figurative language paragraph

Bradley Hofmann

Block 2-1

English 11

Figurative language in Macbeth

Figurative language enriches the readers understanding of Macbeth by further developing the characters, adding depth to the dialogue/monologue and by making the readers reflect on what they are reading. Furthering the developing of characters using figurative language is very common in Shakespeare’s plays. For example, Macbeth’s metaphor that states “life is but a walking shadow” (V, v, 24) provides incite to his epiphany. Because of this metaphor, we see that Macbeth acknowledges that his made mistakes and regrets his decisions. Secondly, Shakespeare uses hyperboles like “will all great Neptune’s oceans wash this blood / clean from my hands” (II, ii, 77-78) to add depth to his plays. This technique is applied because the exaggeration provides more meaning than simply stating that Macbeth feels guilty for murdering so many innocent people, it also shows that Macbeth understands that he will never be forgiven for his inhumane acts. Finally, Shakespeare makes the reader reflect on what they’re reading by using very specific types of figurative language. For example, Shakespeare offers the paradox that “fair is foul and foul is fair” (I, i, 4), which makes the reader think about what part such a “rule” will play in the rest of the story. Also, it foreshadows events in the play like the king Duncan’s murder and Macbeth’s eventual death. In conclusion, Figurative language allows Shakespeare to let each person interpret his play differently and is a cardinal aspect of how he enriches the readers understanding of Macbeth.