Macbeth Commentary

Macbeth Commentary

Macbeth Commentary In Macbeth’s speech about the witches telling him their prophecies, central and dramatic purpose are given in more than one way. Macbeth’s aside is mainly an inward conflict in a case of man versus himself. Many times in the passage, Macbeth relays signs of fear but with reward near by. Contained in Macbeth’s aside are very important elements of dramatic purpose as well as a central purpose that foreshadows the underlying theme of the whole play. Central purpose is achieved through Macbeth’s arguments with himself and the tone he conveys. He asks himself questions, attempting to work them out in his head, giving the reader a short psychoanalysis of what he is thinking and why. The central purpose in the passage is that of ultimate betrayal. The witches have given him prophecies that he will become Thane of Cawdor and later the King of Scotland and one thinks that will please Macbeth but in actuality it wreaks havoc with his emotions and feelings. “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...?” is a question posed by Macbeth to himself. The use of such rhetoric lets the reader realize that there is inevitably something wrong with Macbeth becoming king and that something will have to go down before his success. Showing the reader that there is evil masked among the great success, gives off images of betrayal and also that nothing is ever as it seems. Dramatic purpose is shown in many ways throughout the passage. The main instrument used to advance the drama in the passage are the questions that Macbeth asks himself. The questions reveal that something is wrong and that Macbeth feels insecure about receiving these positions, showing how much evil is rustling beneath the glory. Also boosting the drama is Macbeth’s repetition of words favoring darkness. “If ill....,” “...horrid images...,” and “...whose murder...,” all reemphasize the fact that above all, darkness is ever present in the passage. In the passage from Macbeth, dramatic purpose and central purpose are conveyed to show the ultimate image of darkness and eventual betrayal of Duncan by Macbeth. Although slight, Shakespeare skillfully goes around the point and turns the words into more a foreshadowing image that a tell-all image. The tact in Shakespeare’s language is essential the reader understanding the complexities of the play.

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