ipl-logo

Figurative Language In Act 3 Scene 1 Macbeth

633 Words3 Pages

Lines 49-74, in act 3 scene 1 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth is expressing his fears of Banquo. He talks about how it is nothing for he himself to be king if he is not safe. He is worried that he has killed the former King just for Banquo’s sons to rule, as was stated in the witches’ prophecy. At the end of the soliloquy, Macbeth states that he will challenge fate so his gain of power is not in vain.

Rather than having omniscient narrator, Macbeth himself provides the narration. This is evident when he uses “insert quotes”. The narrative is also presented in present tense. Shakespeare has written this excerpt from the perspective of someone who is part of the events of the story. Macbeth speaks in an elevated register, similar to that of a king, suggesting his ambition and determination to remain as one. When …show more content…

Many metaphors are prominent in this soliloquy, especially to represent offspring and lack thereof. Macbeth refers to “the seeds of Banquo,” meaning his children. Twice, he uses this figure of speech as a way of bringing up how he does not have children. “Fruitless crown” is symbolic of the title he has- King- that cannot be passed down to future family members. He also says “barren sceptre,” with “sceptre” representing the power and “barren” meaning no offspring to give it to. “Put rancours in the vessel of my peace” is another metaphor. Macbeth says it to represent ill, heartless feelings replacing peaceful ones so he will not be prevented from challenging fate. “Mine eternal jewel” is a metaphor for his immortal soul, and followed by “given to the common enemy of man” means being sold to the devil. Macbeth analogizes his own case of being told his fate by the witches with that of Mark Antony by Caesar. Shakespeare has used “Fate” with an uppercase “f,” referring to fate as if it is a

Show More
Related

Figurative Language In Macbeth By Nordlinger

619 Words | 3 Pages

Although this book is a work of nonfiction, Nordlinger uses a variety of abstract language and ideas to convey the facts he presents. These displays of figurative language add texture and life to what would otherwise be a rather dark and dull topic. The most common devices are metaphors, however other devices are implemented throughout. When speaking of Castro, a Cuban dictator, Nordlinger states, “if he has to break a few eggs along the way in order to make an omelette out of Cuba, so be it” (Nordlinger 118). As the majority of Nordlinger’s readers have not experienced the desire to conquer an entire country, Nordlinger uses this metaphor to make the dictator’s drive more relatable.

Read More

Babies And Children In Macbeth

1177 Words | 5 Pages

In the second apparition that the witches shows Macbeth is, a bloody child that tells him, “Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of

Read More

Examples Of Diction In Macbeth

638 Words | 3 Pages

The play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, takes place in England and Scotland during the 11th century. Macbeth is a famous warrior known by many others in Scotland, his end goal is to become king. Unfortunately for Macbeth the noble Duncan gets named king, quickly Macbeth devises a plan and ends up killing Duncan. After Macbeth killed Duncan it is obvious he is uneasy based on how he is speaking, his mind has been completely infiltrated by thoughts of murder; Shakespeare uses diction to represent this using a subtle word choice by Macbeth to refer to Macbeth’s past deeds and future plans. While Macbeth is devising another plan to kill a noble named Banquo and his son who is set to succeed Macbeth, Macbeth shows how everything has gotten to him by talking

Read More

Examples Of Diction In Macbeth

589 Words | 3 Pages

Shakespeare was a master wordsmith and “Macbeth” is a prime example of his incredible ability to portray the versatility and rawness of human emotion. In this passage during the sleepwalking scene he expertly uses syntax, diction, and repetition to convey the deep-seated regret Lady Macbeth is being ruined by. Themes of guilt and loss of innocence are entrenched in this passage by the frantic style of writing; Lady Macbeth constantly switches her train of thought and begins sentences in the middle of tangential conversations. She is in a state of panic and fear so intense that even in her sleep she is restless; it has taken over her entire life and this shows clearly through her inability to focus on just one thought at a time. This shows

Read More

Analyzing Act 5 Scene 5 Of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

1149 Words | 5 Pages

The words that Macbeth states are very important, in which Shakespeare portrays very important messages such as the question if the life we live is scripted, the world we live in is boring, and every day we live it's the last day for someone else. Shakespeare makes us question if our life is scripted with the lines that Macbeth states in Act 5 scene 5 of Macbeth. After Macbeth finds out that the queen is dead he begins to question if it's all scripted, if all of this was planned. He also wonders if he followed the correct path for his life, then he wonders who scripted his life.

Read More

Examples Of Figurative Language In Macbeth

449 Words | 2 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the tragic hero delivers a soliloquy (I.vii.1-28) in which he reveals his tragic flaw as he internally battles his consciousness, and debates the consequences of his future actions. Macbeth begins with an alliteration and continues to use this literary device throughout the speech. In lines 1-2 and 4, the tragic hero uses alliterative phrases such as “surcease success” (4) and hard to say phrases like “If it were done whet ‘tis done, then ‘twere well it were done quickly”(1-2) when describing the difficulty for him to commit the murder of King Duncan. The use of these tenacious expressions show that just like they are inconvenient to say, it must be much more than just a battle of morality. Macbeth persistently brawls his interior battle of values and emotions, to deliver the chief results without receiving any harsh consequences.

