Themes In Macbeth
1. Evil is contrary to human nature: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have to contort their natures to murder
Duncan. First, Lady Macbeth has to call the evil spirits to tear all human feeling from her, and then she
has to make her husband ignore his own conscience. But the play also says that human nature cannot
be avoided indefinitely. By the end of the play, both characters have been destroyed from within. Fear
and guilt drive Lady Macbeth mad; Macbeth sees life as an empty, meaningless charade.
2. Evil disrupts the natural order of the world. In nature, everything happens in its own time. When
Macbeth takes the crown by murder, he upsets the natural order of his life and the order of Scotland.
Without the rightful, God-given king on the throne all society is destroyed, under a usuper there can
only be evil and chaos. Even nature becomes upset; it’s dark during the day; horses eat each other; owls
kill falcons. Nearly every scene has references to unnatural deeds. When Macbeth his killed and
Malcolm takes the throne, the natural order is restored.
3.Evil is a disease: Like a disease, evil infects its victims and makes them sicken until they die. Once
Macbeth kills Duncan, he is committed to a course of lying and killing. His sense of right and wrong is
eaten away. Even before he is killed, Macbeth is dying of a diseased spirit.
4. Ambition, when in access can lead to one’s downfall. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth seems to
be a brave, noble, and loyal thane. For his desire to become King, he is willing to turn his back on what
he knows to be right. Lady Macbeth, because of her ambition for her husband, uses all her strength and
intelligence for evil purposes.
5. Nothing is as it appears to be. The witches’ predictions sound like good news; actually, they lead to
death and destruction. Macbeth and his wife seem like gracious hosts; actually they are plotting
murder. The Macbeths appears to achieve their hearts’ desires; in reality they only gain torment and
death.
6. One should trust destiny to a higher power. After encountering the three witches, Macbeth tries to
take fate into his own hands, and that action brings him nothing but grief. Malcolm, on the other hand
trusts that all things will work out.
Imagery in Macbeth
Blood imagery is used to convey guilt, murder, betrayal and evil. Macbeth is concerned about the blood
on his hands after Duncan’s murder, while Lady Macbeth frets over the spots of blood on her hands
much later in the play.
Sleep imagery and sleeplessness show that Macbeth realizes that peace is associated with sleep and
therefore because of his guilt, he has no peace of mind and therefore will not sleep. His inability to
sleep shows his mental anguish and ironically Macbeth is jealous of him.
Tailoring Imagery conveys the idea that something is not suited or does not belong to someone that has
been acquired by them. At first Macbeth worries that as he is called the Thane of Cawdor, he is being
‘dress in borrowed robes”(1.2.109), however, later, Angus says Macbeth’s title “Hangs loose about him,
like a giant’s robe/Upon a dwarvish thief “ (5.2.20). Macbeth has taken and worn a crown that does not
rightfully belong to him and references to clothing throughout the play present the image of a title that
does not fit.
Darkness imager y and the absence of light fills the play. Evil is associated with darkness and both
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth call upon darkness to hide their evil deeds. Most of the wrong-doings occur
under cover of darkness or night. The witches or weird sisters are associated with darkness. Macbeth
asks the stars to ‘hide their fires’ so as not to see his ‘black and deep desires’. The candles in heaven are
all out the night of Duncan’s murder according to Banquo, these reinforce the idea of good vs. evil.
Nature is a predominate image in the play. It c an be linked with other major examples of imagery in the
play. There is a regular use of plant imagery. For example, Banquo asks the witches to ‘look into the
seeds of time/ And say which grain will grow and which will not (1.3).
Water imagery- supports the theme of guilt, remorse and the need for forgiveness.