The imagery is a major factor that is used constantly throughout the play because it helps the mind to establish the feeling of the play. For instance, the image of blood clotting in Act 1 scene V. This image can be interpreted in two ways. The first being that the blood is the like the blood of Duncan which will stop flowing when he is murdered. The other being the blood carrying feelings such as love, compassion and remorse and this is clotted in Lady Macbeth and so she will act dangerously and spontaneously without thinking, which, in turn makes the audience feel insecure and unsure about what could happen.
‘LADY MACBETH: And fill me with from the crown to the top, top-full
Of direst cruelty: make thick my blood,
Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of Nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
Th’ effect, and it.’ Act 1 scene V
Imagery is particularly effective in this play because it makes the audience’s minds create images without any effects on stage apart from the words being spoken. This is very effective because each person can create their own image so it feels more personal and the play seems more realistic to them. Also images are powerful because they are sub-consciously created, for example, when you are reading a book images of what you are reading automatically come into your head without you having to think about them. This is a powerful technique because it’s like another effect without much effort on the part of the writer, actors or the audience.
A good illustration of this is the image of Birnam wood coming to Dunsinane.
‘THIRD APPARITION: Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be, until
Great Birnam Wood, to high Dunsinane Hill
Shall come against him.
Descends
MACBETH: That will never be:
Who can impress the forest, bid the tree
Unfix his earth-bound root…’ Act 4 scene I
This is a good image because, especially with the Macbeth’s words at the end, it makes you think about an entire forest uprooting itself and starting to walk. This is powerful because it is so far from reality it is very effective to be able to make the mind create an image like this. Another observation of the language here is that each line rhymes with the above (or below), this increases the tempo and is called Rhyming couplets.
An image pattern, which is used throughout the play, is the image of robes that don’t fit, this is used mostly for Macbeth’s kingship and is
effective, not only because it is a good description but also it makes us think of a small child who cannot fill his clothes and they are baggy around his body. This is good because it relates directly to what it is supposed to which is a man who doesn’t have enough character and ability to do his job and therefore fails to do it well, as Macbeth does.
‘MACBETH: The Thane of Cordor lives:
Why do you dress me in borrowed robes…?
BANQUO: New honours come upon him
Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould…’
The image of warm milk turning to sour vinegar is another example of
imagery working very effectively.
‘LADY MACBETH: …Come to my woman’s breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murth’ring ministers,
Wherever, in your sightless substances,
You wait on Nature’s mischief.’ Act 1 scene V
This image makes us think about a woman’s breast milk soothes a helpless baby, this makes us feel that the milk is soothing and calming. This means that when we think about the milk transforming into vinegar and the baby drinking it, it makes us feel that this is unnatural and this is the objective of the image.
Image patterns link in very well with Shakespearean plays because the stage was traditionally bear with very few props so Shakespeare relied on images and the audience had to imagine what was happening more than nowadays. This is probably why there are so many image patterns in the play. They work especially well with this play because it is such a mysterious play the mind has to make images to make it seem real. For example, with the apparitions the mind creates an image so that it seems real to them and this ties in very well with the image patterns that are used.
The last quotation mentions milk and this is an idea which is used throughout the play especially in Act 1.
‘LADY MACBETH: What thou art promis’d: yet do I fear thy nature,
Is too full o’ th’ milk of humane kindness,
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great…’ Act 1 scene V
‘LADY MACBETH: Come to my woman’s breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murthering ministers…’ Act 1 scene V
‘LADY MACBETH: How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums:
And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn
As you have done to this.’ Act 1 scene VII
‘MACBETH: And pity, like a new-born babe,
Striding the blast’ or Heaven’s cherubin, hors’d
Upon sightless couriers of air.’ Act 1 scene VII
These quotations all mention milk or babies which gives the audience the impression of helplessness and calmness which contrasts with the air of unsettlement and uncertainty. This is effective and clever because the audience doesn’t know what to feel which also makes them feel unsettled and the plot seem unstable.
Another reason to keep referring to babies, especially the last
quotation, is that, to keep mentioning babies and milk should reassure the
audience that the character is calm and sentimental. However in all the quotations there are mentions of unnatural or horrible things going on such as beating a baby to death or feeding sour milk to a baby. This shows that characters are feeling violent as they would beat up a defenceless baby which makes us wonder what horrific things they might do to their victim (Duncan). Also it lulls us into a false sense of security because they are talking about something as totally natural and calmly reassuring as a baby but then they talk about something unnatural and cruel like a mother beating the brains out of her own baby. This comparison continues throughout the play.
Repetition is a feature throughout the play and another example of this is the repetition of ‘done’. Although this is just one word it has great implications throughout the play because it can refer to anything but usually refers to the murder of Duncan.
‘MACBETH: If it were done, when ‘tis done, then ‘twere
well,
It were done quickly: if th’ assassination
Could trammel up consequence, and catch
With his surcease, success: that but this blow…’ Act 1 scene VII
‘MACBETH: I go, and it is done: the bell invites me. Act 2 scene I
‘LADY MACBETH: And ‘tis not done: th’ attempt, and not the deed…
MACBETH: I have done the deed:
Dist thou hear the noise?’
These quotations show the constant repetition of the word ‘done’ throughout the play. This seems like the characters think that when the deed is done that will be the end of the matter, this shows a lack of foresight and imagination on the part of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth because, as we know the subject never rests or ends until they die.
Repetition is effective in the play because it builds up the atmosphere because it seems like he is thinking the deed over and over in his mind. This is interesting to the audience because nobody is sure what’s going to happen as, if the character hasn’t made up his mind yet then nobody in the audience can be sure of what is going to happen which adds a sense of mystery and uncertainty to the scene.
Another factor in the play is that Shakespeare set most of the play in darkness, this creates a mystical atmosphere because we can’t always see what is going on so it seems mysterious and scary to us. The other reason is that darkness is often associated with evil and evil is the theme of the play so it is just another effect adding to the atmosphere of the play which we may have thought was going to be evil from the beginning because it started with witches.
As well as Iambic Pentameter the play is written in prose, which makes the play easier to follow because if it is all written in a rhythm then it seems less natural.
The other type of rhythm used in the play is the chanting seesaw rhythm of the witches. The thing that makes this special is that only the witches speak like this so it seems unnatural which adds effect to the witches speech. ‘ALL: The Weird sisters, hand in hand,
Posters of the sea and land,
Thus do go about, about,
Thrice to thrine, and thrice to mine
And thrice again to make up nine.’ Act 1 scene III
From this quotation we can see that all the words at the end of the line rhyme and this gives a chanting and mysterious effect because all the other language in the play is either very choppy (Iambic pentameter) or just usual language (prose). This sets the witches apart from everyone else in the play and gives the effect that they are different or supernatural.
The language is used to create the mysterious, unsettled atmosphere of the play and because of the many styles and techniques used it does its job very well.
