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How Does Shakespeare Use Repetition In Macbeth's Speech

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Macbeth by Shakespeare. Macbeth is a dark story that shows the destructive power of greed and the dangerous of allowing power to be in the hands of the wrong person. Throughout this story we witness the rise of main character Macbeth and we watch as his ambition causes him to become a person who's willing to harm even those closest to him, in order to get what he wants so he can quickly rise to the top. Macbeth in his castle is preparing to defend himself against Macduff’s army. During this time he hears the cry of a woman, upon this he comments that he has almost forgotten the taste of fears. Once Seyton returns he delivers the news of lady Macbeth’s death, Macbeth almost unfazed delivers the line, “ She should have died hereafter, / There would have been a time for such a word.” (V, 5, 17-8) This speech by Macbeth reveals his views on life, it is utterly meaningless. Throughout the beginning of his speech Macbeth reveals his thought of people only living to reach their …show more content…

Shakespeare begins using repetition in, “Out, out, brief candle!” (V, 5, 23) This is done to portray the slipping of life. The “brief candle” is a metaphor, is meant to be lady Macbeth. Just as the candle has been extinguished, lady Macbeth’s life has been extinguished, ending much sooner than it should have. In the three lines, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.” (V, 5, 24-26) Shakespeare uses both metaphor and personification to emphasize how short life is, comparing life to an actor who is on stage to perform their act and once their play is finished, they’re not heard from again. In his final lines Macbeth states life, “is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” (V, 5, 26-28) Shakespeare uses metaphor and alliteration to emphasize on the meaningless of

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691 Words | 3 Pages

He conveys that life is meaningless, “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” (Shakespeare 63) At this point in the story, Macbeth has realized that the prophecies have ruined his life and if he hadn’t committed the murders, his wife would not have died. His negative attitude is also evidenced by his consistent belief that everyone was threatening his power. This perception is what led him to seek revenge on so many people in his life.

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463 Words | 2 Pages

I think that Macbeth means that he wish he could have said something to his wife before she died but eventually everybody dies. "All our have lighted fools that way to dusty death." Shakespeare uses a walking shadow to metaphor life. He also calls life a player. I think meaing an actor, on a stage that is doing all his lines and things he needs to do

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659 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth is a well trained soldier who seems like he’d be a great leader and lots of people look up to him which makes him powerful. “All hail Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, be king hereafter”(Act 1, Scene 1). This quote is showing what Macbeth will become in the future and why people will respect him and his power. People are too scared to stand up to King Macbeth because they are afraid of what he’ll do and the confidence he has with his power is dangerous. “The power of man for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth”(Act 4, Scene 1).

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1724 Words | 7 Pages

In act one scene 7, Macbeth doubts if he should kill the king; however, his wife, Lady Macbeth, manipulates him into proceeding. It might be difficult for Macbeth, the renowned warrior, to hear his wife accusing him of cowardice. Therefore, under Lady Macbeth’s influence, as she questions his manhood, he commences the murder in order to prove to her that he is not a “coward.” This is important to note because his soliloquy shows his determination to proceed.

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522 Words | 3 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, Macbeth truthfully expresses that life is ultimately repetitive and meaningless towards the actions that lead to death. Claiming that life is short and easily extinguished from his reaction towards Lady Macbeth’s apparent suicide. Shakespeare applies rhetorical elements to emphasize Macbeth’s responsiveness to the concept of life and death. Initially, Shakespeare commences with repetition of the word “tomorrow” thrice to accentuate the hopeless future Macbeth perceives.

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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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817 Words | 4 Pages

He realizes that at the end of everything that he has done to obtain the throne and to keep it, means nothing because he is going to die, as he has made to many enemies and he has no heir. Children will also play a part in “Play it as it Lays” when Maria, who’s inability to raise one child, and abortion of the second will drive her further down an already nihilistic path that results in her own psychiatric commitment. So in the end for Macbeth it was all pointless. He goes on to say that life has no meaning, that it is just an inconsequential story full of random events that have no purpose, but the moment that an event is occurring it becomes the most important thing that there is in

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Shakespeare’s Macbeth Essay Sometimes people have a goal and they won’t stop until that path is achieved. In the play Macbeth by Shakespeare it has positive and negative outcomes, when it comes to how Macbeth proceeds his life in such negative term transforming him into this man he wasn’t before. Shakespeare’s message about right vs wrong leads to the downward spiral of an individual. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth was working towards the king title, even if that led to a downward spiral in his life. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth went with a plan to kill his best friend Duncan, with courage to sticking with that plan / and: “when Duncan is asleep (whereto the rather shall his day’s hard journey soundly invite him)”.

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922 Words | 4 Pages

In both Sonnet XII and Macbeth, Shakespeare conveys the view of life of the individuals as a meaningless journey that leads to nothingness with the passage of time. This controlling idea about individual views of life is evident in both the sonnet and a soliloquy by Macbeth when both passages discuss the meaning of life. Through the usage of symbolism, Shakespeare develops this controlling idea and establishes an overarching idea about the individual views of life across his works. In Sonnet XII, Shakespeare portrays life to be viewed as a meaningless journey that leads to nothingness with the passage of time.

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689 Words | 3 Pages

A story of tragedy is not uncommon with William Shakespeare and his works of prose. In his plays, death and despair is more likely than honor and prosperity. This is an included facet to Macbeth as well, having sinister themes of greed, manipulation, and brutality. Macbeth, by the infamous playwright, Shakespeare, presents us with multiple aspects factoring into whether the main character controls his actions that lead to the tragic events.

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817 Words | 4 Pages

Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation,/ Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” In this couple of lines we see repetition through the questions Macbeth is asking himself if he is able to kill Duncan. To add on through the questioning we see Macbeth

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430 Words | 2 Pages

Walking in the night he heard the screams of women and said “I have almost forgot the taste of fear” (V.v.9). The shriek of women at the late of night would frighten most all of us, but not macbeth. He has been around so many wicked acts and it does not faze him. After getting news of his wife’s death he told the messenger “She should of died hereafter” (V.v.17). Although he does feel sorrow over her, he blames her death as an inconvenience.

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1036 Words | 5 Pages

The soliloquy echoes the speech in Act 2 Scene 3 about the futility of life after the lords have discovered the death of Duncan. He says “There’s nothing serious in mortality/ All is but toys; renown and grace is dead” (Act 2 Scene 3, lines 86-87). Although he appears to be pretending to grieve for Duncan by saying “there’s nothing serious in mortality” (Act 2 Scene 3, line 70), he does believe that there is no meaning to life. In addition, Macbeth’s words “grace is dead” (Act 2 Scene 3, line 87) applies not only to Duncan’s death, but also himself.

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965 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth is a play written during the 16th century by William Shakespeare. As similar to other plays written by Shakespeare, the play is not totally original. They came from facts and events that are happening during the time it was written (“Background to Macbeth”). Macbeth can be seen as a dark play as it portrays the idea of evilness through characterization and have events like murder happening throughout the story. Throughout the play, Shakespeare inserted various features to make his writing more powerful.

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1772 Words | 8 Pages

In Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5, Macbeth says, “life’s but a walking shadow” after he heard of his wife’s death. Anaphora Ex. In the poem “Sonnet 43” by Elizabeth Browning, the phrase “I love thee” is repeated throughout the poem which is used to keep the reader reminded of her love as well as the intensity of her lover.

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