Author: Juan-David

in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth there are many occasions where we are indicated that there is some sort of slow deterioration in his mind. sheakspear show this to us in dramatic structure and figurative devices

subsequently, right at the beginning of the play we are presented to three witches which we don’t certainly know if they are real or if they are just in Macbeth’s mind. “fair is foul and foul is fair”. Throughout the whole play we can see Macbeth is a person which can be easily persuaded. Macbeth was lady Macbeth’s little puppet every thing she told him to do was done by him. After Macbeth was the countries hero he betrayed his own country due to his huge ambition of becoming king.

there two main parts in the play were macbeth is

“Fair is foul and foul is fair” i think this is an example of equavication because its contradicting itself. In my opinion the witches are an example of this because they are always telling prophecies which indicates they are not telling everything they know. At one point of the play macbeths doesn’t know if he should believe the witches or not because he thinks they are hiding some of the truth to him.

“The deep damnation of his taking-off;”

His permanent fate of dying

“Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been. So clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels”

Duncan has his faculties and is so humble, uncorruptable this makes his virtues hide.

“The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be.”

Meaning: I don’t want to see what I am going to do with my hands, but I can’t stop myself from looking.

You couldn’t tell who would win. Both armies were exhausted and could barely fight for their lives. Macdonwald was protected by foot soldiers and horseman. Lady Luck was with Macdonwald,smiling cruelly at his enemies as if she new they were going to loose. But Macdonwald and Lady Luck together weren’t strong enough to win this battle. But Macbeth chopped his way through to Macdonwald, who didn’t even have time to do anything before Macbeth split him open.

In shakespeare’s famous play julius caesar fate is a key factor of how the story is unfolded and all the problems are due to these characters following their will to try avoid their fate. Caesar’s fate was to die in  the ides of march; caesar thought that fate was nothing for him. Unfotunately trying to change your fate is a waste of time because we can’t change our destiny

Fate is presented in all the prophecies and premonitions character had in the play. Another big factor of the play was the character will to overcome their fate. For example at the beggining of the play the soothsayer told Caesar to beware of the ides of march. And at that time caesar chose to take more importance of the person who was telling him the warning than thinking of the warning that was said to him. In many occassions fate is shown  in figurative language devices- metaphors, similies, personifications etc. There is a very significant phrase that caesar says as he is being stabbed by the conspirators. Caesars says that he is as important as the northen star and it doesn’t matter if he is dead because his fate is to leave a mark in history and to be remembered.

in act 1 scene 2 cassius is convincing brutus to join the conspiritors to assassinate julius caesar. Cassius says that every men is free to choose what happens to them and power has gone up to caesar’s head and he needed to be stopped by the senators otherwise Rome was going to become a dictadure were everyone has to agree with what caesar said. Fate was on the conspirators side because even though caesar was warned twice about the ides of march he still went and he got betrayed by his right hand man brutus. This is a extract of what julius caesar said before he died. “Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.” Caesar is trying to say that he is not a coward and that death will come when it has to come because we all have an end. “Cowards die many times before their deaths” shakespeare is using death as a metaphor because humans can physically die more than once. What shakespeare is trying to say is that cowards run away from big challenges that are placed in their life path. “The vailant never taste of death but once” caesar is saying that this world is made for the brave, for those people who are not scared of challenges and are always steping up to their fate.

subsequently, another part of the play that seems significant to me is when antony is at caesars funeral and he says that brutus said that caesar’s ambition was the reason of his death. “The noble brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious” “Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honourable man.” Antony keeps on repeting the same thing, saying that Brutus is an honourable man and in this situation we don’t actually know if he actually means what he is saying or he doesn’t. At this point in the play antony knew that the conspirators were the one that killed caesar – the conspirators were cassius, brutus, cinna, decius brutus, and casca. Antony saw them with caesar’s blood on their hands. This might be the reason he was trying to gain as much trust from the people, brutus was the new leader and if the people thought antony respected brutus then the people will repect him. After all of this rome had started a civil war without realising and the conspirators had just made the opposite of what they wanted to happen.

Consequently, at the end of the play everything was ruined and brutus started to pay for actions. Brutus found the only way to end this nightmare and the only way to stop all of this was for him to die. Thats why he killed him self he ranned into his sword and he gave end to his own life. Theres a very significant phrase Antony says when he sees brutus dead. “The noblest Roman of them all” Brutus was the only one out of the conspirators who realised what he done wrong.

This ghost is a representation of brutus’s feelings. This shows how confused he is and whats going through his mind at the moment. In addition brutus’s wife, portia just commited suicide in a very peculiar way she put hot coals on her mouth. Brutus is not metally stabled right now because everything has gone on to him and hebis starting to regret his actions against brutus this is why he is seeing caesar’s ghost ; his concience id torturing him.

In caesars funeral antony said that ambition was controling caesars life. In many occassions antony said that brutus was an honarable man and that caesar was ambitious. “If it were so, it was a grevious fault, and grievously hath caesar answer’d it.” Antony is saying that this was a terrible mistake by caesar and it cost him his life. Antony also said that he was there to bury caesar not to praise him. In my opinion the last phrase was one of the most significant in the whole speech.”My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.” This phrase changes my view of the whole speech because at the begginnig he was saying all the bad things about caesar but at the end he showed how much he actually appreciated caesar.

In the beginning of the sililoquy antony is begging for caesar’s forgiveness “O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, that I am meek and gentle with these butchers!” Antony is using a smokescreen to make the conspirators think that he is not after them. Earlier on the play antony shook hands with the conspirators and he rubbed his hand with caesar’s blood. This could confuse the conspirators which is exactly what antony wants. However antony feels that is not only the conspirators foult that caesar is dead is the whole of Italy including him. This is why at the beginnig of the sililoquy he is begging for forgiveness. He feels that he has to do something to revenge caesar – to kill the conspirators. In my opinion antony is going to take a big role in the play. I think he is going to make them kill themselves. And when they are all dead he will do the same they did to caesar when they killed him which is to wash their hands with his blood to show italy who killed the leader. Antony could be italy’s new leader. Maybe he is the perfect person to replace caesar. And to take italy through the right path.

Dramatic irony

there are many dramatic devices used in shakespeare’s play; dramatic irony could be used to create tension within the play (dramatic irony- when the audience knows more information than the other characters on the play). For example in julius caesar everyone watching the play will know that it’s caesar’s fate to die. But the question is When and how. This is an example of dramatic irony- “Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home.She dreamt to-night she saw my statue,Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,Did run pure blood: and many lusty Romans. Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it.” As an audien we all know with calpurnia’s dream means. However decius brutus gives it another meaning, the audience new he was lying but caesar still believed him.