Macbeth Animal Imagery

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Animal Imagery Diverse kinds of imagery are present in works, plays, and poems of any authors. Imagery is words or phrases that create pictures, or images in the reader's mind. Examples of such imagery are animal, weather, and blood.

William Shakespeare, an English play writer, used much animal imagery in the tragedy Macbeth in comparison to other plays he wrote. The purpose is to portray foreshadowing, to develop character and evoke a wide variety of emotion from the audience.

In Act I, scene 1, "I come, Graymalkin. Paddock calls "“ anon." Refers to the witches companions, demons, and familiar spirits who mingle with witches and represent evil spirits. Graymalkin is a cat and Paddock is a toad. Shakespeare uses a cat as a spirit, as cats are significant to witches a toad portrays their ugliness. Scene2 contains ""¦.As sparrows, eagles, or the hare, the lion." This refers to Macbeth and Banquo.

Just as easily as an eagle defeats a sparrow or the lion easily defeats the hare, Macbeth and Banuqo defeated their adversary.

The second witch responds "killing swine" in scene 3. Killing swine meant to kill their neighbors' pigs, a practice the witches were accused of performing. In scene 7 Macbehth is similar to an over eager horseback rider. To be a rider you must be confident. However Macbeth just desires to be king even though he is not very confident. This shows the future downfall of Macbeth as being king.

" A falcon tow'ring in her pride of place, Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd." is present in Act II, scene 4. It is unnatural for an owl to kill a falcon. This does not only echo the tragedy of Duncan's unnatural, and foreshadows the downfall of Macbeth. "And Duncan's horses "¦ turn'd...