Patterns Of Imagery In Macbeth

Shakespeare's Macbeth is full of different types of imagery. Many
of these images are themes that run throughout the entire play at different
times. Five of these images are nature, paradoxes, manhood, masks and
light vs. darkness.

Nature:

"Thunder and lightning." This is the description of the scene
before Act I, Scene i, Line 1. The thunder and lightning represent
disturbances in nature. Most people do not think of a great day being
filled with thunder and lightning. The witches are surrounded by a shroud
of thunder and lightning. Also, the first witch asks in Line 2 about the
meeting with Macbeth, "In thunder, lightning, or in rain?" The meeting
will also be filled ...

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out
(there are no stars in the sky)." (Line 5) Darkness evokes feelings of
evilness, of a disturbance in nature on this fateful night. It creates a
perfect scene for the baneful murders.
Another disturbance in nature comes from Macbeth's mouth, "Now o'er
the one half-world / Nature seems dead" (Lines 49 - 50). This statement
might mean that everywhere he looks, the world seems dead (there is no
hope). It might also give him the idea that the murder he is about to
commit will have repercussions spreading far. The doctor says in Act V,
Scene i, Line 10, "A great perturbation in nature," while talking about
Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking. This is just another example of how nature is
disturbed by human doings, placing emphases on mankind (following the
Humanistic philosophy).

The Paradox:

The witches' chorus on Act I, Scene i, Line 10: "Fair is foul, and
foul is fair," is a paradox. It is also a prophecy, where one thing seems
like another (the characters of the ...

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Patterns Of Imagery In Macbeth. (2008, July 6). Retrieved November 27, 2021, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Patterns-Of-Imagery-In-Macbeth/86379

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 7/6/2008 08:41:37 PM
Category: Arts
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1226
Pages: 5

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