Nature, animals, and weather phenomenons are commonly used in literature as symbols, and are all present motifs in Macbeth. In various scenes of Act I nature is used, as a metaphor or descriptor.Starting with weather, in Scene 1 Act I of the play, the three witches were planning to meet Macbeth, and the setting described by stage directions was a symbolic mention of weather. “Thunder. Enter the three Witches.” (I.i: stage directions), this describes the witches as being in a dark setting and sets the mood for the scene, the darkness makes you fear the witches. Someone who meets in thunder is not a common person, it makes the scene have a scarier and creepier mood to it, you do not trust these witches and the weather they are in influences this. The witches have various wether references, all about thunder and lightning in their settings, once again in Scene 3 “Thunder. Enter the three Witches.”(I.iii: stage directions) the same stage directions are given and the same impact is imposed on the readers. One more mention of nature by the witches comes in as animals, using rats one witch says: “But in a sieve I’ll thither sail,/And, like a rat without a tail,/I’ll do, I’ll do, and I’ll do.”(I.iii: 9). The witch says she will become a rat without a tail, which is making reference using animals as to show the witches’ ability of shape shifting talked about at the time.
Duncan, the king, also uses the motif of nature as he says to Macbeth “I have begun to plant thee and will labor/To make thee full of growing.”(I.iv: 32); he is saying he has “planted” Macbeth, he has invested in him as a thane and believed in him. This is said when Duncan in giving him the title of Thane of Cawdor and with this he will help him grow under his rule, while there is dramatic irony in the fact that Macbeth does not want to grow under Duncan’s ruling, but wants to be the king and be better than Duncan ever was. In this same scene Macbeth in an aside references the motif of nature “Stars hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires.”(I.iv: 57). He was talking to nature, to the stars, for them to hide his wrong thoughts and make them dark so no one can see his cruel thoughts and what he wishes to do, which is to kill the king. The light he is talking about can be not only all morally correct people who will judge him but also God, and if God sees what he is thinking and desiring it may affect his afterlife, which he is extremely worried about. Lady Macbeth as she talks to Macbeth, references nature’s animals when she says he has to be a serpent in scene 5. “Look like th’innocent flower,/But be the serpent under’t.”(I.v: 76), she is telling him to appear innocent and kind as he will do no harm, but have you deep desires hidden and be a serpent with your actions without letting people notice.
Natalie, good comments on nature. Perhaps use that word “mood” when talking about how weather makes the audience feel at the start of the play. Good use of evidence from Act I.
Shakespeare uses references to nature regularly, and their meaning is extreme in the death which happens in this Act. Many metaphors and personifications regarding nature help shakespeare describe the horror and chaos of this Act’s events. It begins in the first scene, when Macbeth is about to kill Duncan and says: “Nature seems dead”(II.i: 62); what he means as he says this is how all the beauty and light of nature is dead, how all is now dark and evil. This is symbolizing how death is about to come into the play, how evil is about to take over and all nature is now dead. The symbolism and mood felt is correct and Duncan dies between scenes. Nature and animals continue to display his death, but this time it is more specific; as in scene 2 in two occasions an owl is mentioned: “It was the owl that shrieked” (II.ii: 5); “I heard the owl scream” (II.ii: 20). The hoot of an owl is a symbol of death, the death that has come or the death that will come, it sets the mood of the play as there is tension and darkness, you hear the shrieks of owls and people are uneasy. Death causes confusion, chaos, and animals are a great symbol for Shakespeare to represent the dark mood of this part of the play.
To represent nature as clean, beautiful, and light once more, Shakespeare uses the ocean as a symbol to clean the blood from Macbeth’s hands, to remove the guilt he is feeling from the killing. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/Clean from my hand?” (II.ii: 78), this is what Macbeth says as he feels guilt in him directly after the death; nothing, not even all the oceans of the world, could remove this horrible deed he has done. Even the beauty of nature could not clean his hands, and he was willing to dirty all the oceans with blood to remove this guilt from his life; the great symbolism of nature is key to understanding the horror that this Act brings.
Chaos is clearly symbolized by nature in Shakespeare’s works, and in Macbeth as soon as confusion begins someone starts to describe how the environment is reacting. In scene 3, when all the people find out about what has happened to Duncan, “The night has been unruly” (II.iii: 61). Shakespeare uses Pathetic Fallacy, an effect of nature sensing what has happened in the human world and displaying how people feel. “Of dire combustion and confused events/New hatched to th’ woeful time. The obscure bird/Clamored the livelong night. Some say the Earth/Was feverous and did shake.” (II.iii: 66); the obscure bird talked about is the owl once more symbolizing death, and the Earth shaking, earthquake, is a clear metaphor for the chaos that is going on, “Twas a rough night.” (II.iii: 70).
