Macbeth Literary Techniques
Here’s a list of literary devices from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, each with a quotation and an explanation of its importance to the themes of the play:
1. Simile:
Example: "The sleeping and the dead / Are but as pictures."
Explanation: Lady Macbeth compares the sleeping and the dead to "pictures," suggesting that they are merely representations, devoid of true threat. This simile reveals her detachment from Macbeth’s actions and she refuses to think about the violence he has committed.
2. Metaphor:
Example: “Out, out brief candle! / Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more.”
Explanation: In this metaphor, Macbeth compares life to a “brief candle” and a “walking shadow,” suggesting that life is fleeting and insubstantial. This reveals his nihilism and the theme of the meaningless nature of life. It also reveals his guilt in understanding his ambition has been futile.
Example: "Look like th' innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't."
Explanation: Lady Macbeth advises Macbeth to appear innocent like a flower while concealing his true, malicious intentions like a serpent. This metaphor encapsulates the theme of deception and the duality of appearance versus reality, emphasising the need for deceitful behaviour to achieve their ambitions. It is an allusion to Satan in Genesis who appears as serpent to tempt Eve. This causes Original Sin, which implies that Lady Macbeth is crucial in corrupting Macbeth. It suggests she is more evil than he is, and she has tempted him to commit regicide. We might argue that Shakespeare supports the patriarchal view of women as subservient to men, and so he punishes her for her reversal of this role.
3. Personification:
Example: “The night’s black agents to their preys do rouse.”
Explanation: Here, the night is personified as having “black agents” that “rouse” to their preys. This gives the night an active, almost malicious quality, reflecting the evil and darkness that Macbeth is involved in. It emphasises the theme of the supernatural and the corrupting influence of unchecked ambition. Macbeth blames the supernatural, but in reality, he is making the decision to keep murdering. This means he is using this personification in order to distance himself from accepting that it is his decision, and therefore he is guilty.
4. Foreshadowing:
Example: “When you durst do it, then you were a man.”
Explanation: Lady Macbeth’s challenge to Macbeth about his manhood foreshadows his subsequent actions. Her taunting implies that he must commit murder to prove his masculinity and ambition. This foreshadowing is crucial as it sets the stage for the bloody deeds that follow and underscores the theme of how ambition and manipulation drive the characters toward their tragedy.
Example: “By the clock 'tis day, / And yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp.”
Explanation: In this line, Ross observes that although it is daytime, the darkness of the night seems to persist, as if it is strangling the sun ("traveling lamp"). This unnatural occurrence in nature foreshadows the turmoil and disruption in Scotland following Duncan’s murder. The unnatural darkness symbolises the moral and political disorder that Macbeth’s actions have brought upon the kingdom. Regicide has resulted in chaos in both the natural and human worlds, reinforcing the theme that Macbeth’s ambition has upset the natural order.
Example: By the pricking of my thumbs, / Something wicked this way comes."
Explanation: The witches’ line foreshadows Macbeth’s arrival as the "something wicked" they anticipate. It signals Macbeth’s further descent into evil and his alignment with the forces of darkness. This foreshadowing highlights the theme of Macbeth’s moral corruption and the play’s exploration of fate and free will.
Because the witches say this, they know he is just as evil as they are. Perhaps he believes he is even more evil than they are.
5. Contrast:
Example: “To be thus is nothing; / But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo / Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature / Reigns that which would be feared.”
Explanation: This contrast is between Macbeth’s fear of losing power and his envy of Banquo’s natural nobility. Macbeth’s insecurity about his power contrasts sharply with Banquo’s honorable and unthreatening demeanor. This contrast highlights the theme of insecurity and the destructive nature of unchecked ambition. It also emphasises how Banquo is a counterpoint, a role model that Shakespeare presents to the nobles. This is important as Banquo was an ancestor of King James.
Example: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1)
Literary Technique: Contrast or Paradox
Explanation: This paradox, spoken by the witches, illustrates the theme of appearance versus reality. It suggests that what seems good ("fair") may actually be evil ("foul"), and vice versa. This idea is central to the play as Macbeth's initial successes lead to his ultimate downfall, highlighting the deceptive nature of appearances and the blurred lines between good and evil. This warns the nobles that their previous good character can be made evil by thoughts of replacing King James.
6. Sibilance:
Example: “Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care.”
Explanation: The repetition of the “s” sound in “sleep,” “sleeve,” and “ravell’d” draws attention to the idea of sleep as a restorative force. This sibilance emphasises the theme of sleep and its importance to mental health and innocence, contrasting with Macbeth’s disturbed state and the subsequent loss of peace. The sibilance creates a soft and soothing sound to emphasise those qualities of sleep, and dramatise what Macbeth has lost.
Example: “The raven himself is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan.”
Explanation: The repetition of the "s" sound in "raven," "himself," and "croaks" creates a sibilant effect that emphasises the ominous and foreboding nature of the raven’s presence.
This sinister suggests how evil Macbeth’s actions are. It contributes to the theme of darkness and evil that pervades the play, highlighting the unnaturalness of Macbeth's ambition and the tragic consequences that follow.
7. Repetition:
Example: “Macbeth does murder sleep, the innocent sleep.”
Explanation: The repetition of “sleep” in this line highlights the gravity of Macbeth’s crime against not just Duncan, but against peace and innocence itself. This repetition reinforces the theme of guilt and the psychological consequences of murder, illustrating how Macbeth’s actions have disturbed his own peace of mind. This is a cautionary warning to the watching nobles in the audience at King James’s court.
Example: "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" (Act 5, Scene 1)
Literary Technique: Symbolism and Repetition
Explanation: Lady Macbeth’s repeated plea to remove the "damned spot" of blood symbolises her overwhelming guilt and her inability to escape the consequences of her actions. The repetition emphasises her psychological torment and the theme of guilt as inescapable. This will help explain her suicide. It also foreshadows the words Macbeth will use when she dies - ‘Out, out, brief candle.’ which emphasises that they share the same love, guilt and evil.
8. Pathetic Fallacy
Example: "When shall we three meet again / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"
Explanation: The witches’ reference to stormy weather (thunder, lightning, rain) describes nature as being tumultuous and chaotic, mirroring the moral and political upheaval that will follow. This use of pathetic fallacy emphasises the power of the supernatural to influence. It reveals how Macbeth’s actions disturb the natural order.