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Literary Techniques In Macbeth

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William Shakespeare utilises various literary techniques to explore the concept of tragedy in Macbeth. There are many literary techniques demonstrated in Macbeth to represent Macbeth's actions throughout the whole play. That will lead him to the destruction of his life. The main ideas among Macbeth's downfall are recognised as he is manipulated by Lady Macbeth and the outcome of what Macbeth's surroundings will experience and Macbeth himself, which leads to tragedy. In Act 3, Scene 4, many quotes in Macbeth use literary techniques that Shakespeare uses to represent his play. Shakespeare uses aside and rhetorical questions to represent how lady macbeth asks Macbeth this question to make him feel weak, shown in "Lady Macbeth: (aside to Macbeth) Are you man?". This quote reflects the patriarchal value where she says he is not acting 'manly enough'. "Macbeth: What man dare, I dare:/ Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear" is another significant quote that uses many literary …show more content…

"Lady Macbeth: Wash your hands, put on your nightgown; look not so/pale.--I tell you yet again, Banquo's buried; he/ cannot come out on's grave." This quote uses an imperative tone representing how Lady Macbeth is experiencing internal conflict - she is convincing herself that there is nothing to worry about. " Lady Macbeth: Out, damned spot" is another quote that displays the literary technique of epizeuxis. This quote shows how Laday Macbeth hallucinates and loses her sanity due to her hematuria and guilt. These two quotes represent how Lady Macbeth starts hallucinating that she sees the blood of people that she has murdered on her hands, which symbolises her sense of guilt even though she considers trying to convince herself that everything is going to be fine but Duncan and Banquo's deaths hunted her which caused her to kill

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438 Words | 2 Pages

A first soliloquy from Macbeth is in Act I, Scene 7, beginning with “If it were done when ‘tis done…”. The main theme of this speech is Macbeth’s internal debate about whether or not he should kill Duncan. On one hand, he could kill him, and reach his ambitions and fulfill his prophecy and become king. On the other hand, he likes Duncan first of all, believes it would be morally wrong to kill him, and is afraid of consequences and karma from killing Duncan. In the first part of this soliloquy (I, 7, 1-12), Macbeth is essentially saying “If only I could kill Duncan without consequence”.

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250 Words | 1 Pages

Lady Macbeth uses a series of rhetorical questions in order to make Macbeth feel cowardly and unmanly to influence him to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth asks her husband, “Art thou afeard to be in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire?” Lady Macbeth is questioning whether Macbeth has the courage to kill Duncan and is suggesting to Macbeth that he is weak and lacks the courage to kill King Duncan. This has a significant impact on Macbeth and it makes him question his masculinity in his decision. This is effective because Macbeth, being a powerful Scottish general, does not want to present himself as cowardly, and will want to prove Lady Macbeth wrong.

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400 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth, like many of Shakespeare’s creations, is a tragedy, but this one isn’t about young tragic love like Romeo and Juliet but about a man hungry for power, driven to commit the act of murder. The play Macbeth uses many rhetorical devices such as repetition, tone, metaphor, and lastly pathos. These rhetorical devices are used to extend the feeling of sadness and loss that Macbeth feels but also to show moments of weakness and insanity. These rhetorical devices are used all throughout the play of Macbeth but in this essay, I will be focusing on their use of them in act 5, scene 5. This scene is played right before the conclusion of the play it is also after we find out about the death of Lady Macbeth.

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412 Words | 2 Pages

Shakespeare uses a plethora of literary devices to set the tone for his tragedy, Macbeth. One of the devices he utilizes is the equivocation fallacy, the rhetorical device that occurs when an argument is ambiguous. In Macbeth, the witches, the Weird Sisters, employ the equivocation fallacy to baffle the other characters of the play. They talk in riddles, saying sentences that appear to make no sense, which leave the other characters feeling confused and seeking answers and which can also be confusing to the audience if not properly analyzed.