Nature begins to go against itself in scene 4, chaos rises up and increases even more. To start, the animal chain of being is being reversed, “On Tuesday last/A falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place,/Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed” (II.iv: 14), an owl should not eat a falcon. An owl is supposed to watch over, like the guards, but instead it killed the falcon, an animal supposed to be more powerful, but death overcomes power. The evil acts of Macbeth can turn nature upside down, nature is reflecting the human world once again. Still in scene 4 something else went against nature to reinforce this quality of mirroring human actions, Duncan’s horses ate themselves; “‘Tis said they ate each other/They did so, to th’ amazement of mine eyes” (II.iv: 24). Horses are not supposed to eat themselves, this once more shows Pathetic Fallacy and how nature displays all the horror and death that is happening to the people.
Final Thougts
Nature is used to display death and cruelty
The silence of nature’s beauty and light
The owl’s shriek
Nature is used to display chaos and confusion
Earthquake
Owl killing Falcon
Horses eating themselves
Natalie, very good comments on how Shakespeare uses animals and nature to depict the mood of the play and mirror the evil acts of men and chaos. Excellent use of evidence to support your analysis.
Nature is used excessively in Macbeth, Shakespeare liked to use nature and animals to describe various situations and mostly metaphorically. What is used a lot as well is the personification of nature to create hyperbolic or descriptive situations, and in this Act the most appearances of nature occurred compared to the rest of the play as it contains the turning point of the and a lot is going on.
As Shakespeare begins the act he already uses animals as metaphors in scene one; Macbeth is speaking of manhood to the murderers, and this scene characterizes him as he starts to sound a lot like Lady Macbeth. “Ay, in the catalogue you go for men,/As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,/Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves are clept/All by the name of dogs.”(III.i.103-107); he is comparing men to dogs, as there are different kinds of dogs there are different kinds of men and asking the murderers which one do you want to be? This is how he is challenging the murderers, he wants to convince them to kill banquo and instead of simply telling them to be men he uses this metaphor and makes the mood more intense. He is asking the murderers if they want to be a chihuahua type of dog or a pitbull type which have very different connotations; every man should want to have a strong manhood and the use of such strong animals as dogs helps him convince them.
Once more using animals metaphorically in scene two Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth: “We have scorched the snake, not killed it.”(III.ii.15), when she says that they have no problems and the evil has gone. He uses the snake to represent evil and says it has not been killed, evil has not vanished it has only been slayed. The snake poses a symbolized threat to them and Macbeth shows his worry once more in a deeper mood by enforcing it in a metaphor using animals. An abundant amount of figurative language is used in Shakespearian writing but metaphors specifically are standing out, especially in the use and discussion of this motif. Shakespeare continues to use metaphors when Macbeth says: “Ere the bat hath flown/His cloistered flight, ere to black Hecate’s summons/The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums”(III.ii.45-47); and “Lights thickens, and the crow/Makes wing to th’ rooky wood(…)Whiles night’s black agents to their preys do rouse”(III.ii. 56-60). Many animals are mentioned in this passage and they are all incredibly symbolic for this part of the play. As Macbeth wants to kill Banquo he is calling upon all dark forces to help him and all these animals mentioned, beetles, bats, and crows. They are all black and dark animals used to symbolize the darkness, evil, and horror that is to come. Shakespeare chose to use this language for a reason, he is using metaphors to induce the darkness in the play, create a strong imagery for the reader, and foreshadow the chaos that is going to come, which helps readers understand and analyze the play.
In scene three Banquo is killed by the murderers Macbeth sent, and right before he is going to be killed a murderer says: “It will be rain tonight”(III.iii. 23). Water and rain have not been apparent in the play for some time now, and what the murderer says does not simply mean that it is physically going to rain, it symbolizes something deeper, it symbolizes the confusion and chaos that is about to come down, as death is to come. Shakespeare is using Pathetic Fallacy as he has in the continuation of the play, using phenomenons of nature to display what is happening in the normal human world, when confusion is going to begin nature “notices” and it starts to rain.
Finally, a last meaningful metaphor Shakespeare uses is in scene four as Macbeth is speaking to Lady Macbeth about Banquo’s death and says: “There the grown serpent lies. The worm that’s fled”(III.iv. 32). The serpent he is talking about is banquo, and the worm who fled is Fleance. Fleance is described as a worm and this is symbolical as he is not strong yet, he is not as significant and in the present time Macbeth does not fear him. The general pattern noticeable in this act specifically is the abundant use of metaphorical phrases within the range of this motif of nature, animals, and our environment.
Final Thoughts
-Use of animals and nature in the form of metaphors is the most common
-Personification of animals is used
-Using Pathetic Fallacy: nature symbolizing human world
Natalie, good comments on the metaphorical use of nature in the act and pathetic fallacy (lower case). Any predictions about how nature may be used toward the end of the play?
