Examples Of Syntax In Macbeth

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. Before Macbeth’s entanglement in bloody deeds, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as rational. When he first encounters the three witches, he says, “Speak if you can. What are you?” (1.3.50). “Speak if you can” is an imperative sentence, giving direct command to the witches. On the other hand

If the stars shine their light, his “black and deep desire” will be revealed to everyone. Because he knows that what he is about to do is immoral and no one should hear about it, Macbeth is compos mentis. “The eye wink at the hand” refer to Macbeth’s wanting to blind his eyes so that he will not have to see the actions he will be making. Macbeth have an emotional conflict because he knows he might regret his actions later on and he is afraid to see the outcome. Due to the concerns he is having, Macbeth is still sane because he thinks about it before committing the actions. While Macbeth is contemplating whether or not to kill Duncan, he thinks about the consequence that will come afterward by stating: “his [Duncan’s] virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnation of his taking-off” (1.7.18-20). This simile compares the the begging of his goodness to the angels’ compelling speech against all the wrongs that have been done to him. Even though Macbeth eventually is going to kill Duncan, he admits that Duncan is a virtuous king. In his head, he is rationalizing Duncan’s death by stating that Duncan’s good deeds will compensate bloody way of dying. Because Macbeth is still sane, he realizes that killing is not justifiable. He knows that he will not be as righteous as Duncan. Eventually, the truth about his tyranny will be reveal and

This syntax shows how panicked and scared he is after committing a murder. Iambic pentameter is a consistent and predictable syntax. In contrast, Macbeth’s speech suggest an unpredictable thought that can be associated with loss of clear thinking. His hallucination shows a sign of madness emerging in his mind. Macbeth is hearing voices inside his head saying, “Macbeth does murder sleep”. He cannot actually kill sleep. In this personification, sleep is given a human-like quality. Because of his guiltiness, Macbeth is paranoid and the lunacy is invading his mind in every aspect. When Macbeth orders Macduff’s family to be killed, he declares, “From this moment / The very firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand” (4.1.166-168). In this quote, firstlings means the firstborn. This personifies the heart and the hand by giving them the ability to birth a child like human. The purpose of firstling, that Macbeh uses in this context, refers to first priority. Whatever is the first priority of his heart will be the first priority of his hand. The use of the word “heart” is significant because he is simply thinking with his emotions and not with his mind. He will immediately do something as soon as his emotions suggest it. He will not stop to think anymore, unlike a rational person who would contemplate his actions before he