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Asides In Macbeth

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In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare asides is used to reveal the character’s thoughts to the audience. First, Macbeth has an aside in act 1 that lets the audience comprehend his about the truth in the witches prophecy. He says “If chance will have me king,/why, chance may crown me/Without my stir.”(1:3:147-149). This aside lets the audience know that Macbeth has come to the conclusion that he will let fate make him king and take no action. At this moment Macbeth has not put the thought of murder into his mind. Through the aside, the audience understands that at first Macbeth is sane and has no intention of killing Duncan. In addition, Shakespeare uses an aside in act 1, scene 3 to let the audience delve into the mind of Macbeth. Macbeth questions his thoughts by saying “I am thane of Cawdor./If good, why do I yield to that suggestion/Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/And make my seated/heart knock at my ribs,/Against the use of nature? Present fears/Are less than horrible imaginings” (1:3:130-143). In this aside, Macbeth is probing his mind because if the prophecy is a good thing, then why is he contemplating murdering Duncan? Through this aside, the audience starts to see the planting of a seed in the psyche of Macbeth to murder …show more content…

Macbeth realizes he must take action to become king. Through this aside the audience receives a glimpse of the moral battle that is taking place within Macbeth’s mind. Macbeth is his regular self to the other characters, but the audience knows that he is slipping further from sanity. In conclusion, Shakespeare uses asides to present the characters inner thoughts to the audience that the other characters do not know. The asides allow the audience to enter into the thoughts of Macbeth as he slowly slips from a nobleman to a treasonous fiend. The asides give the audience a look into the mind of a hero turned

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