Act 4
The mentions of nature have shifted in purposes and decreased in amounts towards the end of the play. In the previous acts when Shakespeare was building up the tension to reach the climax, that took place in Act 3, the constant use of metaphorical mentions of nature was clear; he used this to create an image for the reader of all the confusion and climaxing tension that was about to come. Now what can be noticed in Act 4 and what could be mentioned in the final act of the play, Act 5, is that nature’s use is directed towards imagery and Shakespeare’s use of language of the environment to hyperbolize the situation and help the readers reach the sense of depth needed to understand its importance.
In the first scene there are a couple of mentions of animals and nature, and this can be characterized as common as it is a scene including the witches and even more supernatural prophecies of life. When Shakespeare includes the witches he uses animals most of the time to show how supernatural witches can be; with their shape-shifting and using good and innocent animals for an evil purpose he is able to show the abundance of Satan’s power over the universe. The witches start out by creating a potion for someone, and in that potion they add many animal parts such as “Filet of a fenny snake/In the cauldron boil and bake. /Eye of newt and toe of frog, /Wool of bat and tongue of dog,”(IV.i.12-15). Shakespeare is using the relationship of the witches with the animals to further conclude the dark imagery he already uses typically when adding the witches into the play. As the witches are throwing these parts of the animals into the cauldron a specific mood for the play and readers is created; it gives the readers a clear feeling of fear, darkness, and supernatural weirdness coming from these witches. Because Shakespeare writes plays, and not novels in which he can single out a paragraph for the sole purpose of setting the mood of the story, he eventually has to implement the mood into the character’s speech, which increases the need for references from nature. Nature references are a good way to describe the setting and mood of the play because everyone is responsive to nature and feels what the environment brings to a situation, therefore everyone is aware of the meanings of thunder, sun, and the connotations of various animals.
The next nature references are more of the imagery and hyperbolizing the meaning of the current situations from the first scene. The witches bring three apparitions into the scene for Macbeth to listen to, and one of them is “a Child Crowned, with a tree in his hand.”(IV.i. Stage Directions). This tree in the child’s hand is a way of imagery used by Shakespeare; this tree does not simply symbolize a tree as the physical element, but the meaning of a family tree and the future descendants of Banquo. Shakespeare is adding this mention to show what he means by Banquo’s whole family appearing, and all of them becoming kings one day, and not have to actually write it all out. Instead of writing that the child comes along with all his relatives and future descendants Shakespeare simply uses the imagery of nature and the common application of the term ‘family tree’ to be descriptive. This has a positive effect on readers because this is written to be a play, and readers don’t want to have to read lines and lines of stage directions to understand the scene; so the use of this metaphor, of a child holding a tree, is a great strategy that Shakespeare imposed in his writing.
Shakespeare continues on with his use of nature, and in scene two he focuses especially on being metaphorical and hyperbolical in formulating the mood of the situation. Lady Macduff has just found out that her husband, Macduff, has fled to England and she is outraged at the situation; she speaks out on what she’s feeling and says “He loves us not;/He wants the natural touch; for the poor wren;/(The most diminutive of birds) will fight, /Her young ones in her nest, against the owl.”(IV.i.10). Lady Macduff uses a bird as a basis for the goodness and love one should have towards others, therefore contrasting her husband’s actions to the bird’s, and this shows how she believes he does not love her and her children. Nature is being used to hyperbolize how much of a bad decision Macduff has made and how horrible he is to have fled and left his wife and sons. Once again Shakespeare needs this use of hyperbole and contrasting in the character’s speech to show how brazen the situation in the play is with no need for description, and still create the mood for the readers to enjoy.
In scene three of the act are the last three mentions of nature, and two of them are a metaphor and a simile while the last includes a hyperbolic exclamation. Shakespeare uses the first mention to create an effect on readers, which is used to create an image and comparison to a life-like situation seen in nature so that they can understand the situation and its strength. A metaphor is used to show how Malcolm thought Macduff had been ordered to bring him back to Macbeth’s hands to be killed, and Shakespeare writes in Malcolm’s speech how Macduff is happy “To offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb/T’ appease an angry god.”(IV.iii.19-20). For readers to understand the depth and cruelty of such situation the author uses one of the most pure and harmless animals, the lamb, to show how the situation would be for Malcolm if Macduff were to do this. Malcolm would be the lamb, the innocent lamb that did not do anyone harm but is being handed to an angry god simply for his enjoyment. This metaphor gives meaning to the feelings Malcolm was having, and gives reason as to why he was so suspicious of Macduff at first and lied to him. One simile Shakespeare uses in scene tree while mentioning nature is that “black Macbeth/Will seem as pure as snow”(IV.iii.63-64); this has a clear connection to light and darkness and reflects human actions with terms from nature. Shakespeare is comparing what Macbeth’s actions will be to a phenomenon from the natural world, snow. This comparison creates the enjoyment of the situation by the reader, as it is easier to associate how Macbeth will appear to be to something everyone recognizes, as snow, rather than simply saying his actions will be good and pure. Shakespeare using snow to symbolize how good Macbeth’s actions will seem gives the passage more of a meaning.
