How Does Shakespeare Use Punctuation In Macbeth

The play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare makes use of many techniques in order to convey the downfall of the tragic main character, Macbeth. Through the use of techniques such as aside, adjectives and punctuation, Shakespeare enforces the message of the play to show Macbeth’s transition from a war hero into a murderer.

In the opening scenes of the play, William Shakespeare presents Macbeth as an honorable war hero and courageous fighter. Through the use of dialogue, such as “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)”, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a ruthless warrior who will stop at nothing to defend his country. In “O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!”, the playwright uses punctuation to exaggerate the idea of Macbeth’s honorable
nature, using words such as “valiant” and “worthy”. Furthermore, adjectives are used to solidify the positive image of Macbeth in the audience’s mind, as King Duncan announces “noble Macbeth hath won”. This suggests that Macbeth is not only seen as a good man by close friends, but also by people in higher positions of power.

It is evident that the three witches and their prophecies play a key role in Macbeth’s progression into a murderer.
As the witches predict Macbeth’s future in “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!”, punctuation is used to emphasize the significance of the prophecy, as well as plant a seed within Macbeth’s mind. As Macbeth realises what he must do to become King, the composer uses aside in “Stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”. The witches’ predictions open a door within Macbeth’s mind that allows dark thoughts to grow, and is shown within this aside. Macbeth asks for his dark desires to be concealed from the eyes of anyone with good intentions, implying that he is considering completing a sinister deed. Although the witches plant the initial dark seeds in Macbeth’s mind, they are cultivated by Lady Macbeth through her persuasive words and manipulation of Macbeth’s
pride.

Lady Macbeth is but another influence on Macbeth and his darker side.
She manipulates his pride in order to persuade him to kill King Duncan, and acts as his evil conscience to corrupt the good that is left in him. In the lead up to committing the deed, Lady Macbeth calls on the spirits through dialogue to “unsex” her and make her blood thick, asking to become as strong as a man. She begs for everything womanly to be taken away from her, for the murdering ministers to come to her woman’s breasts and take her milk for gall. This symbolises her need to remove anything within her that gives life, leaving only her power to kill and manipulate. Once she harbors the strength and masculinity of a man, she manipulates Macbeth by challenging his manhood. After they complete the first murder, Lady Macbeth announces “my hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart to white”. This piece of dialogue relates to Macbeth’s pride, as she expresses disgust for Macbeth’s cowardly ways. By saying this, Lady Macbeth causes Macbeth to feel the need to prove himself to her, ultimately by committing even more murders. By challenging his pride, Lady Macbeth is the driving force behind the insane murderer Macbeth evidently becomes. The comments she makes lead to a desensitising of Macbeth’s initially good conscience, allowing him to continue in his murdering ways without feelings of
remorse.

Macbeth is said to be a murderer once he has completed the chain of killings induced by the tugging of his pride, although his low value of life is not explored until the death of Lady Macbeth. The playwright uses repetition to exaggerate Macbeth’s desperate tone in “out, out, brief candle!”. Macbeth refers to life as a candle, which he wishes to be blown out and ended for good. This shows the viewer that Macbeth is now so used to death, he places no value on life at all, and is desensitised to the effects of murder. The recurring motif of blood is scattered throughout the play, particularly at the end, to symbolise Macbeth’s murdering ways, for example “be bloody, bold and resolute”. This particular use of the motif tells Macbeth that he must continue to be ruthless and evil in order to stay ahed of those trying to stop him. Being “bloody” symbolises the blood on his hands after completing murders. For him to continue to stay ahed of his enemies, Macbeth must continue to have blood on his hands, and therefore, must continue to murder. Finally, after the demise of Macbeth, Malcolm refers to him as the “dead butcher”. This shows the fact that Macbeth is not only seen by others as a man who kills, but also as a man who is so consumed by his wrong doing, his life is lost before his real demise. The noble man who fights for his country is gone once the seeds of evil are planted in the mind, signifying death of the good conscience.

In conclusion, Macbeth transforms from a war hero into an evil murderer through the influence and manipulation of other characters. His pride is the key to his downfall, making him feel the need to constantly prove himself through recurring bloodshed. The result is a heartless and bloodthirsty man, who places no value on life nor the feelings of others, a true murderer.