A Symbolism Of Death in The Play Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Essay, Pages 5 (1238 words)

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Death plays a big part in everyone's life. It causes pain and suffering but it can also bring out the truth in people, such as, in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, one of these death scenes is the death of Lady Macbeth which brings upon a new meaning to the audience.

In Act 5, Scene 5, Macbeth hears a scream and turns to his servant and asks what it is, he is told that it is Lady Macbeth, who killed herself. Macbeth does not ask how she died, and he tells his servant that she would have died later anyways.

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This is because Lady Macbeth pressures Macbeth for greater power and she does this by using guilt, and tells him that he is not man enough to murder Duncan. Her remorseful words and temptation kept progressing to the point where Macbeth finally gave in and did as he was told. When Lady Macbeth died, it was almost as if Macbeth had relief from the death of this wife, even though it was tragic.

This shows the true meaning of the work as a whole because it shows that power is more important than anything else and that Lady Macbeth wanted this power for Macbeth more than Macbeth wanted it for himself. If this caused pain and suffering both to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

This play shows many examples of characters being power-hungry and it destroying the people around them and themselves. This is a major theme in the play and the death scene of lady Macbeth is a prime example of this theme.

In this theme of power, Macbeth is the character that is in the middle of all the power shifts. This shift of power disturbed his relationships as he gains more power. For example, in the beginning Lady Macbeth is a supportive and loving wife, who gets along well with her husband. When Macbeth tells her about the witches' prophecy of him being king, she is happy for him. She then becomes ruthless in trying to get Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth soon starts persuading him to kill Duncan so that Macbeth can take his place. Leading up to Macbeth murdering Duncan, Macbeth goes back and forth on what he is about to do. Lady Macbeth is not going to let him back out. Her first tactic of persuasion is she starts playing on Macbeth's insecurities. She does this by calling him a coward because he is afraid to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth also tells him that he will become more of a man if he kills Duncan.

Many times after the murder, Lady Macbeth tries to conceal both her and Macbeth's guilt. She does this so that no one would think they had something to do with the murder. She thinks that if no one else knows they are guilty it helps them completely forget about it themselves. She gets angry with Macbeth several times for being occupied with his guilt instead of enjoying his kingship. This all proves that Macbeth puts his faith in the wrong people, this is ironic because Macbeth should be able to put his faith in his wife and she should help Macbeth to do the right thing. This is a prime example of the horrible things guilt can do to you. Lady Macbeth started off as normal person but her mistake of being power hungry led to her downward spiral into insanity and the insanity of her husband. If she just would have been patient and not try to make Macbeth kill other people and turn Macbeth into the new King. If she did not do this she would not of had the guilt of the murders and she would not have killed herself. The witches predicted of Macbeth becoming king which means he did not have to kill Duncan because he was going to be king anyway. It would have been a lot better for Lady Macbeth if they did not kill Duncan and she would not be paranoid about getting caught. She also would have been a lot more peaceful and not have the pressure to be in Macbeth’s business.

The story of Macbeth teaches the audience many life lessons. The first and biggest reason is that greed can rule your life and can hurt the people in your life. The second reason is that it pays to be patient. The last reason is that guilt is not something you can ignore. The guilt brought upon Lady Macbeth, by the bad deeds that were committed, did more harm than good for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Therefore, Lady Macbeth's suicide was brought on by her guilt of being responsible for Duncan's murder. The death scene of Lady Macbeth is a big part of this plan because it really enlights the true meaning of the play as a whole. This is because power is more important than anything else to Lady Macbeth. This led to her death because her guilt overcame her. This showed many themes throughout the play and the true meaning of the play.

Works cited

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This is the original play written by William Shakespeare and is the primary source for the essay. It will be used to support the arguments and to provide evidence for the analysis.
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This book provides critical analysis and interpretations of the play. It contains essays from various authors and scholars and will be used to provide additional insights and perspectives on the themes and characters.
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This book provides a collection of critical essays that explore various aspects of the play, including its themes, characters, and motifs. It will be used to support the arguments and provide additional perspectives on the play.
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This book is a comprehensive reference guide to Shakespeare's works and will be used to provide background information on the play and its historical context.
McEachern, C. (2007). The Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Tragedy. Cambridge University Press.
This book provides a collection of critical essays on Shakespeare's tragedies, including Macbeth. It will be used to provide additional insights into the play's themes and characters.
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This book explores the themes of ghosts and supernatural in Shakespeare's works, including Macbeth. It will be used to provide additional insights into the play's motifs and symbolism.
Knight, G. W. (2010). Shakespeare and Religion. Routledge.
This book explores the role of religion in Shakespeare's works and will be used to provide additional insights into the play's religious and moral themes.
Foakes, R. A. (ed.) (2003). Macbeth: The Oxford Shakespeare. Oxford University Press.
This book provides a critical edition of the play and will be used to provide additional textual analysis and insights into the play's language and style.
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This book explores the "lost years" of Shakespeare's life and will be used to provide additional background information on the play's author and its historical context.
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This book provides an analysis of the themes and conventions of Elizabethan tragedy, including Macbeth. It will be used to provide additional insights into the play's structure and themes.