Examples Of Allusions In Macbeth

Lauralee Swartz
Brandie Trent
AP Literature
March 15, 2023

Shakesphere is a hard writer to understand, but once you get the hang of things, you will realize everything has a connection as you read further into this essay. I will be helping the readers understand two main allusions Shakespeare gives us.

In the beginning, Macbeth has Banquo killed to be out of his way of the throne. Once Macbeth gets word at a royal dinner that Banquo is dead but his son escaped, Macbeth suddenly sees the ghost of Banquo staring at him on top of the table. This allusion shows how the guilt and worry inside of him can cause him to go crazy. Macbeth almost confessed to his crime. Lady Macbeth said he was just very ill. Shakesphere throws this allusion in there to state how Macbeth’s character is going to act, and how he is handling his crimes. Now, the readers can see how the plot of the story is really going to lay out with guilt and murder.

Now for the next allusion I will be explaining is an allusion that lady Macbeth really got into detail with. During all of the crimes and murders her and Macbeth were committing she started to become very ill and psychotic. During Lady Macbeth's illness she started to see things and sleep walk. They hired a doctor to watch over her while she slept but the things she

Lady Macbeth came screaming to a lonely and dark place, she was screaming about blood on her hands and how it would not come off. She scrubbed her hands over and over again until they started to become raw and sore. This scene in the script really stood out to me as a strong and well detailed allusion. The horror of all the murders really started to get in her head of what she had caused and even committed herself. This allusion even goes with the moral of the first one I presented to you, how guilt can eat you alive until it drives you crazy and you just can not take it