Act Two Examples Of Pathetic Fallacy In Macbeth

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Pathetic fallacy is a dominant element in Act Two of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The first example of pathetic fallacy occurs on the night of King Duncan’s death. As Macbeth enters Duncan’s room, Lady Macbeth hears the cry of a bird and she senses that her husband is committing the murder. She whispers to herself, “It was the owl that shriek’d, the fatal bellman / Which gives the stren’st good-night. He is about it” (II.ii.3-4). The shriek of the owl seems to be nature’s fearful reaction to Macbeth’s act of violence. Another example of pathetic fallacy is revealed through a discussion about the night of the murder. In the morning, Lennox has a conversation with Macbeth and Macduff about the abnormal events from the previous night. Lennox remarks,

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