Macbeth screams imagery! Shakespeare uses imagery of blood and sleep to create an atmosphere of horror, during the killing of Duncan, which contributes to our sense of Macbeth’s growing insanity. Eventually Lady Macbeth’s final scene is enhanced with the use of blood imagery which reflects her guilt. Shakespeare’s use of imagery connects the feeling of horror from audience to play.
Macbeth held such potential for himself. He was honoured Thane of Cawdor, and who knows what else Duncan had in store for him. Unfortunately he chose not to find out, by murdering the king. The scene of Duncan’s murder (II, ii) demonstrates the guilt and feeling that the blood diffuses into the air. When he returns to his chamber Lady Macbeth notices that he has brought back the blood covered daggers with him. She persuades him to bring them back to the scene of death, but he refuses by saying ” I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on’t again I dare not. ” Lady Macbeth responds ruthlessly to her husband, ” Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures. ‘Tis the eye of child hood that fears a painted devil. If he do bleed, I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt.” Lady Macbeth tells her husband that he was acting like a child and went by herself to smear blood upon the kings grooms so it will seem like they did it. Lady Macbeth returns from Duncan’s chamber telling Macbeth that her hands are covered in blood just like his. She encourages Macbeth to wash the blood from his hands to remove the evidence from their presence. ” My hands are of your color… I hear a knocking…A little…
… middle of paper …
… come, come, give me your hand! What’s done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed!” Lady Macbeth is haunted by her guilt. The blood that was shed disturbs her conscience so much that she can’t hide from it.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Campbell, Lily B. “Macbeth : A Study in Fear.” Readings on Macbeth. Ed. Clarice
Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999. 126-35.
Foakes, R.A. “Images of Death in Macbeth.” In Focus on Macbeth. Ed. John Russell Brown. Boston: Routledge, 1987.
James IV of Scotland. “Daemonologie.” In Minor Prose Works. Ed. James Craigie. Edinburgh: Scottish Text Society, 1982.
Muir, Kenneth. “Introduction.” In Macbeth. Ed. Kenneth Muir. New York: Routledge, 1992.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Kenneth Muir. New York: Routledge, 1992.
Truax, E. “Imagery in Macbeth” Comparative Drama 23. 1990:359-76.
Twelfth Night Essay: Exploration of Love
Exploration of Love in Twelfth Night
In the play “Twelfth Night,” Shakespeare explores and illustrates the emotion of love with precise detail. According to “Webster’s New World Dictionary,” love is defined as “a strong affection or liking for someone.” Throughout the play Shakespeare examines three different types of love: true love, self love and friendship.
“Twelfth Night” consists of many love triangles, however many of the characters who are tangled up in the web of love are blind to see that their emotions and feelings toward other characters are untrue. They are being deceived by themselves and/or the others around them. There are certain instances in the play where the emotion of love is true, and the two people involved feel very strongly toward one another. Viola’s love for Orsino is a great example of true love. Although she is pretending to be a man and is virtually unknown in Illyria, she hopes to win the Duke’s heart. In act 1, scene 4, Viola let’s out her true feelings for Cesario, “yet a barful strife! Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife (1).” That statement becomes true when Viola reveals her true identity. Viola and Orsino had a very good friendship, and making the switch to husband and wife was easy. Viola was caught up in another true love scenario, only this time she was on the receiving end, and things didn’t work out so smoothly. During her attempts to court Olivia for Orsino, Olivia grew to love Cesario. Viola was now caught in a terrible situation and there was only one way out, but that would jeopardize her chances with Orsino. It’s amazing that Olivia could fall for a woman dressed as a man, but because Viola knew what women like to hear, her words won Olivia’s heart. The next case of true love is on a less intimate and romantic scale, and more family oriented. Viola and Sebastian’s love for one another is a bond felt by all siblings. Through their times of sorrow and mourning for each of their apparent deaths they still loved each other. They believed deep down that maybe someway or by some miracle that each of them was still alive and well.
Many people, even in today’s society, love themselves more then anything else. “Twelfth Night” addresses the issue of self love and how it affects peoples lives.