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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

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785 Words | 4 Pages

Then, once Macbeth becomes King, he allows Lady Macbeth to hide any evidence of his actions, and allows her to convince him to carry on when he is doubtful. When Macbeth is plotting to kill Banquo and Fleance, he tells Lady Macbeth that he is worried and feels like his mind is full of scorpions. Lady Macbeth answers, "You must leave this," (3.2.36) and "But in them nature's copy's not externe. " Once again, Macbeth capitulates and carries out with the plan. He is constantly exhibiting his cowardice by surcoming to all of Lady Macbeth's arguments.

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919 Words | 4 Pages

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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1804 Words | 8 Pages

During Macbeths dinner party he gets obsessed with himself. He starts to experience hallucinations of his victim Banquo. “Thou canst not say I did it; never shake/Thy gory locks at me,” is what he says infront of his guests. Although he knows he is dead he allows himself to become obsorbed in the hallucinations, focusing ond what he is seeing instead of what is truely going on. The main characters of these pieces of British literature are not the only aspects making them similar or different.

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890 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare for English King James Stewart in 1606, was only performed once, was hated by its intended audience, the King, and yet is regarded as one of Shakespeare’s finest works. The tragic hero of the play, who is ironically also the play’s villain, is Macbeth, a Scottish general who ruthlessly murders and deceives his way to receiving and keeping the Scottish crown. Throughout they play, there are many soliloquies, updating the observers on the mental state of characters from time to time. Two important ones in the play are “If it were done when ‘tis done...” from the beginning of the play, where Macbeth ponders killing Duncan, the king, and for the time being decides against it, and “Bring me no more

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459 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth: Deep Thoughts Paper Yes, I think one small or major choice can impact your life greatly. If you one day went out and got a huge loan from the bank to get your dream car, that is $65,000. There will probably be a different effect on your financial situation. If you blew all of your money you will not be able to make your house payment.

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696 Words | 3 Pages

Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold, thou hast no speculation in those eyes which thou dost glare with.” (3.1.93-6). Meanwhile the guests, oblivious to Banquo’s ghost, take in the scene and wonder at their new king’s hysterics. There is stark contrast between the courageous soldier described at the beginning of the play and the paranoid shell of a man he has become, and seeing Macbeth portrayed this way is a cue for the audience’s

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984 Words | 4 Pages

These lines show Macbeth’s lack of temperance because Macbeth is quickly angered and makes an irrational decision to plan for war. Another example in which Macbeth is devoid of temperance

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210 Words | 1 Pages

Act 1 Scene Three of Macbeth is significant as it portrays Macbeth's emotions and ideas regarding the witches' "prophecy". The author employs literary devices such as personification of the body, horrid thoughts manifested as imagery, and hyperboles that greatly affect a person's bodily functions as Macbeth's response to the witches' prophecy. Imagery via horrid thoughts provides insight into how Macbeth feels which gives him goosebumps. Shakespeare's utilization of personification with the body allows you to see just how intense the emotions Macbeth truly feels by giving his heart human characteristics that really give more meaning to his feelings. Hyperboles that greatly impair Macbeth's bodily functions show how he's feeling because of the

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682 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth is the Shakespearean play that features the triumphant uprise and the inevitable downfall of its main character. In this play, Macbeth’s downfall can be considered to be the loss of his moral integrity and this is achieved by ambition, despite this, Lady Macbeth and the witches work through his ambition, furthering to assist his inevitable ruin. Ambition alone is the most significant factor that led to Macbeth’s downfall. The witches are only able to influence his actions through Macbeth’s pre-existing and the three witches see that Macbeth has ambition and uses it to control his action. Ambition alone is displayed throughout the play to be the most significant cause for Macbeth’s downfall.

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1013 Words | 5 Pages

Celia Beyers Tinti Period 1/5 12 April 2015 Literary Analysis: Macbeth In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, he presents the character of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is shown, as a character that schemes into making rebellious plots. She reveals the desire for wanting to lose her feminine qualities in order to be able to gain more masculine ones.

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