Dramatic Irony In Macbeth Analysis

Macbeth takes his trip to the witches and it is there that he experiences his third hallucination, a four-part apparition that foretells his fate in an indefinite matter once again. The first apparition is an armed head that tells him, “Beware Macduff! /Beware the Thane of Fife!” (4.1.81-82) Macbeth has already had suspicions of Macduff and the apparition just confirms what he has already feared. The second apparition, a bloody child, says, “Laugh to scorn/ The power of man, for none of woman born/ shall harm Macbeth.” (4.1. 90-92) Macbeth rejoices to know that no man will beat him that was born of a woman, and he assumes that Macduff was born of a woman. The third

Macbeth’s insanity is resulted from the true supernatural things he encounters in the play. The three witches are supernatural characters that play an important role in Macbeth’s spiral to becoming insane. Right off the bat the readers or audience feel the creepiness and uneasiness that radiates off of the witches. The witches famous line “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble” (cite), gives everyone a look at how dark this play is. Macbeth’s first time meeting the witches paved a way for his insanity. The three witches inform Macbeth that he will be Thane of Glamis and then one day become king. This causes Macbeth to over think things, and have contradicting thoughts on whether he believes in such prophecies, or if they are trying to trick him. Macbeth’s second visit from the witches included visions of different people. After the witches add ingredients to the cauldron, the visons start appearing. The first one was an armed head telling him to beware of Macduff. The second, was a bloody child that said he could not be hurt by anyone who was born of a woman. The third one is a child holding a tree and wearing a crown. This vision meant that Macbeth would not be defeated until Birnam Wood moved to Dunsinane. All of these visions allude to the fact that Macbeth is becoming insane. Slowly but surely as supernatural events occur he has trouble deciphering what is real and what is not. A

“All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!”(1.3.47-49). The three witches prophecies throughout the play are major influences in helping the plot develop. As well they develop the character of Macbeth and reveal the morals he holds. This play by Shakespeare which of the three types he writes is a tragedy. These tragedies are all brought upon by Macbeth’s doing. The heinous murders he commits are all brought upon by the prophecies the three dark and evil witches have spoken to Macbeth. These three witches are perceived as all things evil. They are the living embodiments of darkness and are born to destruct those weak enough to listen. “Macbeth” is a play of evil, hurt and self-fulfillment which are all from the prophecies being brought to Macbeth. Self-fulfillment is “…how a belief or expectation, whether correct or not, affects the outcome of a situation or the way a person (or group) will behave.”(Menton). The witches use their knowledge of this term and idea in order to manipulate Macbeth into fulfilling what he has been told, no matter how dark the duty is.

Furthermore tragic irony is shown when Macbeth arrogantly says, ?Then Live Macduff what need I fear of thee?? ( , , 82) This is tragic irony because Macbeth acts very hubris. He thinks that he is invincible, but eventually he realizes that he should have been more careful because Banquo ironically ends up killing him. Further, it develops the theme of appearance versus reality because to Macbeth it seems that he does not need to be afraid of Macduff because the witches trick him into thinking that he is immortal when in reality he is not. As has been noted dramatic, thematic, and tragic irony aid in the development of characters and with it help expand the theme of appearance versus reality.

In play Macbeth Act I, William Shakespeare write “Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair” (I,i ,12) to show what protagonist Macbeth thinks is fair may be foul and what he thinks foul may be fair in order to convey the dramatic irony and the paradox relationship in the play. First, when Macbeth greets three witches they prophesizes that Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor as well as the King, and Macbeth is fearing about it. As the play states, “Good sir, why you start and seem to fear Things that do sound so fair” (I, iii, 54-55). As Banquo said, be the king is fair, but in order to be the king, Macbeth need to plan a series of murder which is a lot of foul events. The paradox

With a battle about to be fought they needs weapons whic weapons and capulets were mainly made of wood. So the army makes weapons of the Birman woods and march twelve miles to Macbeth's castle to kill him so the third apparition prophecy becomes true. This quote shows how the Birnam woods have moved twelve miles to Macbeth's castle “Now Near enough. Your leafy screens throw down(5-51-2). This quote shows how the took the wood from Birnam woods and are marching towards the Castle something Macbeth would never expect so he continues on with his cockiness and think he is still untouchable. This is another example of how the witches twist to truth to ultimately ensure Macbeth is not successful in keeping the throne. In the end of scene five Macduff finally confronts Macbeth preparing to kill him. Macbeth know he needs to fear Macduff but doesn't think he will be killed by Macduff because Macbeth assumes that Macduff was born of women. Macduff was born of caesarean section and was basically considered to not be born of women because he wasn't birthed vaginally. This quote shows Macduff telling him he wasn't born of women , “Despair thy charm And let the angel whom thou still hast served Tell thee Macduff was from his mother’s womb Untimely ripped”(5-7-15-16-). This quote shows when all the prophecies have been fully fulfilled and Macbeth realizes he his time on the throne is over. THe witches have harvested Macbeth to do their bidding and have kill kill just by telling him a simple prophecy that forever changed his life and ultimately ended

