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Examples Of Foreshadowing In Macbeth

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The saying, “What goes around comes around” is a great way to show that anything you do will somehow affect you later. This not only happens in real life, but also in literature, like Macbeth. In Macbeth, multiple characters are affected by guilt of things they did earlier. William Shakespeare uses motifs and foreshadowing to develop the theme of guilt coming back to plague a person.

Motifs aren't the only literary element used in Macbeth however, William Shakespeare also used foreshadowing to convey the theme. Before Macbeth kills Duncan, he says, “Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return to plague the inventor…” He is foreshadowing that after his murder, he will be plagued by guilt of his “bloody instructions”. His …show more content…

Towards the end of the play, lady Macbeth, who was the remorseless one in the beginning, was starting to feel guilt. While sleepwalking and washing imaginary blood from her hands, she said, “Out damned spot! Out, I say!” During this moment, the guilt of her past murder is catching up to her. Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to show her guilt. Earlier in the play, directly after the murder of King Duncan, Macbeth hears a voice say, “Sleep no more, Macbeth does murder sleep.” Here, through the motif of sleep, we see how guilt is affecting Macbeth (the guilt keeps him from sleeping). The motif of light and dark appears many times throughout the play, starting after the murder of Duncan. The day after the king is killed, the sun doesn't come up. Using the common stereotype of dark being evil and light being good, we can infer that this phenomenon is because of the evil of the murder the day before. Later in the play, at the same time that Lady Macbeth was washing the imaginary blood from her hands, she held a candle with her. She did this to maybe try and keep the dark (evil) away from her, or to protest that she was not an evil person. Lastly, during a banquet, Macbeth sees the ghost of Bancquo, who he just had killed. Obviously, he is surprised to see him and is scared. The guests think he is crazy because he is causing a scene over something that they can't see. So, in this

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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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Macbeth foresaw only gain for betraying his friends and king. However, the consequences betraying and murdering his friend banquo haunt him, “Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that which might appall the devil” (III.iv.71-72). Macbeth’s conscience haunts him for he knows murdering Banquo was wrong. To highlight the consequences of betrayal and greed Shakespeare haunts Macbeth with grotesque reminders of his crimes to tell the reader that one should not take actions one cannot live with.

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Foreshadowing is a form of writing that warns you of a future event. The play Macbeth by Shakespear uses many different types of foreshadowing, I will explain the use of animals to help develop character and emotions from the audience. I start with how Shakespear characterize by using the animals to help the audience understand the true personalities of the characters, not what people believe them to be. The first example is “Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear, / The arm’d rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger, / Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves / Shall never tremble” (Act 3, Scene 4, Lines 124-125) (2). This scene is explaining when Macbeth is speaking to Lady Macbeth and showing his feeling about Banquo’s ghost.

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Moreover, Macbeth was one of the first characters to feel a great deal of guilt in the play. An instance in which Macbeth's guilt showed through was when he said, “A dagger of the mind, a false creation,... I see thee still, and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood”(II,I) Macbeth makes this statement to his wife after killing Duncan, because he still feels remorse for his actions. To continue, he has the impression that there are daggers covered in blood haunting him constantly reminding him of his actions.

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Thinking before acting leads to greater wisdom and better outcomes while acting before thinking yields regret. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, many characters are murdered as a method of solving existing problems. Throughout the play, it is noticeable that these deaths can all be related back to two malevolent beings. These characters in their horrific minds are to blame for the deaths of innocent people. Macbeth, in his willingness to commit severe crimes for personal benefit, and the witches, in their desire to toy with Macbeth through their ambiguous prophecies, are equally responsible for nearly all the murders in the play.

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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.

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Macbeth, by Shakespeare, is a story of a great warrior named Macbeth who was told by three witches that he would become king. This prediction makes him think it is justified to kill the current king and once he is king he believes that he is invincible. In Macbeth, many symbols are used such as a dagger that isn’t there, hallucinations of blood, and ghosts to show the overwhelming guilt that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have over the murders to highlight the theme that guilt can drive people to insanity when kept in secret. First of all, Macbeth is alone and has decided that he is going to kill King Duncan. All of a sudden he sees a dagger but can’t feel it and says, “I have thee not, and yet I see thee still” (Shakespeare 2.1.35).

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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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(2.2.33-41). The motif of guilt is present because Macbeth is haunted by his murdering Duncan. He feels remorseful for committing such a crime and he tells himself that he will not be able to sleep anymore because of his guilt. This conveys the theme because with Macbeth not confessing to his crime, the guilt stays and leads to his downfall. When Macbeth hosts a dinner party at his castle, he sees Banquo’s ghost and he starts to talk to it.

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From Macbeth feeling “drowned in blood”, to Lady Macbeth not being able to wash her hands, shows how guilt will always come from making bad decisions. One wrong choice can ruin a person's life

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By seeing Banquo as a ghost, Macbeth believes that his acts have come to haunt him for revenge. The guests at the dinner party are confused by

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In Shakespeare’s Macbeth lightness and darkness are used to create the key ideas throughout the play of good and evil. Unnatural events in nature were accompanied by darkness often following evil deeds, where light has been overcome, shown through a metaphor and symbolism. Night is used as a motif, with characters frequently calling upon it to assist them in their crimes. Symbolism of light and darkness are used to show how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are consumed by guilt which leads to their eventual downfall, and goods return to power. Shakespeare successfully compares ideas of light and dark to convey important themes.

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Macbeth, Crime and Punishment Macbeth, a warrior, earns the title of Thane of Cawdor early in the play. His wife, Lady Macbeth, wants him to become king like the witches prophesied. They make a plan to kill Duncan while Macbeth starts to kill other people. All this murder begins to weigh heavily on the Macbeth’s and they start going crazy with guilt.

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