Noise In Macbeth Essay, Research Paper
Shakespeare was a highly accredited author of several famous plays. He mastered many elements of writing including that of foreshadowing. He used foreshadowing to enrich some of his most famous works. Shakespeare utilized the element of noise in order to foreshadow major turning points and key ideas in the play Macbeth. Perhaps the most important turning point in Macbeth occurred when Macbeth murdered Duncan in Act II. This turning point was foreshadowed by a knell. Lady Macbeth rang a bell to indicate to Macbeth that it was time to kill Duncan. Macbeth referred to the bell as a bell [that] invites me. (II, I, 62) he warned Duncan it is a knell that summons thee to heaven, or to hell . (II, I, 63) The bell in this scene is an object that represents death, or more specifically, the death of Duncan. Immediately following the murder of Duncan, Macbeth returned to Lady Macbeth. While Lady Macbeth was waiting for her husband to return, she became uneasy. She believed she heard a noise. When Macbeth returned from his deed, both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were obviously disturbed. Macbeth asked, Didst thou not hear a noise? (II, ii, 14) Lady Macbeth replied I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. (II, ii, 15) Here, noise represented terror. These lines spoken between the couple signified the start of a long guilt-ridden life. Their paranoia never ceased. Guilt is a prevalent conflict that Macbeth dealt with internally. Guilt controlled both his mind and senses. The paranoia of Macbeth was displayed when he asked himself Whence is that knocking? How is t with me, when every noise appalls me? (II, ii, 57) The knocking Macbeth heard was his heart beating rapidly at his ribs. He
lost control of reasoning and began to slightly hallucinate. This was the first sign of the demise of Macbeth. Later in the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth became very ill. She was found sleepwalking and muttering nonsense. The nonsense she muttered can be interpreted to foreshadow her death. When Lady Macbeth spoke the words To bed, to bed! There s a knocking at the gate. (V, I, 68), she was speaking literally and metaphorically. One interpretation of these lines could possibly be that the gate was her life and the knocking represented death. Soon after she muttered these words, she died. The death of Lady Macbeth and the insanity of Macbeth were apparent when she died. When Lady Macbeth was found dead, women were heard crying. Macbeth responded to the cry obliviously. He asked What is that noise? (V, v, 8) His mind did not register crying, which is a very common and general emotion. Macbeth s inability to register noise and emotions was a sure sign that something was amiss in his head. The element of noise was also shown through language and pronunciation. The ruin of Macbeth was foreshadowed when a young soldier insulted him. Young Siward told Macbeth that the devil himself could not pronounce a title more hateful to mine ear. (V, vii, 6) The fact that a young soldier disrespected the king displayed the eventual ruin of Macbeth. The play ended when Macbeth was defeated. Alarms foreshadowed this defeat. The captions in the play prompted alarms. Alarms in Macbeth signified panic. Macbeth panicked when he found out that Birnam Wood was actually approaching Dunsinane. He was aware of the nearing defeat at that point. Noise in the play Macbeth is somewhat of an obscure form of foreshadowing. The motifs and metaphors in this play interlock like the pieces of a puzzle. When analyzed deeply, noise is apparent as a major element of foreshadowing in the play Macbeth.