In "Macbeth," there are a number of similes including the similes found in: Act I, Scene II 3-5; Act I, Scene II 7-9; Act I Scene III 97; and Act V Scene Viii 43. The first simile is "This is the sergeant / Who like a good and hardy solider fought / 'Gainst my captivity.Know More
This first simile in "Macbeth" compares the sergeant to a good and hardy solider. Similes are comparisons between two different things. They are found in literature and in everyday speech.
The second simile is "Doubtful it stood; / As two spent swimmers, that do cling together / And choke their art." This simile compared the doubtful person to two spent swimmers that cling together and therefore choke or diminish the effect of their art.
The third simile is "As thick as hail came post with post" and compares the subject with the thickness of hail. The fourth simile is "But like a man he died," which compares the subject with a man.
"Macbeth" is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is a story about Macbeth, a Scottish general, who receives a prophecy that one day he will be the King of Scotland. He becomes consumed with ambition and action that his wife encourages. This leads to a bloodbath of dangerous proportions.Learn more about Plays
"Macbeth" is considered a tragedy because of the dark themes that the Shakespearean play explores. Greed, lies, betrayal and murder all occur in the story and serve to tear a family, and consequently an entire kingdom, apart. Although the title of the play refers to the Scottish general Macbeth, the character of Lady Macbeth is widely considered the most-memorable and tragic figure in the story.Full Answer >
The three witches, also known as the Weird Sisters, who appear in "Macbeth" are important to the play as a catalyst that propels Macbeth to pursue his ambition to become king. The witches are also important to the play as symbols of fate, temptation, evil and the supernatural.Full Answer >
"Macbeth" follows the title character's ill-fated journey from a comfortable position as a prominent soldier to that of a murderous king who is killed shortly after taking the throne. This is a classic tale of greed, ego, morality and the dangers of lust for power.Full Answer >
Any moment in the play "Macbeth" when the audience is privy to more pertinent information than one or more characters onstage is an instance of dramatic irony. An example is when King Duncan exhibits a positive outlook upon arriving at Inverness, where the audience already knows he will be murdered. Shakespeare Online posits that this play is exceptional for its pervasive use of dramatic irony.Full Answer >