When Macduff in the same scene finds out that Macbeth has killed his whole family he reacts truly surprised and says, “Did you say “all”? O hell-kite! All? What, all my pretty chickens and their dam/At one fell swoop?”(IV.iii.256-258). In this passage, the last mention of nature in Act 4, Shakespeare is hyperbolizing the situation and helping the reader develop the feeling that he/she should have through this part of the play. A hell-kite is a bird of prey, and Macduff is comparing it to Macbeth, who has killed his whole family. Shakespeare’s comparison of a hell-kite to Macbeth dramatizes how shocking and horrible his actions were and what the reader should think of him; this helps the reader formulate an opinion on Macbeth’s character as well. Shakespeare continues on to emphasize his hyperbole as he refers to the pretty chickens, which symbolize the innocent and harmless sons of Macduff that were viciously attacked by the evil of Macbeth. This descriptive and metaphorical use of nature is what creates the mood and situation for the reader, and what helps understand the extent of importance of a specific event.
Final thoughts
Used in Hyperboles
o To help reader understand how bad or good a situation was
o The extent of importance of the situation
Used to create Imagery
o To help reader visualize situations as it is a play and does not include description
Used for Metaphors
o Always used as some metaphor as anyone can associate with nature
Act 5
Nature has been used in the play to describe situations and metaphors that show the intensity of what is to come on the plot. In this final act, as the climax had already come and gone, and the rising events have passed, the downfall is coming and the use of nature in Shakespeare’s words has decreased. As personifying nature increases the depth and mood of the rising action to get to the climax Shakespeare used this motif abundantly in the first acts, but less so in the following. The uses have followed a pattern of figurative language: metaphors and personifications dominate. In this act however nature is used in a more significant manner, in a phrase with a particular meaning.
All the nature uses are in the third scene of this act, and they begin when Macbeth is receiving the news that the English and Scottish soldiers are coming to attack his castle. As always in Shakespeare’s writing the setting is significant, especially in plays, where he has to insert the setting into the character’s speech. In this situation he does this by using Macbeth as his medium, he is using seasons to create a greater hidden meaning. Seasons are significant because they bring emotions to the reader and change the mood of the writing. When talking about winter, thunder, and rain, negative and sad images come to our mind. The contrary comes to mind when thinking about summer, sun, and flowers, which make us feel happiness and positivity. At this time in the play Shakespeare chooses to use fall, which is completely adequate; fall comes before winter, it is the warning and message that the horrors and death are coming, when fall is here you have to prepare for the winter that is to come and all the negativity that comes with it. Macbeth is close to total chaos, he is close to death and the falling from the throne, and so he announces: “I have lived long enough. My way of life/Is fall’n into the sere, the yellow leaf, /and that which should accompany old age”(V.iii.26-27). He has now accepted the fact that things are going to start going south for him, he knows the English are going to attack and has accepted the ‘winter’ that is going to come. In this passage the yellow leaf symbolizes the fall, and how leafs falling from trees mean that happiness and joy are coming to an end, and sad leafless trees are the only things that is going to be left. He is saying his life has reached the yellow leaf; this is the fall of his life, when he has to prepare for the horror that is to come and accept that this is the end for him. The meaning of nature’s use as a motif here is great, it shows Macbeth’s evolution as a character as well, how after getting all confident and proud of being king he has realized the true horrors he has brought on to himself by doing all this treacherous work.
The next and final use of nature in this play comes still in scene three, but is used by a foiling character and in a completely contrasting manner. Instead of symbolizing negativity and the bad in life nature also symbolizes the good. Malcolm is carrying out what the witches said and is bringing good to Macbeth’s kingdom. They say to Macbeth as he is receiving news of the English soldiers coming on to his castle that “I looked toward Birnam, and anon me thought/The wood began to move.”(V.v.39). The nature used is the wood, but it is not used to display the negativity that is to come towards Macbeth, but to display the good that Malcolm is bringing to Scotland. There is a contradicting use of nature in this act, to describe the same event but towards different people and sides. For Macbeth this is a negative situation, this is why the nature of fall is used, but for Scotland it is positive, so the wood moving to Dunsinane is the good being brought to Scotland.
In this end of the play nature is not used as often as it was previously in the first acts, and it now has a much more focused use and even narrowed down to one single event. Nature as a motif is incredibly symbolic and present in the play, as Shakespeare is known for his tragedies that make you feel for the tragic hero, in this case Macbeth, and sense the mood of the play. This mood is normally created by the use of figurative language and nature, and helps the readers absorb the meaning Shakespeare wants to send through the play.
