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The Figurative Language In William Shakespeare's Macbeth

1895 Words8 Pages

First performed in the early 17th century during the reign of King James I, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth tells the tale of an ambitious Scottish general who, after receiving a prophecy from three witches that he would one day become King of Scotland, becomes consumed with greed and kills King Duncan in order to obtain the throne. Throughout the play, Macbeth actively conveys his thoughts and troubles. As they change, the audience also gets an inside look into Macbeth’s psychological and moral state, which ultimately carves the path to his tragic downfall. William Shakespeare lures the reader deep into the protagonist 's mind and mental state through the use of figurative language in Macbeth’s many speeches during the play, which makes it clear to the reader how his character evolves and sees himself on the world’s stage. In a soliloquy he has before killing Duncan, Macbeth hallucinates a floating dagger in front of him, ultimately hinting to the reader that he is mentally unstable as he ponders for the last time whether killing Duncan is the right move. In another speech found later in the play, now as King, Macbeth becomes extremely ruthless, to the point that his wife’s death doesn’t even phase him. Going from a brave hero-like general, to a disturbed and ruthless King, Macbeth’s overall character drastically changes throughout the play. …show more content…

Through Shakespeare’s use of language in Macbeth’s speeches, the audience gets to connect with the protagonist on a emotional level and gets to truly perceive the world through his eyes, allowing them to discover the dramatic flaws and that lead to his

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