Shakespeare’s book/ play Macbeth presents many different language effects and dramatic devices to portray how his character feels after the actions he has committed. Dramatic devices are found everywhere throughout Shakespeare’s book but his use of symbols really show Macbeth’s true emotion and how they show his true inner thoughts to the audience. His loss of humanity arrives later in the book after he murders many of his once close friends. These murders then count towards his performances of evil actions. But when his acts of evil don’t go according to plan, his consequences catch up on him and he becomes extremely paranoid.
Shakespeare’s use of symbols helps his characters to express their true feelings to the audience. Macbeth’s murder of King Duncan had everyone shook to their core, Macbeth included. After completing the deed, Macbeth stares at the dead king whispering and mumbling quietly “Here lay Duncan, his silver skin laced with his golden blood”. Within this quote, we immediately find that shakespeare uses Duncan’s golden blood as a symbol. It is used in a way to portray Duncan’s purity but also to show that he was chosen from God to become King. Golden blood is also used by Shakespeare to show to the audience that Duncan wasn’t meant to die. “Some say the earth was feverous, and did shake.” The earth in this quote acts as another symbol used during a quote when Lennox expresses his thoughts on the night before. Once Lennox says this, it can cause the audience to link the event to the killing of Duncan which were both on the same night. It links them in a way to show again that Duncan was chosen from God and when he is murdered, the earth reacts. Guilt, another symbol, is shown when Macbeth is on route to Duncan’s bedroom. “Thou sure and firm-set earth, hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear thy very stones prate of my whereabout, and take the present horror from the time.” Macbeth uses metaphors within this quote to help represent his guilt to the audience. Hear not my steps being one. Just this little snippet of the whole quote contains enough information to show how Macbeth feels. His inner feelings portray him to the world as very hesitant and obviously showing his desire towards not getting caught.
A loss of humanity is shown from Macbeth once he realises that he can’t reverse his actions. He starts to believe that everyone is out to get him and becomes very paranoid. “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.” In translation of this quote, we find that Macbeth will kill Macduff’s wife and kids just because he knows it will hurt Macduff dearly. The middle section of this quote is a particular language effect that he uses that really drives towards his point and what he’s trying to get across. “Give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.” Here we find that Macbeth is so driven to keeping the King title that he is not afraid to kill anyone in his path. The quote as a whole now shows how much Macbeth has changed and how low his stature has now become. He knows that Macduff’s family is the most important thing to him and for him to kill them shows that he has lost all humanity. Moving back to the start of the book to the killing of King Duncan, we find that Macbeth is reluctant to performing the deed. Macbeth’s conscience is one of the main factors of keeping himself sane. However, he fails to listen to it and ends up completing the murder. “The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell.” The bell at the start acts as his conscience for this part and Macbeth I don’t think realises this. He then goes on to completing the deed and regretting it afterwards.
Performing evil actions seems to become a regular, day to day activity in Macbeth’s life. Macbeth, throughout the book, has his fair share of evil actions and it doesn’t look like he’s stopping them anytime soon. After Macbeth’s first action which was the murder of King Duncan, he realises that he cannot undo what is already done. So what he does is tries to make his own life worth living without thinking about the effects that it will have on others. One of Macbeth’s greater achievements was becoming King even though it wasn’t done in the usual or respectable way. Mid-way through his reign, he notices that one of Banquo’s kids will become King once he passes. “And with him (To leave no rubs nor botches in the work) Fleance his son, that keeps him company, whose absence is no less material to me than is his father’s”. The language shown through this quote shows that Fleance does not go unnoticed in Macbeth’s mind. “No less material to me” is a statement made through the quote to show the audience that he does not undervalue Fleance and needs him gone for his big plan to go forward.
Shakespeare’s character Macbeth makes a lot of evil decisions during his reign as king which lead him on to losing his mind. Paranoia is a sign of this as it appears once many evil deeds are completed. As a result of this, there is now always something in the back of his mind that somewhat controls Macbeth’s actions and the security that goes with them. “The moment on ’t for ’t must be done tonight and something from the palace; always thought that I require a clearness.” At the start, Macbeth quotes “must be done tonight” which shows the rush he’s in. He then goes on to state that he requires clearness and this is where he shows that lack of trust he has with most. Macbeth’s lack of trust starts to show and it appears here when he requires the highest possible security for his operation to occur. He sends three murderers on to complete the task but they only come back with one body. This is where the paranoia sets in. Paranoia again shows in Macbeth when he says “But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in to saucy doubts and fears.” The same scared feeling arrives once again which controls Macbeth to keep watching his back. This situation prevents him from escaping his paranoia and now he finds himself even deeper into losing his mind.
Shakespeare’s dramatic devices and language effects have been explored and now we have found how they reveal the action of ambition on his character Macbeth. We have found these through symbols tied into Macbeth’s quotes and the objects around him, a loss of humanity shown in his performance of evil actions, and how all of these add up to causing Macbeth’s paranoia.
1 Comment
Add Yours →You’re making good progress in this essay. You’re referring to some strong detail and you’re making an effective case to describe the effects of ambition on Macbeth.
Advice for further development:
1) Your introduction needs some work. Your analysis improves greatly as you get to the body of your essay – at this stage the introduction does not completely outline what happens to Macbeth due to his ambition and how Shakespeare uses language and dramatic devices the reinforce this – even though your body DOES do this. I often think it’s best to write the introduction last, as it allows you to make sure you encompass everything your essay has become. I recommend this to you – give it a complete re-write. Remember it’s a map to your entire essay, and is designed to capture your reader’s interest.
2) In your body paragraphs, make sure you make a clear connection between the language or dramatic effect you’re referring to and how the effect itself strengthen’s Shakespeare’s message. Currently your paragraphs tend towards a re-telling of the plot (with relevant quotes provided), as opposed to the examination of the language and dramatic effects Shakespeare uses. While you do bring those references into the paragraphs as they develop, the focus should be on these from the very beginning.
For more information about how to construct paragraphs that examine language effects, remember you can refer to the exemplars and guides published on the class website
3) Try to make sure your body paragraphs are in the same order as you suggest you’re going to handle the ideas in the introduction. Think of the intro as a ‘roadmap’ in that sense.
4) Once you’ve got your whole essay written to your own satisfaction. Experiment with some of the advanced writing effects we’ve explored in class, like quote weaving and the use of figurative language effects in your own right, to elevate your piece further.
The task outline also provides helpful advice, especially via the annotated essay exemplar, which will assist you to see how to put the structure of the essay together as well as to understand the kind of advanced writing effects are helpful in essays such as this one.
4) Your conclusion will be crucial to this piece. Do what you can both to summarise the main ideas you’ve explained in your essay and also to challenge your reader to think more deeply about the world they live in on the basis of the insights you’ve offered. (If your final paragraph IS your conclusion at present, have a word with me so I can explain how it misses the mark somewhat)
Please don’t hesitate to ask me to come through to explain this feedback to you.
Have confidence, you’ve already shown a level of knowledge and ability that impresses me.
CW