Final Thoughts
– The use of the motif has decreased
– More concise and focused on one event/idea
– Nature is used by both good and evil
-Helps create mood/description for events
Macbeth Characters and Motifs 
Nature, animals, and weather phenomenons are commonly used in literature as symbols, and are all present motifs in Macbeth. In various scenes of Act I nature is used, as a metaphor or descriptor.Starting with weather, in Scene 1 Act I of the play, the three witches were planning to meet Macbeth, and the setting described by stage directions was a symbolic mention of weather. “Thunder. Enter the three Witches.” (I.i: stage directions), this describes the witches as being in a dark setting and sets the mood for the scene, the darkness makes you fear the witches. Someone who meets in thunder is not a common person, it makes the scene have a scarier and creepier mood to it, you do not trust these witches and the weather they are in influences this. The witches have various wether references, all about thunder and lightning in their settings, once again in Scene 3 “Thunder. Enter the three Witches.”(I.iii: stage directions) the same stage directions are given and the same impact is imposed on the readers. One more mention of nature by the witches comes in as animals, using rats one witch says: “But in a sieve I’ll thither sail,/And, like a rat without a tail,/I’ll do, I’ll do, and I’ll do.”(I.iii: 9). The witch says she will become a rat without a tail, which is making reference using animals as to show the witches’ ability of shape shifting talked about at the time.
Duncan, the king, also uses the motif of nature as he says to Macbeth “I have begun to plant thee and will labor/To make thee full of growing.”(I.iv: 32); he is saying he has “planted” Macbeth, he has invested in him as a thane and believed in him. This is said when Duncan in giving him the title of Thane of Cawdor and with this he will help him grow under his rule, while there is dramatic irony in the fact that Macbeth does not want to grow under Duncan’s ruling, but wants to be the king and be better than Duncan ever was. In this same scene Macbeth in an aside references the motif of nature “Stars hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires.”(I.iv: 57). He was talking to nature, to the stars, for them to hide his wrong thoughts and make them dark so no one can see his cruel thoughts and what he wishes to do, which is to kill the king. The light he is talking about can be not only all morally correct people who will judge him but also God, and if God sees what he is thinking and desiring it may affect his afterlife, which he is extremely worried about. Lady Macbeth as she talks to Macbeth, references nature’s animals when she says he has to be a serpent in scene 5. “Look like th’innocent flower,/But be the serpent under’t.”(I.v: 76), she is telling him to appear innocent and kind as he will do no harm, but have you deep desires hidden and be a serpent with your actions without letting people notice.
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Natalie, good comments on nature. Perhaps use that word “mood” when talking about how weather makes the audience feel at the start of the play. Good use of evidence from Act I.
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Shakespeare uses references to nature regularly, and their meaning is extreme in the death which happens in this Act. Many metaphors and personifications regarding nature help shakespeare describe the horror and chaos of this Act’s events. It begins in the first scene, when Macbeth is about to kill Duncan and says: “Nature seems dead”(II.i: 62); what he means as he says this is how all the beauty and light of nature is dead, how all is now dark and evil. This is symbolizing how death is about to come into the play, how evil is about to take over and all nature is now dead. The symbolism and mood felt is correct and Duncan dies between scenes. Nature and animals continue to display his death, but this time it is more specific; as in scene 2 in two occasions an owl is mentioned: “It was the owl that shrieked” (II.ii: 5); “I heard the owl scream” (II.ii: 20). The hoot of an owl is a symbol of death, the death that has come or the death that will come, it sets the mood of the play as there is tension and darkness, you hear the shrieks of owls and people are uneasy. Death causes confusion, chaos, and animals are a great symbol for Shakespeare to represent the dark mood of this part of the play.
To represent nature as clean, beautiful, and light once more, Shakespeare uses the ocean as a symbol to clean the blood from Macbeth’s hands, to remove the guilt he is feeling from the killing. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/Clean from my hand?” (II.ii: 78), this is what Macbeth says as he feels guilt in him directly after the death; nothing, not even all the oceans of the world, could remove this horrible deed he has done. Even the beauty of nature could not clean his hands, and he was willing to dirty all the oceans with blood to remove this guilt from his life; the great symbolism of nature is key to understanding the horror that this Act brings.
Chaos is clearly symbolized by nature in Shakespeare’s works, and in Macbeth as soon as confusion begins someone starts to describe how the environment is reacting. In scene 3, when all the people find out about what has happened to Duncan, “The night has been unruly” (II.iii: 61). Shakespeare uses Pathetic Fallacy, an effect of nature sensing what has happened in the human world and displaying how people feel. “Of dire combustion and confused events/New hatched to th’ woeful time. The obscure bird/Clamored the livelong night. Some say the Earth/Was feverous and did shake.” (II.iii: 66); the obscure bird talked about is the owl once more symbolizing death, and the Earth shaking, earthquake, is a clear metaphor for the chaos that is going on, “Twas a rough night.” (II.iii: 70).
