Jordan Kelly
Brit Lit
Period 6
10/3/13
Shakespeare uses/talks about sleep in the play as a means of explaining and rationalizing the actions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as a nightmare for Duncan. This is done through the use of imagery in the form of sleeping walking and comatose-like slumbers.
The British Renaissance, and more specifically, William Shakespeare are known for their imagery and symbolism. According to Kenneth Muir’s "Image and Symbol in Macbeth", Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” contains a great deal of both. Shakespeare also surmounts an emphasis on sleep throughout the story.
Kenneth Muir’s "Image and Symbol in Macbeth" focuses on the point of babes and nursing. “Macbeth” contains a multitude of references to infant nursing in instances such as, “Pity like a newborn baby striding the blast”. This relates to Macbeth’s reluctance to kill his cousin, Duncan for the throne; comparing Duncan’s innocence to the innocence of a newborn. Additionally, it is used to emphasize Lady Macbeth’s role as an antagonist and threat to Macbeth by comparing his reluctance to the pain of the teething from a newborn.
Shakespeare uses/talks about sleep in the play as a means of explaining and rationalizing the actions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as a nightmare for Duncan. This is done through the use of imagery in the form of sleeping walking and comatose-like slumbers.
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