Macbeth, the story of a Scottish general who receives a prophecy that he will one day become king, uses many different images to complete the function that Shakespeare was trying to convey. The function of imagery inthis play expresses ideas, creates character, and adds atmospheric effects. There is an immeasurable power of evil in one man, and Macbeth fits this lineperfectly. After his murder of Duncan, his tyrannical reign begins andMacbeth is forced to continue on with more and more murders to protecthimself from suspicion. This killing spree that results propels Macbeth andhis wife to a fate of madness and death.The first function of imagery is to express ideas throughout the playand to help bring different points together. Macbeth, who creates an image ofhimself as an almighty and all-powerful ruler, discards all moral boundaries inhis quest for power. The effects of Macbeth’s actions show theoverwhelming effects of evil and the power it can have on one man. Theseimages in Macbeth express the picture of himself. After all the murders areover, they are worth very little to him in the end. As said by a quote fromLady Macbeth, “look like the innocence flower, but be the serpent under’t”,people are not always what they appear to be. This image is a perfect matchfor how people see Macbeth. This honest and good king, which was what thepeople believed in the beginning, was actually the cause of all the turmoil anddestruction going on in their country. However, Macbeth’s greatest fear inthe play is that he has the image that he has murdered sleep, and by doing thisintensifies the witches incomplete predictions that he is so fearful of bringinginto a reality.Another main function of imagery in Macbeth is that it createscharacter. All of the disturbing situations that Macbeth and his wife gothrough throughout the entire work, play a huge role in deciding how theirfutures would turn out and what kin...
