StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Symbolism in Macbeth - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
In the paper “Symbolism in Macbeth” the author examines the main theme of  Shakespeare’s play, which is the destruction that occurs because of unchecked and unrestrained ambition. In bringing out the theme of play, the play makes use of symbols and symbolism…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.2% of users find it useful
Symbolism in Macbeth
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Symbolism in Macbeth"

Symbolism in MacbethMacbeth is one of the most famous plays by Shakespeare. The play’s main theme is the destruction that occurs because of unchecked and unrestrained ambition. In bringing out the theme of play, and in the development of the plot, the play makes use of symbols and symbolism. The symbols are present throughout the paper, and they help in representing the different concepts that Shakespeare wishes to discus. One of the symbols that appear throughout the play is that of blood.

From the opening where there is a battle between the Norwegian invaders and the Scotts, blood keeps recurring throughout the play. In the second scene of act 1, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth can be seen to embark on their murderous missions. From this point on, blood comes to be a symbol of guilt. The two feel that they are so stained by the crimes they have committed that the blood on their hands cannot be cleaned. The blood is therefore a permanent stain of guilt on their conscience. In one instance, when Macbeth has killed Duncan and his wife insists that water will clean the blood from him, she comes to find out that it cannot.

She cries ‘who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?’ (5.1.30–34)Another symbol that is dominant in the book nature or natural occurrences. The murders that Macbeth commits are followed by unnatural weather occurrences. When the witches appear, they are accompanied by thunder and lightning. On the night that Duncan is murdered, there are severe storms. These occurrences are symbolic of the moral corruption that has pervaded the society. In the play, there is an instance in which an owl is seen to kill a falcon, and horses are seen to go wild and eat each other (2.4.2-5).

This is a reversal of nature as horses are not expected to eat each other, and owls are not expected to prey on birds that are larger than them. This reversal is symbolic of the rebellion, and of the upset of the natural order of things that happens when Macbeth starts to commit the murders. The play is also rich in the use of light and darkness. Whenever something evil or terrible is about to happen, night is invoked. Lady Macbeth for example asks for ‘thick night’ with the ‘smoke of hell’ (1.5.3).

Darkness in the play is seen as a symbol of the evil that the characters intend to commit. Light in the play is symbolic of protection from evil. Lady Macbeth for example calls for the spirits to stop heaven from pervading the blanket of darkness that would enable her to commit the crimes that she has planned on committing. This shows that light prevents evil from happening. She is later seen to be afraid of the darkness that she once craved for. She carries a candle to light her way. This shows that she is now afraid of the evil that she has committed and which now haunts her.

Sleep is also used symbolically in the play. When Macbeth murders Duncan, he imagines to hear a voice that says to him ‘Macbeth does murder sleep” (2.2.34). sleep in the lay is symbolic of innocence and purity of conscience. After committing murder, the characters in the play are unable to sleep, meaning that they are no longer of a clear conscience. Another symbol that appears in the play is that of water. After the Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth says ‘"A little water clears us of the deed"; (1. 2. 67).

Water therefore symbolizes the purification of a guilty conscience and the removal of guilt from the conscience. It is however important to note that the guilty ones do not succeed in removing the guilt or clearing their conscience for the actions that they have committed. Symbolism is seen to be dominant throughout the play and it plays an important role in developing the important themes in the play, such as the theme of unrestrained ambition and murder. The symbols used are appropriate for what they represent.

Work citedShakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Chicago: Aquitaine Media Corp, 2008. Print.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Symbolism in Macbeth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1584364-macbeth
(Symbolism in Macbeth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words - 4)
https://studentshare.org/literature/1584364-macbeth.
“Symbolism in Macbeth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words - 4”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1584364-macbeth.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Symbolism in Macbeth

What idea does the author develop about the desire of self-fulfillment Shakespeares Macbeth

in macbeth, the prophecy will not have been fulfilled if Macbeth had not taken actions.... in macbeth, the greatest external factor was Lady-Macbeth.... Shakespeare's macbeth is a prominent play that is a classic example of self-fulfilling prophecies.... Shakespeare's macbeth is a prominent play that is a classic example of self-fulfilling prophecies.... macbeth (a general in the army of King Duncan) is the character that believes in prophecies and gets killed in the end living and fulfilling the prophecy....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Sixteenth century female sexuality and their impact on Shakespeare's tragedy

In two of Shakespeare's tragedies, Hamlet and macbeth, he openly suggests the danger of female participation in sovereign level politics.... He dramatizes real political concerns that came out during queen Elizabeth Tudors' reign through the marriage of Gertrude to Hamlet's uncle because of Lady macbeth's ambitious political career (Waddington 42).... The sixteenth century leadership was invoked mostly by tensions aptly captured by Shakespeare, where Hamlet and macbeth who do not make open political remarks about Elizabeth Tudor's monarchy....
3 Pages (750 words) Research Paper

Understanding the plot and the main characters in Shakespeares Tragedy of McBeth

The tragedy of macbeth is a story that is full of conflict and contradictions.... … Being famed as the most violent of all the plays every written by Shakespeare, the symbolism used by this play is very chaotic.... To add more to the theme chaos and discord of the play, the symbolism hallucinations that signifies internal conflicts is well portrayed in this play....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

A Literary Response to Waiting for Godot

In this play, form is content because the writer uses techniques such as symbolism, and contradiction to comment on human society.... symbolism as a dramatic element in theater is defined as the use characters, gestures, stage objects, dialog to mirror real life situations, people and ideas....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Imagery of darkness in Macbeth

The play begins with three witches, telling each other that they should see macbeth.... One night, macbeth and his pal Banquo stumbled upon the three witches that we saw at the beginning of the play.... They foretold that macbeth would… They told Banquo that he would never be King, but father to the Kings.... Then the witches magically vanish. On a military camp where King Duncan learns that his generals, macbeth and Banquo, defeated two armies: the Because of this, King Duncan made macbeth the Thane of Cawdor (the former Thane is to be killed because he's a traitor)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Hills Like White Elephants

Hemingway allows the readers to infer from the other elements within the story like imagery and symbolism in order to understand what it really going on between these characters.... In the paper “Hills Like White Elephants” the author analyzes the short story where Hemingway uses a combination of imagery and symbolism....
2 Pages (500 words) Book Report/Review

Macbeth-Night versus Day

This idea of night and day has been used by Shakespeare in his book macbeth to symbolize evil and good as well.... hellip; At the beginning of the story are three witches who give macbeth news of him becoming a king.... This happens at night when there are lightning and thunders, evidence that natural macbeth-Night versus Day In our daily lives, night and day symbolize evil and good respectively.... This idea of night and day has been used by Shakespeare in his book macbeth to symbolize evil and good as well....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Sixteenth century female sexuality and their impact on Shakespeares tragedy

n two of Shakespeare's tragedies, he openly suggests the danger of female participation in sovereign level politics, Hamlet and macbeth.... He dramatizes real political concerns that came out during queen Elizabeth Tudors' reign through the marriage of Gertrude to hamlet's uncle because of Lady macbeth's ambitious political career (Waddington 42).... The sixteenth century leadership was invoked mostly by tensions as aptly captured by Shakespeare, where Hamlet and macbeth who do not make open political remarks about Elizabeth Tudor's monarchy....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us