Macbeth’, a play written by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy that explores the ideas of evil, power and fate.  Within Shakespeare, language techniques have been used to convey meaning and understanding to the reader. Shakespeare’s choices of techniques make use of language to highlight the moral fibre of the characters, themes and to convey a more extensive description of occurrences. This passage, from the beginning of Scene 5 in Act 1, explains Lady Macbeth reading a letter she has received from Macbeth. The letter announces Macbeth’s newly honoured position as Thane of Cawdor and an explanation of the witch’s prophecies. Reading, Lady Macbeth reflects on the qualities of Macbeth, both positive and negative. She fears Macbeth does not have the determination and the ruthless nature to claim his crown. She plans to persuade him to pursue the crown by using her daring and persuasive temperament. Immediately after the passage Macbeth enters and they discuss their murderous plan for the king. This is a significant scene in the play. It is the start of the end for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.    

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Many language devices have purposely been used in the passage to convey the direction and excitement of Lady Macbeth’s thoughts. Directly before the passage, the letter Macbeth wrote to Lady Macbeth is not in the verse form that Shakespeare typically writes in. Instead, the letter is written in prose. This change in writing style illustrates that Macbeth was not thinking with a clear mind, but instead was carried away by with excitement from the news and events that he has just encountered. When Lady Macbeth ponders the news that she receives, she begins to talk in a soliloquy verse. As ...

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