In Macbeth, the use of the word “murky” has been used in a very direct and indirect way, or we could simply say that the characters are implying. In act 1 scene 7, we here Macbeth’s soliloquy, in which he is in a dilemma where he has to decide if he should kill King Duncun or not. In this speech, Macbeth utilizes the word “murky” in an indirect way and not use the word at all. He being saying that Macbeth is the Kings subject, and his kinsman and he should be loyal, and stay by his side protecting him. Macbeth stating “to plague th’ inventor” is foreshadowing that his bad deeds or karma will come back to bite him. The imagery in this soliloquy is quite dark, we here some phrases, such as “bloody instructions and “deep damnation”, which suggest that Macbeth is full aware of the consequences of the murder. His only reason to kill Duncun is his “ambition”, which is not a sufficient justification for the crime. Toward the end of his speech, Macbeth resolves to not follow through his plan to murder the King, however, Lady Macbeth convinces …show more content…
by one again reminding Macbeth of his so called “ambition”. Ambition is one of the biggest themes of the play, which will eventually lead Macbeth to a dark and gloomy world, in another term, a “murky” world. The word “murky” is later visibly used by Lady Macbeth, which is in a direct way, as opposed to indirect use of the term by Macbeth in his above mentioned speech.
The word murky used during Shakespeare’s time means “dark” or “gloomy”. In act 5, scene 1, we see Lady Macbeth sleep walking and struggling to wash off the “spot” on her hands. The spot can be interpreted as the bloodstain on her hands that she got from the bloody dagger after the murder scene. The bloodstain on her hands is a symbol for guilt. She later says that “Hell is murky”, this suggest that Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s current situation is like hell. As we mentioned earlier, Macbeth deed will take come to haunt him, we can assume that they are now in a dark and gloomy place, or in hell. Lady Macbeth in this scene is full of guilt that we can say that this couple’s destructive power or even their ambition for power have made its own hell that they are going
insane. Although the murkiness seemed to appear strongly after the murder of King Duncun, the audience can feel or more like imagine the dark and gloominess throughout the play. In the opening scene of the play, we see the three witches, as the audience read the play, they can use their imagination to create the murkiness in the surrounding environment of the three witches, or rather dark and gloominess is the first image that would pop up in an audience’s mind. The word “murky” has been used quite a lot in this play, whether it is literary or figuratively.
In the beginning of Shakespeare's play “Macbeth”,just before Macbeth encounters the witches for the first time, he shows that he is disturbed by the things he has seen in the war,in the line “So foul and fair a day I have not seen”. One interpretation of this quote is that the use of juxtaposition shows that Macbeth's conscience is split in two ;while he has won the battle in “fair” combat however the enemy's gore and blood shed was incredibly “foul” and has seen has deeply scared him. In particular the words “not seen” could suggest that he wishes to unsee what he has already seen as it is all to much for him, Shakespeare also uses this quote foreshadow Macbeth downfall as the line closely parallels with the chant all three witches sing in the very first scene “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” . This line and the quote “So foul and fair a day I have not seen” both use juxtaposition for effect and not only that both quotes use “foul” and “fair” to express it, this shows that from the beginning Macbeth is linked to the forces of darkness before he even meets the witches or writes the letter to Lady Macbeth,
The use of strong diction, as well as imagery in Act 1 Scene 7 of Macbeth, reveals the complex character traits of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, to show their determination to gain the throne.
The imagery of blood shows Lady Macbeth wants to get rid of her guilt. Lady Macbeth states, “And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood” (1.5. 49-50). Lady Macbeth is saying that she wants be filled with cruelty from top to bottom and to thicken her blood because she knows that from what she is about to do, she will get guilt.
Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth has many admirable and despicable characteristics. But the ones I am going to focus on being his bad characteristics.
The play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, entails a tragic hero who cannot control his lustful nature. Malcolm used the theme “appearances can be deceiving” to challenge Macduff’s allegiance. Although Macbeth killed in a slyly manner, he was not the only one. This leads him to silently kill a plethora of people. Lady Macbeth applied deception to beguile others of the killings of King Duncan and Banquo. Therefore, the theme “appearances can be deceiving” is developed utilizing the characters of Malcolm, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth.
Literary Devices used in Macbeth Imagine how dull a Shakespearean play would be without the ingenious literary devices and techniques that contribute so much to the fulfillment of its reader or viewer. Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy that combines fact and legend to tell the story of an eleventh century king. Shakespeare uses numerous types of literary techniques to make this tragic play more appealing. Three literary devices that Shakespeare uses to make Macbeth more interesting and effective are irony, symbolism, and imagery. One technique that Shakespeare uses is ironic.
