Macbeth Symbolism Essay Research Paper With its

Macbeth Symbolism Essay, Research Paper

With its eye-opening plot and interesting cast of characters, William

Shakespeare.s play, Macbeth is one of the greatest works one could ever read.

But, above all, the aspect of the play is most impressive and overwhelming with

imagery and symbolism that Shakespeare so brilliantly uses. Throughout the play

, the author depicts various types of imagery and symbolism instances that ,

eventually , lead to the downfall of the main character , Macbeth. Instances of

imagery and symbolism are seen throughout the play. Imagery and symbolism are

unavoidable features in William Shakespeare.s Macbeth. One of the most

prominent symbolic factors in the play is the presence of blood. It has been

noted that the presence of blood .increases the feelings or fear , horror ,

and pain. (Spurgeon , Pg. 20). From the appearance of the bloody sergeant in

the second scene of the to the very last scene , there is a continued vision of

blood all throughout the play. The imagery of blood seems to affect almost all

the characters in the play. It affects Lady Macbeth in the scene in which she is

found sleepwalking talking to herself after the murders of Duncan and Banquo :

.Here.s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not

sweeten this little hand.. [V. i. 50-1] Also , the blood imagery is present in

the .weird sisters. , or witches. Most evidently , it is present in act four

, scene one , when Macbeth visits the witches to seek their insight and his

fortune for the future. He is shown three apparitions , one of which is a bloody

child that commands him to .Be bloody , bold and resolute : laugh to

scorn.. [IV. i. 79] Although blood imagery deals with almost all the

characters of the play , no where is it more profound than with the protagonist

himself , Macbeth. In the very beginning of the play , it is reported by the

sergeant that Macbeth and Banquo are .[bathing] in reeking wounds.. [I. ii.

42] Again , blood is found haunting Macbeth in act two , scene one of the play ,

in which a visionary dagger is stained with .gouts of blood.. In the same

act and scene , after the murder Duncan , Macbeth cries declares that nothing ,

even .great Neptune.s oceans. , will be able to cleanse the blood that

stains his hand : .Will all great Neptune.s ocean wash this blood clean from

my hand. No , this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine ,

making the green one red.. [II. ii. 58-60] Next , the image of blood is

induced when Macbeth calls upon the .bloody and invisible hand. of night to

help the murderers he has hired carry out their assassination of Banquo and his

son , Fleance. Then , Macbeth realizes that .blood will have blood. and that

his murderous plots will all come to and end with his death. Finally , at the

end of the banquet scene , Macbeth confesses that he is .in blood , stepp.d

in so far that , should [he] wade no more , returning [would be] as tedious as

to go o.er.. [III. iv. 136-7] Through all these instances of blood symbolism

and imagery , it is obvious that .Macbeth is about blood.. (Muir , Pg. 271 )

Yet another form of symbolism used in the play is that of unnaturalness.

Throughout the work , it is used in the constant referral to Macbeth.s crime

of murder and emphasizes the fact it is not natural and , in turn , is a

.convulsion of nature.. (Spurgeon , Pg. 20) Although powerful , the idea of

unnaturalness occurs mostly in one part of the play , immediately before and

after the murder of Duncan. Macbeth , obviously bothered by the act that he had

just committed , states how Duncan.s wounds .look.d like a breach in

nature for ruin.s wasteful entrance.. [II. iii. 118] Then , Macbeth

continues on by saying that he had .murdered sleep. , another unnatural

occurrence, .I heard a voice cry , .Sleep no more! Macbeth does murther

sleep.Glamis hath murder.d sleep , and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more.

Macbeth shall sleep no more... [II. ii. 26-36] Next , the unnatural events

of the night continue when Macduff and Lenox , Duncan.s sons , tell Macbeth of

the .strange events. of the night, .The night has been unruly. Where we

lay , our chimneys were blown down , and , as they say , lamentings heard i.

the air , strange screams of death.and some say the earth was feverous and did

shake.. [II. iii. 69-76] Also, Rodd and the Old Man describe unnatural events

that occurred on the night of Duncan.s murder. The Old Man claims to seeing a

.falcon towering in her pride of place. , being .hawk.d at and killed.

by a mousing owl.. In addition , Ross states how Duncan.s horses .turn.d

wild in nature , broke their stalls , [and] flung out. , all the time

.contending .gainst obedience.. Finally , an unnatural act occurs in Lady

Macbeth.s sleepwalking scene. Throughout the scene , the very act of Lady

Macbeth sleepwalking is seen as

Внимание, отключите Adblock

Вы посетили наш сайт со включенным блокировщиком рекламы!
Ссылка для скачивания станет доступной сразу после отключения Adblock!

Скачать