SEMANTIC
Macbeth is mourning over the death of his wife and is coming to the conclusion that there is no point in living.
CONTEXT
Macbeth’s wife has died, there is an army outside of his castle, and the thought of it is sending his mind into a frenzy.
FIGURATIVE DEVICES
“Life’s but a walking shadow, poor player” – Personification. This personification emphasises Macbeth’s emotions as it portrays his life as invalid, and worthless. “A walking shadow” makes him sound as if he has no purpose and that he isn’t appreciated by anybody that surrounds him. It gives the audience an insight on how he is feeling, not just on the inside, but on the outside too.

Note: The idea of the script turning into a reality. Two parallel worlds, Shakespeare reaching out to the audience by describing Macbeth’s depression.

 

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Shakespeare uses many different techniques to present Macbeth’s deteriorating state of mind to the audience. The semantic aspect of the text is that Macbeth is mourning over the death of his wife and is coming to the conclusion that there is no point in living. Whilst his emotions are getting the better of him, there is an army of traitors awaiting outside of his castle. Shakespeare does his best to project Macbeth’s eruption through a series of dramatic devices, ranging from metaphors and personification to the iambic pentameter that he follows throughout the majority of his speech in the play.

Shakespeare uses Macbeth’s state of mind to communicate his own emotions to the audience. It is almost like two parallel worlds, in one of them, Macbeth is releasing his emotions and communicating his thoughts to the audience. In the other, Shakespeare is telling a story through Macbeth’s ideology.

Metaphors are used constantly throughout the play, especially by Macbeth himself. When Macbeth is informed about Lady Macbeth’s death, he uses metaphors to enhance his emotions.

“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player”

The quote above describes Macbeth’s attitude towards life after the death of his wife. It incorporates