Lady Macbeth then goes on to attempt summoning the weird sisters in hopes of cleansing herself of any doubt she may have about killing the King “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty.” (30-33) Lady Macbeth reveals her truly ugly nature as the mood of the scene turns rather dark and evil as she cries for the ability to kill King Duncan with no remorse “That my keen knife see not the wound it makes” (42). That line is also an example of how shakespeare used imagery as a way of letting the audience know just how evil Lady Macbeth is. This evil and dark mood is most powerful when Lady Macbeth wishes that the whole world be clouded in dark smokes of hell so that the heavens won't stop her from killing King Duncan. “ Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark to cry “Hold, hold!”.” (40-44) This religious allusion demonstrates that Lady Macbeth wants to get rid of the most positive thing in life, religion. It shows that Lady
The definition of an archetype is a character, a setting, or theme used commonly in stories to symbolize a specific meaning. In William’s Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, and the Biblical story of Lucifer, used the ideal situational archetype of a downfall as a recurring symbol. Firstly, the introduction and positive view of the main characters begin their journey to their ultimate downfall. The desire for power triggers the upcoming events within the story. Lastly, the defeat, along with the consequence ultimately shows the ending of the collapse of power. The author use of the downfall archetype helps the reader gain knowledge through the recurring symbol.
“The tragedy of Macbeth is considered so unlucky that it is hardly ever called by name inside the profession. People refer to the play as ‘that play’, ‘the unmentionable’ or ‘the Scottish play.’ It is supposed to be bad luck to quote from the play or to use any sets, costumes, or props from a production” (Hirtle, par. 2). Considering the treachery and betrayal that appears throughout MacBeth, the idea of the play being cursed does not seem implausible. MacBeth, indeed a nefarious character, continuously changed over the course of the play. Coping with the guilt of his various betrayals, disgrace and shame haunt MacBeth. Evidently, betrayal of one’s own values is a major affair in MacBeth. MacBeth betrayed his morals and inner values. He deals
The best description of Macbeth would have to be a flawed character. It is best to use this term instead of a tragic hero, because Macbeth was far from being a hero, and not much was gained from his downfall. Overall, Macbeth just had multiple faults which included letting his ambition get the best of him, doubting his own actions which led to hallucinations, and having the feeling of being invincible. Additional flaws include his trust in witches and his ability to be persuaded easily by others. Within act V, scene iii, Macbeth admits his flaws have led him to a “way of life is fall’n into the sere, the yellow leaf, and that which should accompany old age as honor, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have” (24-28). This
Macbeth is a very complex character whom reflects man's thirst for power through the drastic changes of his personality; thus being one of the slightest reasons in which make this intriguing character, greatest of all Shakespearean’s well-known works.
... him and says that a little water will do the job (II.ii.58?59). Later, though, she comes to share his horrified sense of being stained: ?Out, damned spot, out, I say . . . who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?? she asks as she wanders through the halls of their castle near the close of the play (V.i.30?34). Blood symbolizes the guilt that sits like a permanent stain on the consciences of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, one that hounds them to their graves.
In Act 1 of Macbeth, Shakespeare gives each character a unique personality and characterization and throughout the play we get to see their personality change as they are faced with challenges and conflict, a prime example of this would be Macbeth. At the start of Act 1 Macbeth was being praised for being a valiant and noble solider through the following personification of fortune. “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name— Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel. This is a personification of Fortune as he Is always able to defeat luck and chance. Although at the beginning of the play he is clearly seen as noble and brave, we soon see how mentally weak he is as he starts second guessing himself and letting the witches get into his head.
In Macbeth there are many examples of light verses dark imagery. In Macbeth light is represents peace. Darkness represents horrible events or death. In the beginning of the play Macbeth started out as a friendly guy that would not kill someone who does not deserve it. He started out in light by killing the traitors to the king. Later on in the play he becomes greedy and kills King Duncan to take his place. Once he kills Duncan he turns into this killing machine. Lady Macbeth started out the play on in the dark side, she wanted to have no feeling for anything that she did, and she just wanted power. Later on she became guilty and started sleep walking; she became insane and committed suicide. In the beginning of the play all of the murders were committed in darkness. This changes once the three murders kill Banquo, he is killed in torch light.
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.