Zoie Williams

April 5, 2019
McFadden
Literary Analysis

It’s All About That Style

William Shakespeare’s theatrical creations are some of the most striking dramas since the Greek
and Romans interpretations. The topics of revenge, intrigue, murder, and sanity are explored in
Shakespeare’s play, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”. Shakespeare’s style heavily impacts the way the
audience is affected, under the circumstance, various elements such as tone, diction, points of view, and
imagery establish the state of mind in the happenings of the play. Thus, the writing style of Shakespeare
impacts the audience’s outlook on how the tragedy of Macbeth plays out.

The Greek origins of tragic comedy were well explained by famous ancient Greek philosopher
Aristotle who stated that “tragedy arouses pity and fear in the audience”. The audience generates a feeling
of sympathy for the hero and concern for all humans who are subject to the main characters flaws and
untold destiny. One of Shakespeare’s conventions of drama is dramatic irony. This indicates what appears
to be true to the characters in the play is proven to be false by the audience. An example of this is the
quote: “Then live, Macduff…And sleep in spite of thunder.” (Shakespeare, 4.1.85-89). The weird sisters
create predictions that Macbeth believes will be of great use to him. These prophecies serve as an ironic
foretell because they hint as to what will come later, the death of Macbeth by the hand of Macduff. This
ironic foretelling shows how Macbeth distorts the prophecies based on his own vanity. His firm belief that
he will uphold power soon results in his continuous assumptions as to what the prophecies are predicting
and using them to justify his own actions of committing deadly crimes. The Greeks rendition of tragedy
influences Shakespeare on to write what appears to be true to Macbeth, that he is serving himself in being
victorious, is proven to be false by the audience from a profoundly discouraging viewpoint.

As the tragedy of Macbeth unfolds, it starts to appeal to audiences’ senses through the tone of the
writer's words. Shakespeare chose words to convey a tone that not only affects the audience but also
conveys his own feelings towards the piece. Referring to the quote: “These deeds must not be thought
After these ways. So, it will make us mad.” (Shakespeare, 2.2.36-39). This fragment captures the overall
tone of the events in which the death of the King’s men has taken place. This was an opportunity of
triumph for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, but instead, it took a turn after which indicated that neither of
them will ever be able to feel a sense of peace again. This affects the audience in a manner that employs a
feeling of sympathy towards Macbeth's paranoia and guilt. Just after Duncan's death, a series of
supernatural events take place such as the appearance of Banquo’s ghost, which shook Macbeth to the
core. Towards the ending, the tone of the play has deteriorated from fear to hopeless as Macbeth and his
wife both disintegrate from the strong and intelligent characters to shadows of themselves. Lady Macbeth
holds superiority over this kind of response because she openly felt that she had the conscious power to
change her destiny but ends it all without any sense of restraint. This moment alone impacts the audience
with absolute shock that she, aside, planned her way to the throne, but ended up planning her own
undoing. In contrast, Macbeth proceeds with his arrogant beliefs that the prophecies indicate that he is
indestructible. Macbeth persists in his arrogant belief that the witches’ prophecies mean he is
indestructible. That is until he is presented by his truth, he comes to the realization that he has no other
choice but to face his death. The nature in which his death takes place establishes the reason for
hopelessness in his destiny and results in him welcoming his demise. Thus, the topics of intense intrigue,
murder, and insanity that were previously addressed are what shapes the audience’s attitude towards the
text.

