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Examples Of Figurative Language In Macbeth

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The scene takes place right after Macbeth kills Duncan in his sleep. Before the murder, Macbeth is a noble Thane of Scotland who is influenced by the three witches and his wife who fill him with dreams of power. Macbeth uses religious imagery, lists which reveal his preoccupation, repetition to highlight his realization, blood imagery and figurative devices to vividly display his panic, all of which help us understand the character’s state of mind. After Macbeth cold-bloodedly kills Duncan in his sleep (2.2.29-94), his language reveals a character who feels immense guilt and helpless doom.
Through religious imagery, Macbeth reveals his hopeless doom and damaged spirituality. Macbeth hallucinates, thinking one of the servant’s is speaking: …show more content…

The repeated use of the word murder is demonstrated: “Murder!” (2.2.32) and again very shortly, “…Macbeth does murder sleep” (2.2.48). In the previous scenes, Macbeth continually masks the word murder with euphemism to take its place because he cannot even imagine himself committing such a crime. Now that he has killed Duncan, he comes to the realization that he indeed has “murdered” Duncan and cannot run away from reality. The resignation of not being able to evade and attain forgiveness for his sins instills a sense of hopeless doom in …show more content…

Macbeth yells in despair, “[Knocking within] / Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst” (2.2.93-94). Macbeth is utterly guilty and remorseful of having killed Duncan to the point of paranoia. He shouts aloud even though he must be wary of not revealing his crime. Macbeth also requests the individual knocking to wake Duncan up from his forever slumber as a last resort to revoke his crime so he can rid himself of

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This scene features Lady Macbeth speaking to herself; expressing her thoughts out loud. She speaks of killing Duncan: “The raven himself is hoarse/ That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan” (45-46). She then calls upon the spirits to assist her in murder (47-51). Shakespeare uses words with negative connotations, such as “hoarse”, “croaks”, “cruelty”, and “blood” (45-50).

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The knocking could also show his conscience. Macbeth could be going crazy because of what he did. The word ‘appals’ shows that Macbeth is horrified or in shock about the noises. He says that ‘every noise appals’, which shows that he could be haunted. Macbeth is meant to be a brave solider and killed many men before.

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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.

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The voices he hears that threaten: “Macbeth shall sleep no more” indicate a relationship between guilt and madness. Therefore, the manifestation of the dagger suggests that he feels guilty because of his attempt to murder Duncan. There are three major transitions of thought. First, he contemplates about the dagger’s existence; the second is the invocations of dark images; finally, there is the bell that cuts off Macbeth’s contemplations. The transitions between topics indicate that while Macbeth feels guilty for the murder, his determination makes him ignore

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Unfortunately, when his wife receives his letter revealing the three witches prophecy of Macbeth becoming king. She pressures Macbeth to kill Duncan, which he does. After Duncan’s murder, Macbeth is filled with guilt and he thinks that he hears voices crying, “Sleep no more!/Macbeth does murder sleep” (2.2.43-44). This is where Shakespeare shows the reader Macbeth’s reaction to his first murder, which he is unsure of doing, but follows demands of

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Macbeth’s fear is so intense that he does not know if he is touching the dagger or if it is a figment of his imagination. Alternately, he may wish what he is seeing is false because he knows his

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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.

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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.

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(Shakespeare 1.3.52-55). Macbeth is influenced by his greed for power to use ruthless actions, in this case to kill Duncan to receive the crown he thinks he needs to earn that power. Overwhelmed by his greed, he is already thinking about the “murder” as he

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Act 2, scene 2 is quite an important scene in Macbeth, since it marks the changes of the characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Their thoughts and emotions are presented in this particular scene. It shows the different roles that they play and how much they have been influenced by the witches’ prophecies. Lady Macbeth claims to be courageous in the beginning of the scene, by saying ‘that which hath made them drunk made me bold’. She seems to be very keen about this murder and very confident, and the fact that she was alone on stage emphasises it.

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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.

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This conveys Macbeth’s character at the beginning to be a misrepresentation because for him to have killed Duncan who was his king and cousin as well as Banquo a friend and man who he fought alongside in the war is not the actions of a noble man. However, he first acts on his ambition in (2.1) when Macbeth makes his “is this dagger before me” speech; he acknowledges that what he sees is not real, but through this vaulting ambition he visualizes the dagger as sign that he should kill Duncan. After he kills Duncan it is apparent that his

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This is where the planning of the murder truly develops. Macbeth continues with his internal conflict, but comes to the realization, and debatable conclusion that the murder is morally wrong. He makes reference to angels in Heaven saying, “And pity, like a naked new-born babe, Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubim, horsed, Upon the slightest couriers of the air, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, That tears shall drown the wind.” (Act I Scene VII, ll. 21-25.) Here we see Macbeth discussing what would happen if he committed murder, and if he would be exposed.

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Macbeth is dealing with the murder very poorly. For starters, he thinks that he will die for what he did, as seen when he imagines a voice crying, ‘“Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore/Cawdor/Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more”’ (2.1.54-57). From this speech, it is clear the Macbeth feels guilty for what he did and dreadfully awaits his fate.

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