Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays written in the Elizabethan Era. This play has many twists and turns in it. It shows you how the greed for power can cause a downfall in someone who was once deemed respected and loyal. In the play Macbeth, prophecies, blood, hallucinations, and violence serve as motifs as Macbeth unfolds and can no longer distinguish the real from the unreal.
Prophecies play a big role in the play Macbeth. The prophecies are made by the evil witches that Macbeth sees. In the beginning of the play, the witches are talking about how Macbeth is coming. Later on in the play, the witches make a total of three prophecies; two about Macbeth and one regarding Banquo. In this play you will see how Macbeth holds on …show more content…
He has always [seemed] to substitute the imaginary for the real (Wayne). Before Macbeth commits his first crime, which is murdering Duncan, he begins to hallucinate. Macbeth does not realize that he is hallucinating; he thinks that everyone else sees and hears what he does. Macbeth has three hallucinations that act as key roles in this play. The first hallucination is the dagger floating in the air. Macbeth says, “Is that 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 these still. Are thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation proceeding but from the heat-oppressed brain?” (Holland). When Macbeth is about to kill Duncan he sees a dagger floating in the air with the handle pointing towards him. The dagger represents what Macbeth is about to do.The bloody dagger is the supreme exhibition of the power of Macbeth’s imagination (Henry). After the murder of Duncan is done Macbeth starts to hear voices; the voices he hears is his second hallucination. Macbeth says that he has heard one of the servants laugh in his sleep, and another servant cries out murder. This just shows how paranoid and guilty Macbeth feels after he kills Duncan. Macbeth also says that he hears a voice telling him to sleep no more. He says, “Still it cried, “Sleep no more!” to all the house. Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more.” Macbeth feels that he should sleep no more because he murders Duncan in his sleep when he could not defend himself. Macbeth says that you are most at peace when you sleep and that sleep is innocent and he murdered sleep, and, therefore, he shall sleep no more. The last hallucination Macbeth has is when he sees Banquo’s ghost after he had Banquo killed. In the banquet scene, the ghost
Prophecies play a big role in the play Macbeth. The prophecies are made by the evil witches that Macbeth sees. In the beginning of the play, the witches are talking about how Macbeth is coming. Later on in the play, the witches make a total of three prophecies; two about Macbeth and one regarding Banquo. In this play you will see how Macbeth holds on …show more content…
He has always [seemed] to substitute the imaginary for the real (Wayne). Before Macbeth commits his first crime, which is murdering Duncan, he begins to hallucinate. Macbeth does not realize that he is hallucinating; he thinks that everyone else sees and hears what he does. Macbeth has three hallucinations that act as key roles in this play. The first hallucination is the dagger floating in the air. Macbeth says, “Is that 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 these still. Are thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation proceeding but from the heat-oppressed brain?” (Holland). When Macbeth is about to kill Duncan he sees a dagger floating in the air with the handle pointing towards him. The dagger represents what Macbeth is about to do.The bloody dagger is the supreme exhibition of the power of Macbeth’s imagination (Henry). After the murder of Duncan is done Macbeth starts to hear voices; the voices he hears is his second hallucination. Macbeth says that he has heard one of the servants laugh in his sleep, and another servant cries out murder. This just shows how paranoid and guilty Macbeth feels after he kills Duncan. Macbeth also says that he hears a voice telling him to sleep no more. He says, “Still it cried, “Sleep no more!” to all the house. Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more.” Macbeth feels that he should sleep no more because he murders Duncan in his sleep when he could not defend himself. Macbeth says that you are most at peace when you sleep and that sleep is innocent and he murdered sleep, and, therefore, he shall sleep no more. The last hallucination Macbeth has is when he sees Banquo’s ghost after he had Banquo killed. In the banquet scene, the ghost