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Symbolism in the play of macbeth.pdf
Symbolism in the play of macbeth.pdf
Images and symbolism in macbeth
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Darkness and Evil in Macbeth
Darkness in our society is indicative of evil. For instance, a black cat, a dark night, and a dark place are all symbolic of diablerie. Authors use these symbols to describe an evil character or setting. William Shakespeare employs the imagery of darkness in Act 4 of his play Macbeth to describe the agents of disorder. The witches, Macbeth, and Scotland are all described as dark because they represent the agents of chaos.
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.
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 witch describes Macbeth as "black Macbeth" and a "tyrant". The Castle that Macbeth lives in, Dunsanine is also indicative of darkness. Dunsanine is similar to the word dungeon a dark and dirty place. In Act 4 Macbeth is an agent of disorder, he murders and he consults witches, because of this he is described using dark imagery.
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.
The agents of chaos and disorder were symbolized by darkness in Act 4. The witches were described as, "dark as midnight"; Macbeth was described as , "devilish and dark"; and Scotland was described as "dying". The imagery of darkness also plays an important role in character development.
This represents a change in avenue of attack, not a broad ideological shift from historic eugenic arguments. Similarly, the search for the "gay gene," while a relatively new scientific concept, is highly reminiscent of previous understandings of queer sexuality, which located deviance in physical and/or hormonal "abnormalities." The idea that queer people's queerness is loc...
Guilt causes the main characters’ consciences to overcome them mentally and physically causing their downfalls. In the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the recurring theme of night and darkness is used to symbolize guilt and conscience such as when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth want the darkness to conceal their evil deeds and in the end, when Lady Macbeth is afraid of the darkness and nighttime. In Act I, after King Duncan names Malcolm the Prince of Cumberland, Macbeth is already plotting to kill Duncan. He asks the darkness to come and hide his evil deeds so no one would see the terrible thing he was about to do.
Welty presents Phoenix, throughout the story, as a determined woman who is persuaded by compassion and encouraged by humor to defeat the hindrances so that she can help her chronically ill grandson. This story gives a wonderful lesson for all people who feel like the afflictions of life are too immense to overcome, and also provides advices for how to persevere when realizing goals that may seem impossible. Consequently, the ways Welty uses symbolism to make clear of how difficult Phoenix’s mission is, but the way she depicts her character shows how humor and compassion help a person make it through tough situations.
Target Corporation is the biggest discount retailing business in the US which comes just after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The headquarters are located in Minneapolis in Minnesota in the USA. George Dayton founded it. It initially started as a family business with a regional retailer shop and later grew into a national full retailer store. The company’s main aim is to offer retail services at friendly rates and, its main attracting feature is discount rates offed on different products in the business. The company has indicated tremendous growth in the retail business. It has a target to outgrow its market and achieve competitive advantage over its competitors. This essay seeks to discuss the competitive analysis and
Seven-foot, blonde haired, blue-eyed super-humans bearing the swastika and marching in perfect Aryan rhythm, bred to be smarter, stronger, superior. This is a typical image when people hear the word eugenics, but there are two distinct branches: negative eugenics, which looks at removing undesirables and degenerates from society, and positive eugenics, which looks to promote the positive hereditary traits within society. In this essay I will Look at both sides of the eugenics argument in order to find a conclusion.
It was December 31, 1928, and financial leaders everywhere celebrated what had been a decade of prosperity and boundless optimism. They thought the party would last forever. They called it the new era. In 1929, all the hope and promise and the illusions of the 1920’s changed that. This was the first time many ordinary people were able to buy stock and they were interested in the stock market. A stock is a share of a company bought and sold at the floor of the stock exchange. Also, during the 1920’s, credit was introduced and the stock market was booming. What caused the worst depression in history? What events led up to the economic failure? Was the government aware that the crash was coming? Traditionally, President Roosevelt has been lauded as a savior of the economy and one of the greatest presidents the United States have had. However, there is another way to look at the causes of the Great Depression.
The concept of eugenics has to do with the belief or practice of improving the genetic quality of the human race (“Eugenics” 2010). The concept was first introduced by Francis Galton, a researcher who wished to apply Darwin’s theory of evolution to the human race. Much like many endeavors that start off with good intentions, the results of applying this concept in real life were gross crimes against humanity. The eugenics movement in the early 20th century perverted the original concept by employing morally objectionable techniques including forced sterilization, marriage restrictions, segregation, internment camps, and genocide (Black 2012). In War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race, Edwin Black discusses the root of the eugenics movement in the United States of America and how this ultimately influenced the horrifying actions taken by the Nazis in pursuit of the pure Aryan race.
...ds displays that the narrator did not have a problem with her husband, but her problem was with society; the narrator knew that her husband was only putting her on rest cure because it was the societal norm. It was all he knew. The relationship that the narrator developed with the wallpaper, or rather what she saw within the wallpaper, was demonstrative of the idea that she herself was trapped. But this wasn’t the only time the concept of entrapment was evidence in the story. Much of the language itself, even not when the narrator was speaking out loud, were words that generally are used to describe oppression, death, and entrapment. The aforementioned reasons provide evidence to support the argument that the narrator felt trapped by the chains society has placed on her, and that the telling of her sickness is a symbolic representation of her desire to rebel.