Nature begins to go against itself in scene 4, chaos rises up and increases even more. To start, the animal chain of being is being reversed, “On Tuesday last/A falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place,/Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed” (II.iv: 14), an owl should not eat a falcon. An owl is supposed to watch over, like the guards, but instead it killed the falcon, an animal supposed to be more powerful, but death overcomes power. The evil acts of Macbeth can turn nature upside down, nature is reflecting the human world once again. Still in scene 4 something else went against nature to reinforce this quality of mirroring human actions, Duncan’s horses ate themselves; “‘Tis said they ate each other/They did so, to th’ amazement of mine eyes” (II.iv: 24). Horses are not supposed to eat themselves, this once more shows Pathetic Fallacy and how nature displays all the horror and death that is happening to the people.
Final Thougts
Nature is used to display death and cruelty
The silence of nature’s beauty and light
The owl’s shriek
Nature is used to display chaos and confusion
Earthquake
Owl killing Falcon
Horses eating themselves
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Natalie, very good comments on how Shakespeare uses animals and nature to depict the mood of the play and mirror the evil acts of men and chaos. Excellent use of evidence to support your analysis.
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Nature is used excessively in Macbeth, Shakespeare liked to use nature and animals to describe various situations and mostly metaphorically. What is used a lot as well is the personification of nature to create hyperbolic or descriptive situations, and in this Act the most appearances of nature occurred compared to the rest of the play as it contains the turning point of the and a lot is going on.
As Shakespeare begins the act he already uses animals as metaphors in scene one; Macbeth is speaking of manhood to the murderers, and this scene characterizes him as he starts to sound a lot like Lady Macbeth. “Ay, in the catalogue you go for men,/As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,/Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves are clept/All by the name of dogs.”(III.i.103-107); he is comparing men to dogs, as there are different kinds of dogs there are different kinds of men and asking the murderers which one do you want to be? This is how he is challenging the murderers, he wants to convince them to kill banquo and instead of simply telling them to be men he uses this metaphor and makes the mood more intense. He is asking the murderers if they want to be a chihuahua type of dog or a pitbull type which have very different connotations; every man should want to have a strong manhood and the use of such strong animals as dogs helps him convince them.
Once more using animals metaphorically in scene two Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth: “We have scorched the snake, not killed it.”(III.ii.15), when she says that they have no problems and the evil has gone. He uses the snake to represent evil and says it has not been killed, evil has not vanished it has only been slayed. The snake poses a symbolized threat to them and Macbeth shows his worry once more in a deeper mood by enforcing it in a metaphor using animals. An abundant amount of figurative language is used in Shakespearian writing but metaphors specifically are standing out, especially in the use and discussion of this motif. Shakespeare continues to use metaphors when Macbeth says: “Ere the bat hath flown/His cloistered flight, ere to black Hecate’s summons/The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums”(III.ii.45-47); and “Lights thickens, and the crow/Makes wing to th’ rooky wood(…)Whiles night’s black agents to their preys do rouse”(III.ii. 56-60). Many animals are mentioned in this passage and they are all incredibly symbolic for this part of the play. As Macbeth wants to kill Banquo he is calling upon all dark forces to help him and all these animals mentioned, beetles, bats, and crows. They are all black and dark animals used to symbolize the darkness, evil, and horror that is to come. Shakespeare chose to use this language for a reason, he is using metaphors to induce the darkness in the play, create a strong imagery for the reader, and foreshadow the chaos that is going to come, which helps readers understand and analyze the play.
In scene three Banquo is killed by the murderers Macbeth sent, and right before he is going to be killed a murderer says: “It will be rain tonight”(III.iii. 23). Water and rain have not been apparent in the play for some time now, and what the murderer says does not simply mean that it is physically going to rain, it symbolizes something deeper, it symbolizes the confusion and chaos that is about to come down, as death is to come. Shakespeare is using Pathetic Fallacy as he has in the continuation of the play, using phenomenons of nature to display what is happening in the normal human world, when confusion is going to begin nature “notices” and it starts to rain.
Finally, a last meaningful metaphor Shakespeare uses is in scene four as Macbeth is speaking to Lady Macbeth about Banquo’s death and says: “There the grown serpent lies. The worm that’s fled”(III.iv. 32). The serpent he is talking about is banquo, and the worm who fled is Fleance. Fleance is described as a worm and this is symbolical as he is not strong yet, he is not as significant and in the present time Macbeth does not fear him. The general pattern noticeable in this act specifically is the abundant use of metaphorical phrases within the range of this motif of nature, animals, and our environment.
Final Thoughts
-Use of animals and nature in the form of metaphors is the most common
-Personification of animals is used
-Using Pathetic Fallacy: nature symbolizing human world
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Natalie, good comments on the metaphorical use of nature in the act and pathetic fallacy (lower case). Any predictions about how nature may be used toward the end of the play?
