Use Of Imagery In Macbeth

In Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, uses dramatic elements and vivid imagery to expose the supernatural state in this play. Macbeth introduces elements of fantasy into the play through the witches, violence, and use of a dark setting in Scotland. The witches are important characters as they predict Macbeth’s fate and gives the reader a sense of what is to come in the future. The witches, in my opinion, make Macbeth look the most supernatural. The witches speak in rhythmic, chant like lines, “When shall we meet again? In thunder, lightning, or rain?” (

1.1.1-13) This quote puts a picture in my head of an eery and foggy supernatural night. “Fair is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air” (1.1.1-13) In the play the witches

“Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble.” (4.1.10-11) The witches make all of Scotland sound like their wicked brew or potion. Macbeth states, “Let not lights see my black and deep desires.” (1.5.16-20) This quote shows how Macbeth’s personality is, he wants to be seen as a hero however he obtains a violent personality. The witches demonstrate acts of personification to the play that supports the supernatural, “Into the air and what seem’d corporal melted as breath into the wind. Would they have stayed?” (1.3.82-86) Macbeth is asking where the witches went, as they vanished into thin air. He speaks back, “Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat oppressed brain.” (1.1.12-14) Macbeth is talking to a floating dagger as he is trying to decide whether or not to kill the king. Ambition is a motive that Macbeth gains in the play, he transitioned from a “loyal” hero to in my definition, a “hell hound”. Shakespeare’s use of fantasy into his play influenced the supernatural element as an effective narrative technique. The witches serving as a distracting character keeps the play dark and mysterious. Macbeth embodies fate in the dance between the real and the supernatural as he is seduced by fantasy and led by