... a dark setting used which involved supernatural events, while the light setting was used for last battle, when Macbeth was slain at the end to show the restoration of peace and honesty. Thus the symbolism of light and darkness representing good and evil in the play emphasizes the theme of corruption of power.
Macbeth, the shortest and perhaps darkest play by Shakespeare, is a tale of over-riding ambition, human nature, and supernatural meddling. Macbeth is the main character in the play, and although he begins the story a loyal subject and brave hero, the power bestowed on him poisens and corrupts him until he eventually turns evil and seeks more, to his downfall. As the central figure of the play, Macbeth sets in motion a sequence of events that brings about the destruction and eventual rebirth of Scotland, giving the play an essentially dark tone. There are, however, varying degrees of evil, subtly different in texture and context. One way Shakespeare indicates the styles of evil throughout the play Macbeth is through the use of sounds. Sounds in the play fall under four categories: nature, man-made, the sounds of battle, and human cries.
Key elements in the play substantiate the fact that Macbeth is a serious story, the first elements of Aristotle’s definition. From the first lines of the play, the mood is set featuring witches whom speak of witchcraft, potions and apparitions. Not only do the three witches aid in making this a serious story but also, they appealed to Elizabethans whom at the time believed in such supernatural phenomena. War for centuries has represented killing and feuding, thus, the war taking place between Scotland and Norway provided a dark component. The Thane of Cawdor’s rapidly approaching execution due to his deceiving the king also plays a role in this grim work. Murder throughout all of Macbeth is an essential aspect when dealing with the seriousness of the play. From the beginning, Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth to do anything to overthrow King Duncan, whom is the king of Scotland, the role Macbeth desperately yearns for. During the excursion to become king, Macbeth successfully murders King Duncan, Macduff’s wife and children, and with the help of a group of murderers Banquo; a brave general who will inherit the Scottish throne. Through the whole play, while such dank occurrences are used to create deep mood, Shakespeare also uses strong language and words. Such as when Lady Macbeth calls upon the gods to make her man-like so she will have the fortitude to kill King Duncan herself in this quote, “Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here… Make my blood thick… Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark.” This type of language provokes thoughts of death, blood and darkness though the imagery such dank words create. The play also follows through with its theme of blood by in the end of the play, having both of its lead characters die. Lady Macbeth, distraught by guilt over the bloodshed, commits suicide while Macbeth is murdered and beheaded by Macduff, a Scottish noblemen.
This theme is further verified by King Duncan's statement "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face..." (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-12) Although Macbeth has the semblance of the amicable and dutiful host, ("fair") he is secretly plotting Duncan's death ("foul"). Furthermore, Lady Macbeth's orchestration of the murder exemplifies the twisted atmosphere in Inverness. Both a woman and a host, she should be the model of grace and femininity. She is described, however, as a "fiendlike queen" (Act 5, Scene 6, Line 69) and exhibits a cold, calculating mentality. In addition, the very porter of Inverness likens the place to the dwelling of the devil Beelzebub. This implies that despite its "pleasant seat," (Act 1, Scene 6, Line 1) Inverness is a sinister and evil place. It is also interesting to note that Macbeth is unable to say a prayer to bless himself after murdering Duncan. It is strange and "foul" that he should think of religion after committing such an unholy act. The very sanction of sleep and repose is also attacked in Macbeth. What is normally considered a refreshing and necessary human activity is "murdered" by Macbeth after he commits his heinous crime. Neither Macbeth nor his wife is able to sleep after killing Duncan. Macbeth's lack of sleep makes him a brutal killer; Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk and inadvertently reveals the source of her distress through her nightly babble.
When created in 1923, the American Eugenics Society exemplified an air of reform with a seemingly positive purpose, however this cannot be further from the truth. In reality, the society polluted the air with myths of weeding out imperfections with the Galtonian ideal, the breeding of the fittest (Carison). The founder of the society, Charles Davensport , preached that those who are imperfect should be eliminated(Marks). From the school desk to the pulpit, the fallacies of the eugenics movement were forced into society. Preachers often encouraged the best to marry the best while biology professors would encourage DNA testing to find out ones fate (Selden). A...
In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth is guilty of committing treason against his king and country. He is purely and deliberately driven by dark desire, ambition, and murderous thoughts. As the play continues, it gets easier and easier for Macbeth to commit his heinous crimes. He not only kills the king, but continues to kill various people in order to secure his wrongfully obtained position. Macbeth also has many interactions with witches, who at the time are the definition of evil. One could say that Macbeth and depravity are two sides of the same coin. Macbeth is far more evil than any other character in the play, including Lady Macbeth.
The witches are perhaps the most important supernatural characters in all of Macbeth. They represent Macbeth’s evil ambitions of evil, greed, and devilish scheming. They first appear in scene one, foreshadowing Macbeth’s future superiority of Scotland and his ultimate fate, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, the future king!” (Act 1, Sc. 2, 3). A...