that all the oceans of the world could not wash away the blood from his hands and therefore implies that there is nothing on
