ipl-logo

Symbolism In Macbeth

846 Words4 Pages

Death is bloody, gory, chaotic and dangerous, it can invoke change and cause an revolution or an revolation.Symbols are commonly used to represent ideas or themes in a story. Blood is the guilt and the corruption of innocents while robes represent Macbeth’s fear and questioning over Macbeth’s allies. Also, an owl represents death himself coming for the lives of the good. All of the symbol’s in Macbeth by William Shakespeare contribute to the meaning of the story. Owls are an bird of prey despite it’s beautiful features. When the play begins the hero Macbeth is coming back from war. Suddenly three witches appear and tell him three prophecies. Two of the prophecies came true but the third one hasn’t happened yet. The third prophecy is that …show more content…

Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to kill Duncan when he receives a letter from Macbeth telling him about the prophecies. Macbeth kills Duncan and he comes back with evidence of the murder. Lady Macbeth finds out and takes the daggers and plant the evidence to frame the guards. Later Lady Macbeth comes back and says, “A little water clears us of the dead :How easy is it then!” (II, iii, 66-67) Lady Macbeth represents the humanity, there is good and evil. Just like how she is a woman and in Shakespeare's times women were innocent and pure but she also has evil intentions which is the evil side of humanity. Originally she treats the blood as if it is a easy thing to wash off and how humanity will treat big things as nothing and easy to treat. What happens next is Lady Macbeth progresses in the story as the voice of safety for macbeth when in reality she is struggling to cope with the murder of Duncan, the king, herself. She starts to sleepwalk and it gets so bad that her gentlewoman fetches a doctor to help Lady Macbeth. The doctor and the gentlewoman both witness Lady Macbeth sleepwalking and she says, “Out damned spot! Out I say...Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood.” (V, i, 36-41) The corruption of humanity, Lady Macbeth, is getting worse. The images of blood may have washed off her hands but it has remained in her head causing her to sleep walk. This shows how the guilt has remained

Show More
Related

Foreshadowing In Macbeth

477 Words | 2 Pages

He knows now that the crime he has committed was horrible, and the guilt cannot be washed away. Blood works so well as a symbol to represent guilt because it sticks to the readers’ mind as something that stains the hands. Not only is blood symbolized, but so is

Read More

Macbeth Quotes Analysis

682 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth come across the three witches, there they state, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor” (Act 1, Scene 3). In reply to the three witches, Macbeth demanded “stay you imperfect speakers! Tell me more”. With just these few statements announced, Macbeth’s thirst for power and glory arises and is clearly seen.

Read More

Lady Macbeth's Strong Character In Act I Scene V

780 Words | 4 Pages

Lady Macbeth is power hungry for the throne and she will do anything to achieve her goal. Her pleasure of having the thought of killing Duncan is revealed. These murderous thoughts that run through her mind shows how desperate she is to acquire power. Although it is the beginning of the play, her dark ambitions sets a dark tone for her character in the play. This coincidentally adds to the assurance of Macbeth’s prophecy which is that Macbeth will become king, but King Duncan is still alive.

Read More

Lady Macbeth Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Analysis

544 Words | 3 Pages

In the Renaissance era, William Shakespeare wrote the tragedy Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is a character in Shakespeare’s Macbeth that plays the wife of Macbeth. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth was the lady in charge of the marriage and household to become Queen of Scotland. Toward the middle through the end of the play, she suffers of guilt for her part in the crime.

Read More

Lady Macbeth's Role In Killing Duncan

304 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth is a man who has to make a decision between life and death. Although, he was given a prophecy by the three witches, that he will be named Thane of Cawdor. He has to choose between going against his wife or his self-conscious. His wife wants him to kill the king in order to get the throne. Lady Macbeth is only after power and social position.

Read More

Motifs Theme In Macbeth

1525 Words | 7 Pages

The motif guilt shows characterization of remorse, and the theme conveyed is guilt stays within a person forever and not confessing leads to misery. After Macbeth murders Duncan, he begins to go insane and claim that he can no longer sleep. “Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep’ . . . ‘Macbeth shall sleep no more’”

Read More

Macbeth Blood Will Have Blood Analysis

1398 Words | 6 Pages

Sleep is one of the purest forms of altered consciousness however, traumatic experiences can impede one’s unconscious thoughts. Macbeth returns after killing Duncan and the guards, grief stricken and afraid. He tells his wife that sleep itself has been murdered and that nobody is immune his treachery (5.1.44). Macbeth’s crime is intensified by the act of murder being done at night and to sleeping rather than awake guards. The moment of guilt that Macbeth felt for his actions represents the hidden innocence behind the crimes.

