English

In literature, the recurrence of images, ideas, events or symbols can develop and embellish the themes to make them more remarkable, prevalent, and meaningful. In “Macbeth”, William Shakespeare uses the repeating motif of hallucinations, inflicted by inner demons or other people, to help the reader realize and develop the importance of the two major themes; unchecked ambition and overwhelming guilt. The multiple reappearances of hallucinations such as the dagger and the three apparitions reinforce and develop the theme of unchecked ambition while the hallucinations of blood and the ghost of Banquo support and mature the theme of overwhelming guilt.
Macbeth is immediately shown as a character full of ambition when the wounded soldier tells Duncan about his courageous and selfless skills on the battle field and how he selflessly triumphs against the traitors Macdonwald and Sweno, but that was admirable and commendable ambition. Macbeth quickly transitions from good to evil and lets his overwhelming ambition erase the noble soldier, trustworthy friend and strong moral thane he once was. The hallucination that Macbeth sees of the dagger is what reinforces and matures the theme of unchecked ambition in Macbeth. Macbeth says, Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat oppressed brain?
(Shakespeare, act 2, scene 1) in the dagger speech scene, and the reader is quickly drawn to it because the motif of hallucination makes it remarkable and therefore it develops the theme. Macbeth’s dagger speech establishes his fall to unchecked ambition and the repeating motif of hallucinations is what symbolizes and spotlights the transition. It is because of the strongly used motif that the reader can clearly see one of the main themes of the play, unchecked ambition,