Macbeth Imagery

A detailed Summary of Macbeth Imagery

In all of Shakespeare's plays he uses many forms of imagery. Imagery is the art of making images, the products of imagination. In the play "Macbeth", Shakespeare applies the many images, most of which are of clothing, blood and darkness. Each one seems to contain an important symbol of the play. Symbols that the reader must understand if they are to interpret either the passage or the play as a whole.

The second, most important chain of imagery used to add to the atmosphere is that of the imagery of darkness. In a Shakespearean tragedy a special atmosphere must be created to show the darkness and blackness in a tragedy. In 'Macbeth' darkness symbolizes many things. First, and most important, it stands for the evil and death in the play. The darkness partially blinds out all of the horrible things that occur in the night. Only in darkness can such evil deeds be done. Secondly, the darkness shows one of Lady Macbeth's weaknesses: her fear of dark. In the play, phrases of fear escape from lips even in her sleep. She believes darkness to be the place of torment.

Within the whole play, the sun seems to shine only twice. The first is in the passage when Duncan sees the swallows flirting round the castle of deat

The witches in the first scene of Act 4 are depicted as agents of chaos because of the dark domain around them. The witches meet in a dark cave. The cave is an appropriate setting for the witches because caves tend to represent the under-world and hell, creating a feeling of evil. The witches appearance, "secret, black, and midnight hags" also indicates their evil nature. The witches dark meeting place and dark appearance all emphasize their destructive nature.

Scotland under the rule of Macbeth is described as, "shrouded in darkness", by Malcolm. Scotland in Act 4 has fallen off the "Chain of Being" and is now occupied with the forces of chaos and disorder. Scotland in Act 4 is filled with "sighs, and groans, and shrieks, that rent the air". Scotland is described by Ross as, "O Nation Miserable". All these descriptions of Scotland portray Scotland as a place where the agents of darkness have shrouded the land.

Macbeth in Act 4: consulted with the witches, murdered Macduff's family, and continued to create chaos in Scotland. Macbeth in Act 4 is described as an agent of disorder, "untitled tyrant bloody-sceptered". The language in Act 1 that described Macbeth has changed from "noble" and "kind" to the diction of Act 4 w

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Approximate Word count = 829
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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Macbeth Imagery

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