Read More

Macbeth Animal Symbolism Essay

414 Words | 2 Pages

The flower represents what Macbeth is expected to be: trustworthy and gentle while the serpent represents what he will become: deceitful and feared. The illustration of the serpent hiding underneath a flower can be compared to Adam and Eve and the serpent in the garden. The serpent symbolizes temptation which also can be drawn to Macbeth and his decision to submit to the allure of power and murder King Duncan just as Adam and Eve decided to eat the fruit. In Act III, Macbeth conveys his troubling thoughts concerning Fleance's escape: “O, full of scorpions in my mind” (III.ii.37). Scorpions represent poison, evil, pain, and angst.

Read More

Motifs And Motifs In Macbeth

519 Words | 3 Pages

That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan / Under my battlements" (1.5.38-40). The quote displays that the raven has a raspy voice from repeatedly saying that King Duncan will die. This is important because ravens are usually viewed as a low and ghoulish species which foreshadows that something bad could happen to King Duncan. Later on in the play it states “On Tuesday last / A falcon, towering in her pride of place, / Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd" (2.4.11-13). This shows an owl killed a falcon and can be interpreted as Macbeth being the owl and killing Duncan who is the falcon.

Read More

Nature Symbolism In Macbeth

129 Words | 1 Pages

A symbol is meant to express something other than itself. In Macbeth, Nature is a symbol. It represents more than just itself; it also represents Macbeth and his reign. Macbeth is a Shakespearean play about the perils of ambition. Macbeth, encouraged by his wife, attempts to eliminate the obstacles inhibiting him from being king.

Read More

Symbol Of Blood In Macbeth Essay

473 Words | 2 Pages

It symbolizes fear, guilt, insanity and also evil. Macbeth would do almost anything to become King. Since the three witches predicted that what was going to be a part of his future. Macbeth and lady Macbeth both became crazy because of the deadly deeds that they committed. In the beginning of the play blood is shown as honor and bravery and towards the end of the play its shown as guilt and remorse.

Read More

The Symbolism Of Blood In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

244 Words | 1 Pages

“Blood itself - the color, the smell, and importance - is vital to life and shocking to see. ”-Anonymous. Throughout Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, blood plays an important role. Blood represents guilt for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It’s not until after the murder of Duncan that their guilt begins to manifest.

Read More

Why Are The Witches Important In Macbeth

313 Words | 2 Pages

Without Macbeth realizing the minor fault in these prophecies, he starts to gradually become more ambitious and more determined to kill Duncan in order to become king quickly as possible. The witches advance the plot again later in the play when Macbeth demands answer of his fate. They show Macbeth three more prophecies spoken by apparition; a head wearing a battle helmet, a blood-covered child, and a child wearing a crown and carrying a tree. The witches show Macbeth the three apparitions who tell him, Beware Macduff; /

Read More

Symbolic Symbols In Macbeth

1661 Words | 7 Pages

There are many different prominent symbols which are related to the actions of Macbeth throughout the play. Some of the symbols in Shakespeare’s Macbeth are hallucinations, terrifying dreams, prophecies, sleep, etc. The supernatural events, forces, and powers are common symbolical motifs in Shakespeare

Read More

Allusion In Macbeth

266 Words | 2 Pages

In Act 1, Scene 5 of Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses tone, allusion, oxymoron, and smile to demonstrate the theme of guilt and coincidence. Shakespeare uses tone to show Lady Macbeth’s bitterness and hatred towards King Duncan when Lady Macbeth says, “But be the serpent under’t. He that’s coming” (1.5 65). This expresses she is encouraging Macbeth to be evil and fake on the inside in order to become King. Shakespeare uses allusion when Lady Macbeth is trying to persuade Macbeth to go along with the plan when he says, “Be the serpent under’t” (1.5 65).

Read More

More about Symbolism In Macbeth

Related Topics

Open Document