Patterns of Images and Imagery in Macbeth :: Macbeth essays

Patterns of Imagery in Macbeth          Shakespe atomic number 18s Macbeth is full of different types of imagery.  Manyof these images are themes that run through issue the entire touch at differenttimes.  Five of these images are spirit, paradoxes, manhood, masks andlight vs. darkness. Nature         Thunder and lightning.  This is the description of the scenebefore Act I, Scene i, Line 1.  The thunder and lightning fitdisturbances in nature.  Most people do not think of a great day beingfilled with thunder and lightning.  The witches are surrounded by a shroudof thunder and lightning.  Also, the first witch asks in Line 2 about the clash with Macbeth, In thunder, lightning, or in rain?  The meetingwill also be filled with these disturbances.  The witches are alsosurrounded by more unpleasant kinds of weather  Hover through the fog and filthy air (Line 11).  The wea ther might personify the witches, meaningthat the witches themselves are disturbances, though not limited to nature.The bad weather also might mean that the witches are bad or muddy (filthyair) creatures.         In Act II, Scene i, it is a dark night. Fleance says, The moon isdown (Line 2), and Banquo says, Their (Heavens) candles are all out(there are no stars in the sky). (Line 5)  Darkness evokes feelings ofevilness, of a disturbance in nature on this fateful night.  It creates aperfect scene for the baneful murders.         another(prenominal) disturbance in nature comes from Macbeths mouth, Now oerthe one half- human race / Nature seems dead (Lines 49 - 50).  This statementmight mean that everywhere he looks, the world seems dead (there is nohope).  It might also give him the idea that the murder he is about tocommit will have repercussions spreading far.  The doctor says in Act V,Scene i, Lin e 10, A great perturbation in nature, while talking aboutLady Macbeths sleepwalking.  This is just another example of how nature isdisturbed by human doings, placing emphases on mankind (following theHumanistic philosophy). The Paradox         The witches chorus on Act I, Scene i, Line 10 Fair is foul, andfoul is fair, is a paradox.  It is also a prophecy, where one thing seemslike another (the characters of the play), or about how things will changethrough the story (again the characters).  Being so early in the play, itis a good grabber for the reader.  Since it isnt a simple statement, itmakes the reader think about the line to find some meaning for themselves.It is easier to grasp a meaning of this line further along in the book.