Macbeth's Guilt
In Macbeth Act IV scene 1 lines 111-134, William Shakespeare heightens the themes of guilt and conscience and order and disorder, Shakespeare also furthers Macbeth’s character in his ambition all through the utilization of punctuation, imagery, and irony through royal imagery. In this passage, Macbeth speaks to the wïerd sisters and they speak back to him, the passage ends with a soliloquy. We already know going into this section of the play as previously discussed by my colleagues Keegan and Alex, that Macbeth has gone under quite a change. Out of fear and paranoia, he has decided to seek out the witches in search of the answers of his future. Although macbeth has experienced this change, his guilt of the murder of Banquo is evident
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In the vision of the eight kings which pass by Macbeth, all of whom looking like Banquo which is irony in itself, Shakespeare describes the eight kings by only giving information on monarch related objects, for example, “thy crown does sear mine eyeballs” “thou other gold-bound brow is like the first.” “some I see that two-fold balls and treble scepters carry”. Shakespeare furthers Macbeth’s character as the fixation of the crown related objects suggests Macbeth’s hunger and obsession for power has grown thus heightening the theme of ambition and furthers Macbeth’s character in illustration of the change that has overcome him. As stated earlier, Macbeth has already received his prophecy, so why would the witches give him more visions? In the lines prior to the start of the show of kings, all the witches say, “Show his eyes and grieve his heart, come like shadows, so depart.’ What the witches are doing Is creating vision out of Macbeth’s guilts fears and worries, thus the eight kings which appear. Shakespeare is suggesting that Macbeth’s immense guilt of Banquo’s death, and hunger for power are the reasons causing this bizarre hallucination, which continues to further Macbeth’s character in the theme of ambition and guilty conscience in the illustration of his obsession with the crown and Banquo. So far, we have focused upon the devices present in the lines, but what about the devices that aren’t? Shakespeare did not include a time motif in this passage, not while the witches were present that is. When the witches disappeared, the time motif is reaffirmed. Time, is man made and represents order, in the absence of the time motif while the witches are present Shakespeare is suggesting that the witches are the root of the disorder and chaos experienced, thus heightening the theme of order and
In the vision of the eight kings which pass by Macbeth, all of whom looking like Banquo which is irony in itself, Shakespeare describes the eight kings by only giving information on monarch related objects, for example, “thy crown does sear mine eyeballs” “thou other gold-bound brow is like the first.” “some I see that two-fold balls and treble scepters carry”. Shakespeare furthers Macbeth’s character as the fixation of the crown related objects suggests Macbeth’s hunger and obsession for power has grown thus heightening the theme of ambition and furthers Macbeth’s character in illustration of the change that has overcome him. As stated earlier, Macbeth has already received his prophecy, so why would the witches give him more visions? In the lines prior to the start of the show of kings, all the witches say, “Show his eyes and grieve his heart, come like shadows, so depart.’ What the witches are doing Is creating vision out of Macbeth’s guilts fears and worries, thus the eight kings which appear. Shakespeare is suggesting that Macbeth’s immense guilt of Banquo’s death, and hunger for power are the reasons causing this bizarre hallucination, which continues to further Macbeth’s character in the theme of ambition and guilty conscience in the illustration of his obsession with the crown and Banquo. So far, we have focused upon the devices present in the lines, but what about the devices that aren’t? Shakespeare did not include a time motif in this passage, not while the witches were present that is. When the witches disappeared, the time motif is reaffirmed. Time, is man made and represents order, in the absence of the time motif while the witches are present Shakespeare is suggesting that the witches are the root of the disorder and chaos experienced, thus heightening the theme of order and