Explore Shakespeare’s use of language effects and dramatic devices and how they reveal the Action of ambition on the character Macbeth or Lady Macbeth
William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is set around 400 years ago in Jacobeon England. Shakespeare uses an abundance of language features in his play , for example, metaphors, dramatic irony and symbolism . Shakespeare uses these effects to help explain the main message of dire ambition.
When we first meet Macbeth he is a noble man that is a brave soldier. Macbeth meets the three witches and it changes the whole course of his life by telling him that he will become King one day. In Act 1, Scene 3 the witches mention to Macbeth “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”. This is the witches forseeing the future.
William Shakespeare uses dramatic irony in his play Macbeth to show what the main characters are thinking, without the rest of the people in the scene knowing what they are thinking about. In Act 1, Scene 4 King Duncan announces his heir to be his son Prince Malcolm. After hearing this Macbeth says to himself “Stars, hide your fires let not light see my black and deep desires” This is Macbeth telling us that he is going to have to do something about Malcolm because if he is to become King, Malcolm is in his way. Macbeth is saying this to show what he is thinking he is about to do. He does not want anyone to see or find out because it is punishable by death. This is showing the start of Macbeth’s dire ambition to become King and he will do whatever it takes, even if it is killing King Duncan or Malcolm.
When Macbeth kills Duncan he walks back and meets up with Lady Macbeth and looks down at his hands and says “This is a sorry sight ” expressing that he is realising he has done something wrong. This is showing the start of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s slow fall down the rabbit hole of demise. Macbeth says “Sleep no more” “the innocent sleep”. Shakespeare has used this to show the guilt that Macbeth already feels over killing Duncan and that he can not sleep anymore. Macbeth is saying this because he is now not an innocent man and he is going to have to live with Duncan’s blood on his hands for the rest of his life.
In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses blood as recurring symbolism. Shakespeare uses blood as a symbol of guilt of how Macbeth and LadyMacbeth feel over killing King Duncan and all the innocent people they kill or order to get killed to feed their lust for power. In Act 5 Scene 1 Lady Macbeth says “Here’s the smell of the blood still all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!” She is saying this because not all the “perfumes of Arabia” can cover up the smell of blood on her hands. This means nothing in the world is going to be able to hide the guilt that she feels of killing King Duncan. Lady Macbeth also says “Out damned spot! Out, I say!” She is saying this because she is trying to get rid of the guilt she feels. This is where their ambition and greed for power start to backfire on them and their lives start to fall apart and end in the demise of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
Metaphors are a key aspect of Shakespeare’s plays, especially in his play Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth kills herself Macbeth says”Out, out, brief candle” .This is Macbeth comparing life to a candle. If you blow on it too hard it can go out like a candle. Macbeth is saying this because it takes something as simple as guilt for his beloved wife to go insane and kill herself. Metaphors are useful in plays like Macbeth to help explain the meaning of the concept that they are talking about. Shakespeare uses these to help the readers/audience to understand the in-depth concept that Shakespeare is using.
Shakespeare has used his play Macbeth to explain the concept of ambition. He has helped us understand this by using metaphors, dramatic irony and symbolism. These concepts help us understand the in-depth concept of ambition. He shows us how someones lust for power is capable of overcoming them and ending up being the reason why they die.
You’re making strong progress in this essay. You have set out a clear structure in your introduction, in some paragraphs in particular you’re referring to some strong detail and you’re building an argument that will explain the action of ambition.
Advice for further development:
1) In your body paragraphs, make sure you make a clear connection between the named language or dramatic effect you’re referring to and how the effect itself strengthen’s Shakespeare’s message. Currently your first two body paragraphs, while they do make a reference to a quotation, do not make specific reference to language effects within quotes. You may need to add additional quotations that do employ the language effects you’ve named in your introduction paragraph.
This is all correctly done in your paragraph on metaphor.
For more information about how to construct paragraphs that examine language effects, remember you can refer to the exemplars and guides published on the class website
2) Try to make sure your body paragraphs are in the same order as you suggest you’re going to handle the ideas in the introduction. Think of the intro as a ‘roadmap’ in that sense.
4) Once you’ve got your whole essay written to your own satisfaction. Experiment with some of the advanced writing effects we’ve explored in class, like quote weaving and the use of figurative language effects in your own right, to elevate your piece further.
The task outline also provides helpful advice, especially via the annotated essay exemplar, which will assist you to see how to put the structure of the essay together as well as to understand the kind of advanced writing effects are helpful in essays such as this one.
5) Your conclusion will be crucial to this piece. Do what you can both to summarise the main ideas you’ve explained in your essay and also to challenge your reader to think more deeply about the world they live in on the basis of the insights you’ve offered.
Please don’t hesitate to ask me to come through to explain this feedback to you.
CW