Macbeth: Serpentine Imagery Essay -- essays research papers

The snake has long been used as a symbol of sly subtlety. A serpents presence has been characterized by cunning cynicism dating as far back as biblical times, when the snake persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of Edens garden. even so the phrase snake in the grass expresses latency. Shakespeare uses this treacherous reptile in Macbeth to convey the same evil. In his poetic prose, Shakespeare may not speak of a characters malevolence directly rather, he alludes to it through serpentine imagery. Macbeth contains four separate images of this type. What is their purpose, and what do they signify? A deep undercurrent of kernel flows beneath each image. In act one, scene five, Lady Macbeth tries to instill invisible evil into herself and her husband in preparation for Duncans murder. She asks for supernatural unsexing, for a thickening of her blood that will stop up th access and passage to remorse. She fears her husband is too weak to murder Duncan, which she believes is Macbeths only avenue to the crown. After tauntingly questioning her husbands manhood, she convinces him to follow her gory plan and gives him instructions to do so. To beguile the time, look like the time. Bear incur in your eye, your hand, your tongue. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under t. She says that to succeed, they must feign mediocrity amongst their guests, concealing their sinister desires. Appearing convening will not invoke suspicions. The serpent Lady Macbeth s...