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Examples Of Juxtaposition In Macbeth

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Shakespeare’s renowned tragic play ‘Macbeth’ was written in the 1500s to entertain and please King James I of England. The story follows a once noble and valiant knight turned tyrannous called Macbeth in his journey as he navigates his way through the dangerous waters of ambition and greed that ultimately result in his death. Macbeth at the start of the play is a self-proclaimed ‘servant of the king’ but when he hears three witches’ prophecy that he is going to be king, his loyalties seem to flip. In his greed, he ends up murdering the current King of Scotland – King Duncan. Shakespeare sets Macbeth up as a tragic hero, someone who lets his fatal flaw get the best of him, because we can see how he ‘falls from grace’ as at the start of the play …show more content…

Shakespeare used juxtaposition to instantly draw focus on how brave Macbeth. It will be one of the things that the audience will remember about Macbeth: his bravery. On top of that we are introduced to Macbeth before he even appears in the play by two reliable sources – the captain and the King. This smart technique is used by Shakespeare makes the audiences have a preconceived idea about how ‘brave’ and ‘loyal’ Macbeth …show more content…

The witches catch Macbeth at the opportune moment: when he is returning from battle and filled with pride from all the kills he made. They look exactly how you would expect witches to look: in tattered robes, unruly hair and speaking in riddles. Shakespeare most likely also added a supernatural element as King James I was said to have a significant interest in the subject. The witches also represent pure, unaltered evil as back in the Jacobean era they were associated with Satan. Wherever they go, there is thunder and lightning which signals a storm is coming; this foreshadows something dark and ominous. So, when they start sprouting lines about how Macbeth is going to be the ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and ‘King hereafter’ we can instantly realise that they are plotting something bg. However, the last part instantly catches Macbeth’s attention as he commands “stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more”. This shows that he is curious to know about his own fate and even though he doesn’t trust the witches; he might actually be considering killing king Duncan. Just like that we can see him ambition start to take root and blossom. But the question is will Macbeth water this poisonous weed and let it grow or will he crush

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