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The Use Of Symbols In Macbeth - Online Term Paper

The Use Of Symbols In Macbeth

In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses many symbols to add to his story.
His use of blood, water, light, dark, rampant animals, and even the witches are
examples of how he used symbols to add depth to his play. These symbols were
often times recurring and they were all related to the central plot of the play.
Shakespeare used blood in this play several times. Blood is first
mentioned by Macbeth shortly after he had slain Duncan. The subject of blood
was introduced again when Duncan's murder was brought up by Lady Macbeth, as
well as others later in the play. In the aforementioned circumstances, blood
was used to symbolize the guilt, and pain that Macbeth and his wife were
experiencing ...

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that blood was a much more powerful symbol than water in this
play.
In Macbeth, light and dark was used in a classic sense. Light
symbolized all that is good, and it is no coincidence that when a scene included
Banquo or another of the innocent victims in this play, the setting was bright.
On the other hand, when a scene involved murder or the supernatural, such as the
scenes involving the witches, a dark setting was used.
The strange acting animals which were spoken of periodically during the
play were used to symbolize chaos. When Duncan was murdered, Shakespeare used
these irate animals to show that something horrible and irreconcilable had
occurred in the kingdom. The use of these animals was extended to symbolize the
unrest that Macbeth was personally experiencing due to the witches' prophetic
statements. Furthermore, the Witches themselves are used to symbolize the
unexplained, or supernatural, which was held in high regard at the time this
play was written.
Shakespeare ...

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The Use Of Symbols In Macbeth. (2003, December 25). Retrieved February 1, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Use-Of-Symbols-In-Macbeth/429

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 12/25/2003 04:53:20 AM
Category: Arts
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 451
Pages: 2

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