Read More

Analyzing Act Three Witches In 'Macbeth'

345 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth Dreams The first scene in Act 3 plays a vital role in Macbeth because it displays Banquo’s internal conflict between control and loyalty. The picture reveals three witches who tell Banquo a prophecy that involves his descendants becoming rulers of the kingdom. The representation of eight heirs to the throne shows how long his kinship will last. This puts him in a position where he can either take action and have his lineage become kings by spilling royal blood or he can stay loyal to the current ruler and not murder him.

Read More

Examples Of Figurative Language In Macbeth

706 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

Macbeth Figurative Language Analysis

684 Words | 3 Pages

In Macbeth, Act 1 scene 3, there are examples of imagery. Figurative imagery: (Figurative imagery is created by using "figures of speech" such as metaphors, similes and personification. Through the usage of figures of speech, there is an indirect  description by comparing one thing to another) Literal imagery: It creates a mental impression through the use of language that appeals directly to the senses by describing a thing, a person, a feeling or an experience.

Read More

Macbeth Figurative Language Essay

245 Words | 1 Pages

Shakespeare wrote at least 38 full-length plays and over 150 short and long poems throughout his life, many of which are still to this day considered to be the finest ever in literature. Every single one of Shakespeare’s pieces includes examples of figurative language, and Macbeth is no exception. In Act IV Scene 3, Macbeth and Macduff discuss the state of Scotland under Macbeth’s tyrannical rule. Shakespeare uses various examples of figurative language, including hyperboles, personification, and descriptive language throughout this scene to further develop and convey the suffering of Scotland with Macbeth at the throne. Shakespeare uses an example of a hyperbole in Scene 3, conveying Malcolm’s obvious distress about the state of his country.

Read More

Examples Of Supernatural Power In Macbeth

502 Words | 3 Pages

After the initial combat, Macbeth juxtaposes the ominous weather and military success, ‘So fair and foul a day I have not seen’, eliciting an image of an absurd, inverted world that conveys supernatural power as a tumultuous, profound force that alters and pollute the natural state of the world and will influence individuals. Following Macbeth’s enchanted reaction to the witches, Banquo cynically expresses the nature of the witches using the metaphor, ‘The instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betrays’s in deepest consequences’, convoluting Banquo’s fear of manipulation due to the witches prophecy which communicates the apprehensive fear attached to supernatural power. Following Macbeth’s contradicting exclaim, Macbeth uses visceral imagery in, ‘Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / And make my seated heart knock at my ribs’, fosters an image of fear and doubt, presented within Macbeth, engraved by the previous words of the witches intensifying the corrupting and profound force of supernatural power with its overpowering drive to influence susceptible individuals.

Read More

Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5 Analysis

808 Words | 4 Pages

Shakespeare, in his tragedy, “Macbeth,” illustrates an intriguing narrative in which a man named Macbeth receives equivocations from witches telling him that he will become the king, sending him spiraling down a path of madness and bloodshed. Shakespeare's purpose is to relay the ideas that unchecked ambition leads to a person’s downfall and to elaborate on the vanity of human ambition through the actions of the characters. In act 5, scene 5, he assumes a somber tone through the utilization of alliteration and symbolism in order to appeal to similar feelings and experiences in his Elizabethan audience. In Macbeth’s speech from Act V, scene 5, Shakespeare evokes a bleak tone through the use of alliteration which exemplifies the theme of the

Read More

Fair And Foul In Shakespeare's Macbeth Still Relevant Today

822 Words | 4 Pages

This quote enforces that one day Macbeth will have the throne, have massive power, and have control over all the land in Scottland. In modern time people would not know how to respond to something that complex into their future. They would be excited yet terrified that something that massive would be getting handed down to them. The readers can learn that all power that you think you are going to undertake might disappear in the blink of an eye because someone else wants it more than you, so they are willing to do whatever it takes to do to get rid of you, and claim that power for

Read More

Macbeth Diction

791 Words | 4 Pages

Shakespeare articulates the distressed tone through the use of contrasting diction in comparing Macbeth and Banquo. In this soliloquy, Macbeth realizes that the only prophecy left unfulfilled was Banquo’s: the proclamation that his sons would become kings. Shakespeare utilizes gallant, regal diction in Macbeth’s description of Banquo. Fearing Banquo’s “royalty of nature” and the fact that the witches “hailed him father to a line of kings”, Macbeth’s paranoia increases (3.1.52, 3.1.63). In contrast, Shakespeare’s diction in relation to Macbeth’s kingship has a worthless connotation.

Read More

Analysis Of Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7

537 Words | 3 Pages

When reading Act 1 scene 7, I was particularly captivated by Macbeth’s monologue at the start of the act. During the scene, Macbeth displays weakness and begins to doubt if he should kill Duncan. He uses complex metaphors such as a “naked newborn babe” to describe Duncan’s great power and how he will greatly regret killing him. When acting as Macbeth, I wanted to display the same fear and anger found in Shakespeare’s text. This began with emphasizing the first words of the monologue to exhibit power before later slowing down and speaking quieter in order to display angst and unease.

Read More

More about Figurative Language In Act 3 Scene 1 Macbeth

Related Topics

Open Document