What Does The Bird Symbolize In Macbeth

Symbolism is a very prominent literary technique throughout Shakespeare’s famous play, Macbeth. These symbols lead to a better understanding of the play, and add a lot of deeper meanings to it as well. While there are countless numbers of these symbols and motifs, specifically, blood, clothing, and birds are three very important ones. Blood is a symbol that portrays guilt throughout the play. Second, clothing stands for something the characters are not, for example when Macbeth is crowned Thane of Cawdor. Thirdly, the birds foreshadow bad happenings in the story. These three symbols all contribute to the mysterious aura found in Macbeth. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is comprised of multiple recurring symbols and motifs which lead to a deeper understanding of the play. Blood symbolizes many different things within Macbeth, such as Macbeth’s violent

One instance where a bird foreshadows an event is when a “raven,” foreshadows the death of Duncan: “The raven himself is a hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan” (1.5.45-46). This announcement occurs when the servant tells Lady Macbeth that King Duncan is coming tonight. Lady Macbeth has an interesting reaction, wishing she could be a man and not feel remorse for actions such as killing him. The murder of Duncan is a very significant event which the “raven” predicted. It is very interesting that a “raven” is the metaphor for what is delivering the news, for a raven is very threatening, similar to the topic of the news, murder. Another example of birds “delivering” important news is when they inform Lady Macbeth that her husband is killing Duncan: “Hark-Peace! It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman” (2.2.4-5). This is extremely exciting and important news, especially regarding the plot of the play. The birds in this play are essential parts of it because they symbolize the foreshadowing of news and