... leads to the downfall of the protagonist, Macbeth. The contrast of light and dark representing good and evil plays a major role in the plot of the play. Blood symbolizes murder and guilt. The symbol of clothing is particularly used to suggest the hiding of ones true self is also widely used in order to achieve the general theme of evil. The image of animals also plays a large role in portraying evil as well. One of the most prominent symbolic factors in the play is ... important role in the play. From the first appearance of the bloody Sargent in the second scene to the very last scene,...

• Word Count: 1290
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... he had to admit that he had broken his promise to her. Though men in the middle ages were considered high above women in standing, it was still a source of great disgrace to break your word to a Lady of the gentry after you had given it. Lady Macbeth also uses the social system of the time to her benefit when she tells Macbeth that if he kills Duncan he will ... hath made them drunk hath made me bold- indicating that the drink has given her the strength of will to go through with the murder, which many would argue is another symbol of her evilness. She is affected differently to the res...

• Word Count: 2244
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... , he feels so guilty that he decides that he does not wish to look back at his crimes. This causes him to go into a paranoid state and make bad decisions. After the murder, Macbeth asks himself if "great Neptune's ocean [will] wash this blood clean from [his] hand." (2.2.77-78). Macbeth is already feeling guilt towards Duncan's death and doesn't know whether ... on his hands will ever wash away. This guilt and remorse lowers his morale to the point where he goes crazy in front of the lords and ladies at a party after becoming king. During the party, Banquo's ghost comes and haunts Macbet...

• Word Count: 1511
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... !" Macbeth does murder sleep". Sleep is a sign of innocence in this play and Macbeth has lost his. Later on in the play he talks of his "fitful sleep". He can't be at rest after what he has done; at this point he knows he will pay for his sins in the afterlife. These are some of the "consequences" of which he spoke earlier in the play. This shows Lady Macbeth is feeling guilty ... . In the play she can't get a stain off her hand. This is a symbol of her guilt that in reality the stain would come off but it will always be there in her mind as her guilt, ever present. She says to herself du...

• Word Count: 1874
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... that Macbeth is easily fooled. They play with Macbeth and trick him with true "lies". After listening to the prophecies, the seed of evil is planted in his heart, and he could not stop thinking about them. He is supersititious, and believed that the witches really have the ability to see into the future. "This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill (Act one scene 3 line 142)" He does not ... is using Banquo as a symbol of virtue and goodness. The goodness of Banquo even scares Macbeth. He is afraid that Banquo, being the only one (except Lady Macbeth) who knows about the prophecies and c...

• Word Count: 1847
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... analogy of the future in a sense. As the ship resembles Scotland and when macbeth is the sailor (king) it will suffer from a terrible storm. The Witches do not have the power to sink the ship; only Macbeth has the physical and mental ability to do that. The Witch's just have to throw the misread ambition in the wrong direction so Macbeth chases it and makes it happen. They begin the destruction, Macbeth believes in himself after ... . "Thou canst not say I did it; never shake thy gory locks at me!" He had to be dismissed from the banquit by his wife through fear of confession. Maybe the w...

• Word Count: 1517
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... punished for not acting on their sexist roles. Throughout the Shakespearean play, the main male characters are stereotypically perceived to be fearless. After killing the rightful king of Scotland, Macbeth starts to show signs of fear. Macbeth confesses to Lady Macbeth that he could no longer utter the word amen after saying a prayer. "One cried 'God bless us!' and 'Amen' the other; As they had seen me with these ... while he lives. He holds onto the word amen in order to correct himself but cannot. The stage directions of this scene show his trembling hands which is a symbol of fear an...

• Word Count: 2029
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... do meaner crimes " (Jorgenson 2). Macbeth has always been gallant and great at warefare, but is fearful of the consequences that are brought forth after an illegal deed is done. Macbeth is overwhelmed with emotions and creates an illusion of " A dagger of the mind, a false creation/ Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? "( II.i.38-39).The dagger shows that his mind conjures up hallucinations because he is so paranoid ... get there. In the final analysis, Shakespeare's use of the supernatural and constant darkness coincides with the all the evildoings Macbeth causes to the fellow peo...

• Word Count: 1978
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... a symbol for the dreadful era the Scottish realm was about to face. Shakespeare was not only an extremely creative storyteller, but also an honorable writer, whose linguistic handcrafting stands out of the Elizabethan Age, and serves as a model for the present time. He acquired an uncanny skill in the handling of exposition, in the maintaining of tension through a succession of brilliant dramatic scenes, in the use of parallelism, contrast and comic relief and, lastly, in the difficult handling of the ... tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. Lady Macbeth de...

• Word Count: 1934
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography

... shows a common parallel between the heavens and earth due to the furious acts of all the characters. Ross says to the old man that "Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man's act,/ Threatens his bloody stage" (2.4 7-8). The bloody stage is being compared to the earth and reality. In essence, their lives are a play and they are merely the characters (haha paradox). Along with that, after Macbeth hires men to kill ... , blood is not only a symbol of death, it is a "luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful, / Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin, / That has a name" (4.3 71-73). All i...

• Word Count: 1305
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... in the play is "So foul and fair a day I have not seen" (1.3. 36). This line echoes the witches" words and establishes a connection between them and Macbeth which is in fact, evil. These three attributes- bravery, ambition and self-doubt struggle for mastery of Macbeth throughout the play. He is a symbol showing the terrible effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of character. After Macbeth performs the ... murder of King Duncan, Macbeth becomes King of Scotland, fulfilling the witch's prophecy. For Macbeth to secure his throne, he plots a series of murders...

• Word Count: 1532
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Friar Laurence. He tells them of Romeo and Juliet's strong affection for one another and of their marriage. The two families then realize just how much damage the hatred between them had caused. Because of their animosity the Montagues lost their only son and the Capulets lost their only daughter. The death of Romeo and Juliet not only bounded the two lovers together even in after death but also broke they bad ... Othello and begins to build thoughts of jealously and adultery in his head. To thicken his plot, Iago gets a hold of a handkerchief that Othello had given to Desdemona as a sy...

• Word Count: 1627
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... to a person; it took over Macbeth and ultimately became his motivation. It is unlikely after witnessing this play that anyone in the audience would have thoughts of killing a monarch, or if they already had, this would surely make them think twice. In the times of Elizabethan theatre religion was still a very important factor. The church frowned upon actors, they saw acting as an immoral profession. If you committed ... could I not pronounce Amen? I had most need of blessing, and Amen stuck in my throat." At this point even Macbeth realises that he has lost the brave and noble self of t...

• Word Count: 1976
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... one seems to contain an important symbol of the play, symbols that the reader must understand if they are to interpret either a single passage, or the entire play as a whole. The most significant form of imagery used in the play "Macbeth" is that of darkness. It is used to demonstrate the darkness in a tragedy. Shakespeare uses the witches, the guilt in Macbeth's soul, and the darkness of the night to set the mood of the play. The scenes that are most notable ... and also deceit and evil. In the beginning blood stands for honor and bravery and symbolizes good and victory. "Till he unsea...

• Word Count: 1850
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School