Flowers And Nature In Macbeth

Flowers and nature are symbolic of Macbeth’s innocence, in act 1. Lines like “Look innocent like a flower, but be the serpent under it” (Lady Macbeth scene 5 lines 72-73)and “The air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself unto our gentle senses” (King Duncan scene 6 lines 1-2)show how innocent Macbeth is. The sweet air that is around Macbeth’s castle is a symbol of how sweet Macbeth appears. In the first act, Macbeth is a loyal subject of King Duncan. However, when he is told the prophecies by the witches he becomes the snake that Lady Macbeth tells him to be. Throughout the play nature is also used to show how Macbeth changes and how drastic things become. Nevertheless, in this act, nature is calm and is seen as beautiful and gentle.
In act 2, sleep is used to show innocence as well. Once Macbeth kills King Duncan, Macbeth has killed his own innocence. The part of him that was a loyal subject to the king is now dead. When Macbeth says “‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder

What the apparitions say to Macbeth is as important as what the apparitions are. The first apparition was an armed head (scene 1 stage direction). The head is a symbol of how Macbeth has fallen from who he was. He was a powerful warrior and could have been “Bellona’s bridegroom” but when the witches tell him about his future he falls from who he was. He becomes prideful and ruthless. The second apparition was a bloody child (scene 1 stage direction), this is also a symbol of Macbeth’s loss of innocence. He has killed the man he used to be. The third apparition was a child holding a tree (scene 1 stage direction), this apparition is different from the other ones. This is a symbol of foreshadowing. Malcolm, the son of King Duncan, tells his army to arm themselves with tree branches for camouflage as his army approaches Macbeth’s castle. The apparition has shown him how Birnam Wood will move to the castle and who leads the