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Act 4
The mentions of nature have shifted in purposes and decreased in amounts towards the end of the play. In the previous acts when Shakespeare was building up the tension to reach the climax, that took place in Act 3, the constant use of metaphorical mentions of nature was clear; he used this to create an image for the reader of all the confusion and climaxing tension that was about to come. Now what can be noticed in Act 4 and what could be mentioned in the final act of the play, Act 5, is that nature’s use is directed towards imagery and Shakespeare’s use of language of the environment to hyperbolize the situation and help the readers reach the sense of depth needed to understand its importance.
In the first scene there are a couple of mentions of animals and nature, and this can be characterized as common as it is a scene including the witches and even more supernatural prophecies of life. When Shakespeare includes the witches he uses animals most of the time to show how supernatural witches can be; with their shape-shifting and using good and innocent animals for an evil purpose he is able to show the abundance of Satan’s power over the universe. The witches start out by creating a potion for someone, and in that potion they add many animal parts such as “Filet of a fenny snake/In the cauldron boil and bake. /Eye of newt and toe of frog, /Wool of bat and tongue of dog,”(IV.i.12-15). Shakespeare is using the relationship of the witches with the animals to further conclude the dark imagery he already uses typically when adding the witches into the play. As the witches are throwing these parts of the animals into the cauldron a specific mood for the play and readers is created; it gives the readers a clear feeling of fear, darkness, and supernatural weirdness coming from these witches. Because Shakespeare writes plays, and not novels in which he can single out a paragraph for the sole purpose of setting the mood of the story, he eventually has to implement the mood into the character’s speech, which increases the need for references from nature. Nature references are a good way to describe the setting and mood of the play because everyone is responsive to nature and feels what the environment brings to a situation, therefore everyone is aware of the meanings of thunder, sun, and the connotations of various animals.
The next nature references are more of the imagery and hyperbolizing the meaning of the current situations from the first scene. The witches bring three apparitions into the scene for Macbeth to listen to, and one of them is “a Child Crowned, with a tree in his hand.”(IV.i. Stage Directions). This tree in the child’s hand is a way of imagery used by Shakespeare; this tree does not simply symbolize a tree as the physical element, but the meaning of a family tree and the future descendants of Banquo. Shakespeare is adding this mention to show what he means by Banquo’s whole family appearing, and all of them becoming kings one day, and not have to actually write it all out. Instead of writing that the child comes along with all his relatives and future descendants Shakespeare simply uses the imagery of nature and the common application of the term ‘family tree’ to be descriptive. This has a positive effect on readers because this is written to be a play, and readers don’t want to have to read lines and lines of stage directions to understand the scene; so the use of this metaphor, of a child holding a tree, is a great strategy that Shakespeare imposed in his writing.
Shakespeare continues on with his use of nature, and in scene two he focuses especially on being metaphorical and hyperbolical in formulating the mood of the situation. Lady Macduff has just found out that her husband, Macduff, has fled to England and she is outraged at the situation; she speaks out on what she’s feeling and says “He loves us not;/He wants the natural touch; for the poor wren;/(The most diminutive of birds) will fight, /Her young ones in her nest, against the owl.”(IV.i.10). Lady Macduff uses a bird as a basis for the goodness and love one should have towards others, therefore contrasting her husband’s actions to the bird’s, and this shows how she believes he does not love her and her children. Nature is being used to hyperbolize how much of a bad decision Macduff has made and how horrible he is to have fled and left his wife and sons. Once again Shakespeare needs this use of hyperbole and contrasting in the character’s speech to show how brazen the situation in the play is with no need for description, and still create the mood for the readers to enjoy.
In scene three of the act are the last three mentions of nature, and two of them are a metaphor and a simile while the last includes a hyperbolic exclamation. Shakespeare uses the first mention to create an effect on readers, which is used to create an image and comparison to a life-like situation seen in nature so that they can understand the situation and its strength. A metaphor is used to show how Malcolm thought Macduff had been ordered to bring him back to Macbeth’s hands to be killed, and Shakespeare writes in Malcolm’s speech how Macduff is happy “To offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb/T’ appease an angry god.”(IV.iii.19-20). For readers to understand the depth and cruelty of such situation the author uses one of the most pure and harmless animals, the lamb, to show how the situation would be for Malcolm if Macduff were to do this. Malcolm would be the lamb, the innocent lamb that did not do anyone harm but is being handed to an angry god simply for his enjoyment. This metaphor gives meaning to the feelings Malcolm was having, and gives reason as to why he was so suspicious of Macduff at first and lied to him. One simile Shakespeare uses in scene tree while mentioning nature is that “black Macbeth/Will seem as pure as snow”(IV.iii.63-64); this has a clear connection to light and darkness and reflects human actions with terms from nature. Shakespeare is comparing what Macbeth’s actions will be to a phenomenon from the natural world, snow. This comparison creates the enjoyment of the situation by the reader, as it is easier to associate how Macbeth will appear to be to something everyone recognizes, as snow, rather than simply saying his actions will be good and pure. Shakespeare using snow to symbolize how good Macbeth’s actions will seem gives the passage more of a meaning.