The use of diction, with respect to the characters in “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, suggests their
deranged thoughts and emotions, which appeals to the audience the most as the story unfolds. The most
impactful language use can be noted from the speeches of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They both are
openly presented in a lively and articulate fashion, but their language begins to delay and obscure towards
the end. A supporting quote is given by Macbeth: “If th’ assassination … We’d jump the life to come.”
(Shakespeare 1.7.2-7). Here, Macbeth's speech reflects his morals and challenges that will occur as a
result of him assassinating King Duncan. Despite his insecurities, his monologue has a forceful essence
that makes him appear confident in his scheme. This is significant due to Shakespeare’s intent to manifest
Macbeth’s ambitions to the audience, yet, openly reveal his lack of confidence with taking initiative to
achieve his deepest desires. Regarding the previous thoughts, the idea that the audience is impacted by the
straightforwardness of Macbeth’s monologue is maintained at the creative hand of Shakespeare. In
addition, Lady Macbeth demonstrates a concrete passion and momentum for success that Macbeth does
not attain. She begins by asserting: “I would, while [the babe] was smiling in my face, have plucked my
nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this.
(Shakespeare 1.7.56-59). This passage exhibits Lady Macbeth's concrete certainty and suggests the
boundaries she would unquestionably cross in order to succeed to the throne. Shakespeare’s intention was
to make Lady Macbeth's ruthlessness apparent to the audience through wicked word use. This is
significant because it relates to how the audience is swayed by such a prominent tongue of a female
character taken place in a medieval era. As previously mentioned, near the finishing act of the play,
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth lose their grip on reality as their style of speaking becomes difficult to
comprehend. As a result, the incomprehensible language indicates the deterioration of the relentless and
compelling Lady Macbeth. Apart from Macbeth and his wife, the witches also impress the audience
through language. They speak in riddles that defy a clear meaning, which highlights the mystery and
obscurity in their voices. The witches speaking in a language full of contradiction, making it impossible
for anyone who crosses paths with them to interpret. After Macbeth’s encounter with the weird sisters, he
begins to obsess over their claim that “The power of man, for none of woman born” (Shakespeare,
4.1.83-84). The witches’ claims to be violent, bold, and firm confuses Macbeth intensely. The style in
which the witches confuse Macbeth reflects the play’s extensive interest with obscure diction.

Symbolism takes on many different forms in The Tragedy of Macbeth, such as colors, figures,
and characters, thus presenting obscure ideas and concepts to the audience. Blood is the first symbol to
note in “The Tragedy of Macbeth” due to its constant appearance. Blood is shed everywhere starting from
the opening battle, and with Macbeth's murderous journey to the throne. Referring to the play, Macbeth
moans: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? (2.2.60-62). His cry is out
of guilt after killing Duncan, even as Lady Macbeth ensures that all will be fine with a little water to wash
his blood-stained hands. However, blood begins to symbolize their guilt since they begin to feel as if the
crimes they have committed cannot be washed away. This is notable to the audience because, in this case,
blood signifies the idea that guilt remains as a permanent stain on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s
conscience. The weather is also a symbol to take into consideration due to its presentation when
supernatural events take place in nature. This relates to when thunder and lightning occur with the witches
when they appear in act one and to the raging storms on the night of King Duncan's death. Consequently,
blood and weather are vital symbols in the play, as they reflect corruption and immoral acts present.

Lastly, the various points of view in the play help the audience gather insight into the events of
the plot as well as shaping their perspective. The play commences with the scene between the three
witches. This forms a gap between the audience and being introduced to the two main characters,
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. After the scene, however, the audience becomes used to Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth’s perspective. Originally, the audience has a sense of sympathy towards Macbeth as he struggles
with the prophecies through monologues and inner thoughts. After meeting with the witches, Macbeth
beings speaking in asides that the audience would be able to hear but the other characters will not.
Macbeth’s first notable aside, “This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good.” (Shakespeare,
1.3.133-135) lets the audience become aligned with Macbeth’s perspective, therefore creating a lens the
comes full circle to his downfall. Referring to the witches’ point of view, they act as the narrators
commenting on the actions made in the play. Overall, the three witches are the filter in which the
audience sees the story through.

The writing style of Shakespeare heavily influences the audience’s perspective regarding “The
Tragedy of Macbeth”. The various factors of his writing style blend to appeal to the senses of the
audience, thus ensuring an attitude towards the piece. Above all, diction and tone play a substantial role in
affecting the audience due to the repeated use of them. In summation, literature possesses proper
effectiveness because of the implication of writing style, hence, separating memorable authors from one
another. William Shakespeare possesses the skill of writing style as “The Tragedy of Macbeth” reflects
so.
 Work Cited

Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” ​Literature: British Literature​, by Allen, Janet,

et al., 1st ed., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2012. pp. 348-431. Print.