Recurring Images in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

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Recommended: Analysis of Macbeth

Macbeth has many important recurring images, like/such as weather, blood, and sleep that/which help give the reader a more vivid picture of what is taking place.

Nature is used as an auxiliary image in Macbeth to create atmosphere and to foreshadow upcoming events. The play begins with thunder and lightning as the three witches meet. This creates a dark and gloomy environment for the remainder of the story. (fragment/run on?) The drama continues as Ross exclaims, “By th' clock ’tis day, / And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp. / Is ’t night’s predominance or the day’s shame / That darkness does the face of Earth entomb / When living light should kiss it?” (2.4.6-10). Darkness filling the sky and choking out the sun is very unusual in the middle of the day. The madness progresses after Duncan’s murder. Ross and The Old Man discuss the owl killing a falcon and Duncan’s horses eating one another. The Old Man describes the owl incident as “A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place, / Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed.” (2.4.13-14). All of the events correlate with Macb...

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