In Act I Duncan says
“ And his great love sharp as his spur”(I, vi, 27).
Duncan is saying Macbeth’s love will get him home. Love is in no way connected to a spur but Shakespeare makes the two seem similar using this simile. In Act IV
“Show his eyes, and grieve his heart;
Come like shadows, so depart!” (IV, i, 122-123).
Shakespeare is comparing Macbeth’s heart to a shadow. He uses this simile to show that Macbeth is no longer a good person, his heart is now a shadow because of the horrible deeds he has done. The play, Macbeth, utilizes similes to compare these unlike items. Shakespeare also uses metaphors as figures of speech to compare two dissimilar objects or items. In Act V Macbeth says to the messenger after hearing that Lady Macbeth has just committed suicide “Out, out, brief candle!” (V, v, 25).
This metaphor is comparing life to a brief or small candle. Life is short and once the candle goes out Lady Macbeth dies. In Act V Macbeth also states that
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more” (V, v, …show more content…
He is saying that people do not have a purpose. The next example of a metaphor is in Act III when Macbeth says “ We have scotch’d the snake, not killed it.” (III, iii, 15).
This metaphor is comparing Macbeth's enemies to a snake. He has not rid himself of danger yet he has only taken part of the problem away. In the same way Shakespeare uses similes in the play he also uses metaphors to compare objects that are not very similar. Shakespeare also uses personification to add to his expressive style and to help the reader or viewer of the play to get a better picture of what is happening. In Act II Macbeth is about to kill the king when he says “the bell invites me”(II, i, 70).
In this example of personification, the bell can not invite someone to someplace. Shakespeare adds this personification to help the viewer get a better idea of what is going on in Macbeth’s mind at the time before the murder. Another example of personification in the play is in Act 4 when Malcolm