Madjeena Philippe Ms.Dalton English 01/08/16 Macbeth Analytical Paragraph #2 In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses the witches and the three apparitions they told to Macbeth,(which was Shakespeare’s understanding of the supernatural at this time),to foreshadow the outcome of the play of Macbeth’s downfall. First, the witches’ gather as Hecate ordered and produced a series ominous visions for Macbeth that herald his downfall. The three witches’ exclaimed “Macbeth! Macbeth!

In the play Othello, Shakespeare uses many literary devices to help the reader understand the theme of the story. One of those many literary devices used in the play, is the wide range of irony. Throughout the pages of the book the reader will see the use of dramatic, situational, and verbal irony. Shakespeare does not use irony in an understated way, it is very direct, and can be found on almost every page of the book. The use of irony creates suspense, and adds interest as to what will happen.

The apparition had told Macbeth to beware Macduff, however Macbeth is so confident in assuming that Macduff can’t kill him because he believes he is born of a woman. Macbeth says, “Then live, Macduff. What need I fear of thee?”(IV.i.81). This indicates that Macbeth is not thinking realistically and is allowing his ambition to be controlled by the prophecy that is negatively impacting him. Macbeth kills Macduff’s innocent family while he searches for Macduff in thoughts of killing him. After meeting the witches Macbeth mentions, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls” (IV.i. 149-151). This illustrates that Macbeth is ruthless and what he is capable of doing for his own advantage. Macbeth’s ambition led him to become egoistic and selfish towards his nation which then results in his own death in the end. Macduff walks with Macbeth’s head and states, “Hail, king! For so thou art. Behold where stands the usurper’s cursed head. The time is free” (V.xi.21-22). This shows that Macbeth’s selfishness in keeping power is what led him to his death by Macduff. Macbeth’s desire to preserve his power for himself and his future sons illustrates the struggle he faced in maintaining and securing his

When the witches return and show Macbeth three apparitions, their messages turn Macbeth’s paranoia into ill-conceived invincibility. The first apparition specifically warns Macbeth of Macduff; the second declaring, “Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth”. Then the third apparition asserts, “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him.”

He soon encounters Macduff and they begin to battle. While Macbeth is fighting Macduff, he learns that Macduff is not born of woman but was ripped from his mother’s womb. Macbeth then has a sense of fear that arouses within him, and soon all three apparitions’ prophecies are fulfilled. Macduff cuts off Macbeth’s head as a response to the First Apparition’s prophecy to beware Macduff. The soldiers used Birnam Wood’s branches as a disguise in order to hide their numbers in a response to the Second Apparition’s prophecy that Macbeth will not be vanquished until Birnam Wood advanced to Dunsinane.

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the witches are a prominent part of the action in the play. Due to their repeated interactions with Macbeth, the witches instill an internal conflict and a sense of paranoia and anxiety in the protagonist’s mind. When first visited by the three witches, Macbeth is presented with a prophecy destining him to become the king of. As the witches state, “All hail, Macbeth!

The first apparition is an armored head that appears and tells Macbeth, "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff; / Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough"(4.1.81-82). This apparition was letting Macbeth know that Macduff is coming for you and will stop at nothing to kill you. The second apparition that appears was a bloody child that said, "Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn/ The power of man, for none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth"(4.1.90-92). This apparition says that no one born natural from woman can harm him Macbeth will soon find what that apparition truly meant. The third and final apparition is a crowned child with a tree in its hands he third apparition is a crowned child holding a tree, the child holding the tree says to Macbeth, "Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care/Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are, / Macbeth shall never vanquished be until /Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill /Shall come against him." As these three apparitions tell Macbeth his future

In the play Twelfth Night, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to develop the comedic effect in the characters relationships. The use of dramatic irony produces most of the comedic effect by revealing situations and relationships to the audience, but not the cast. Developing the plot with this literary device provides comedic and ironic situations while engaging the audience.

Purpose: This dramatic irony is to show Macbeth’s belief that the witches speak the truth and are responsible for his success. This belief can, and does, influence his future actions.