When Macduff in the same scene finds out that Macbeth has killed his whole family he reacts truly surprised and says, “Did you say “all”? O hell-kite! All? What, all my pretty chickens and their dam/At one fell swoop?”(IV.iii.256-258). In this passage, the last mention of nature in Act 4, Shakespeare is hyperbolizing the situation and helping the reader develop the feeling that he/she should have through this part of the play. A hell-kite is a bird of prey, and Macduff is comparing it to Macbeth, who has killed his whole family. Shakespeare’s comparison of a hell-kite to Macbeth dramatizes how shocking and horrible his actions were and what the reader should think of him; this helps the reader formulate an opinion on Macbeth’s character as well. Shakespeare continues on to emphasize his hyperbole as he refers to the pretty chickens, which symbolize the innocent and harmless sons of Macduff that were viciously attacked by the evil of Macbeth. This descriptive and metaphorical use of nature is what creates the mood and situation for the reader, and what helps understand the extent of importance of a specific event.
Final thoughts
Used in Hyperboles
o To help reader understand how bad or good a situation was
o The extent of importance of the situation
Used to create Imagery
o To help reader visualize situations as it is a play and does not include description
Used for Metaphors
o Always used as some metaphor as anyone can associate with nature
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Natalie, a very good analysis of your motif, key evidence and how Shakespeare uses language to portray your motif. Excellent!
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Act 5
Nature has been used in the play to describe situations and metaphors that show the intensity of what is to come on the plot. In this final act, as the climax had already come and gone, and the rising events have passed, the downfall is coming and the use of nature in Shakespeare’s words has decreased. As personifying nature increases the depth and mood of the rising action to get to the climax Shakespeare used this motif abundantly in the first acts, but less so in the following. The uses have followed a pattern of figurative language: metaphors and personifications dominate. In this act however nature is used in a more significant manner, in a phrase with a particular meaning.
All the nature uses are in the third scene of this act, and they begin when Macbeth is receiving the news that the English and Scottish soldiers are coming to attack his castle. As always in Shakespeare’s writing the setting is significant, especially in plays, where he has to insert the setting into the character’s speech. In this situation he does this by using Macbeth as his medium, he is using seasons to create a greater hidden meaning. Seasons are significant because they bring emotions to the reader and change the mood of the writing. When talking about winter, thunder, and rain, negative and sad images come to our mind. The contrary comes to mind when thinking about summer, sun, and flowers, which make us feel happiness and positivity. At this time in the play Shakespeare chooses to use fall, which is completely adequate; fall comes before winter, it is the warning and message that the horrors and death are coming, when fall is here you have to prepare for the winter that is to come and all the negativity that comes with it. Macbeth is close to total chaos, he is close to death and the falling from the throne, and so he announces: “I have lived long enough. My way of life/Is fall’n into the sere, the yellow leaf, /and that which should accompany old age”(V.iii.26-27). He has now accepted the fact that things are going to start going south for him, he knows the English are going to attack and has accepted the ‘winter’ that is going to come. In this passage the yellow leaf symbolizes the fall, and how leafs falling from trees mean that happiness and joy are coming to an end, and sad leafless trees are the only things that is going to be left. He is saying his life has reached the yellow leaf; this is the fall of his life, when he has to prepare for the horror that is to come and accept that this is the end for him. The meaning of nature’s use as a motif here is great, it shows Macbeth’s evolution as a character as well, how after getting all confident and proud of being king he has realized the true horrors he has brought on to himself by doing all this treacherous work.
The next and final use of nature in this play comes still in scene three, but is used by a foiling character and in a completely contrasting manner. Instead of symbolizing negativity and the bad in life nature also symbolizes the good. Malcolm is carrying out what the witches said and is bringing good to Macbeth’s kingdom. They say to Macbeth as he is receiving news of the English soldiers coming on to his castle that “I looked toward Birnam, and anon me thought/The wood began to move.”(V.v.39). The nature used is the wood, but it is not used to display the negativity that is to come towards Macbeth, but to display the good that Malcolm is bringing to Scotland. There is a contradicting use of nature in this act, to describe the same event but towards different people and sides. For Macbeth this is a negative situation, this is why the nature of fall is used, but for Scotland it is positive, so the wood moving to Dunsinane is the good being brought to Scotland.
In this end of the play nature is not used as often as it was previously in the first acts, and it now has a much more focused use and even narrowed down to one single event. Nature as a motif is incredibly symbolic and present in the play, as Shakespeare is known for his tragedies that make you feel for the tragic hero, in this case Macbeth, and sense the mood of the play. This mood is normally created by the use of figurative language and nature, and helps the readers absorb the meaning Shakespeare wants to send through the play.
Final Thoughts
– The use of the motif has decreased
– More concise and focused on one event/idea
– Nature is used by both good and evil
-Helps create mood/description for events
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