MACBETH Act 3 Scene 1

In scene 1 of act 3 metaphors can be found in Macbeth’s soliloquy that help illustrates his points and ideas. In this scene, Macbeth expresses his fear of Banquo and the prophecy that stated that Banquo’s children would-be kings. He hires 2 murderers to kill Banquo and convinces them to also kill his son Fleance. When he is alone Macbeth says “Upon my head, they placed a fruitless crown, And put a barren sceptre in my gripe”. This metaphor is interesting because it contains a lot of Macbeth’s guilt in these two lines alone. The lines are saying that Macbeth is now the king, but he and Lady Macbeth are unable to have children and are therefore unable to keep kingship in their family. This realization makes Macbeth really feel his guilt because he murdered an innocent and nice king, but he cannot pass the throne to any offspring. Macbeth now feels as if being the king is almost worthless if he has no legacy, and he will be forgotten because of this. Shakespeare uses a metaphor in these lines to help show Macbeth’s emotions, particularly his guilt and sadness. Metaphors are very effective ways to do this and can help the reader relate to the protagonist as well. Shakespeare’s use of metaphors in scene 1 enhance the scene and give it more depth to the reader.