The Fall of Macbeth
Uploaded by Admin on Mar 03, 2000
Shakespeare uses many forms of imagery. The forms of imagery that are used in his play 'Macbeth’ include the forms of clothing, darkness, and blood. Each image is an important symbol in the play.
Clothing, is a major and crucial part of ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare purposely used it to reveal Macbeth’s true character. It is also used to show how Macbeth is seeking to hide his “disgraceful self” from his eyes and from others. Clothes in the play aren’t really clothes; the clothes that are being talked about are statures. Throughout the play Macbeth is represented symbolically as a person that wears robes that are not belonging to him, a person with an undeserved dignity. Macbeth is never comfortable with his clothes because of his conscious also because the clothes or stature aren’t belonging to him. In the play, Macbeth is named the Thane of Cawdor, these clothes were well and fit but because of his greed Macbeth had to look upon other peoples clothing, since in his way of thinking others had better clothing. From that point on his greed took over. Therefore he was driven to kill the king so he can take his clothes.
“The thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?”
(Macbeth,1.3,108, p.12)
“This means that Macbeth is always dressed in tittles that are not his.”
New honours come upon him,
Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould,
But with the aid of use.
(Banquo,1.3,144, p.14)
“This means that the idea constantly recurs that Macbeth’s new honours sit ill upon him, like a loose and badly fitting garment, belonging to someone else.”
Similarly, Shakespeare uses the symbol of blood in Macbeth to represent treason, guilt, murder and death. The first time we see blood in the play is when Macbeth sees the bloody dagger floating in the air in front of him. Shakespeare used this image to foreshadow what is going to happen next.
Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as sight? Or art thou but
A dagger of mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?
I see thee yet, in from as palpable
As this which now I draw.
Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going,
And such an instrument I was to use.
(Macbeth, 2.1, 33-61, p.26)...