macbeth act 5

• last macbeth death topic sentence

  Pitiful moment of realisation for Macbeth, exposed to hollowness of witches’ prophecy and futility of the mental turmoil he has been through
• lady macbeth death - “life is but a walking shadow”

  • “Life is but a walking shadow… it is a tale… signifying nothing”
  • Noun “tale” extends idea which influence was an ominous nursery rhyme
  • Spoken in trochaic tetrameter and rhyming couplets which almost parody her dialogue
  • Engaged in serious, childlike meeting to cause turmoil on Macbeth – he is slowly realising this – acknowledges he is on a “stage” for witches’ entertainment
• lady macbeths death - “candle” “shadow”


  • Macbeth’s lexis creates a semantic field of transience
  • Nouns “candle” and “shadow” are impermanent and fragile – easily extinguished
  • Macbeth undergoes two moments of anagnorisis in Act 5
  • First being realisation of futility of his actions as he consequently submits himself to nihilism
  • Retreats to ingrained role of soldier – enters a battle knowing fate will likely not work in his favour – act of martyrdom – has been exploited by witches and submits himself to a death out of self-pity
• battle with macduff topic sentence

  Interrogates Macbeth’s internal division between guilt, unjustified confidence and a propensity towards violence
• macduff battle - “my soul is tooo much charged with blood of time already”


  • His guilt begins to surface
  • “My soul is too much charg’d with blood of thine already”
  • Maintains sense of humanity, has capacity for remorse
  • Reiterates notion that Macbeth must remain somewhat relatable
  • Begins with elevated confidence – cannot be killed by man of “woman born” yet macduff reveals he was ”untimely ripped“ or born by caesarian section
  • moment of anagoris strips him of hubris and tenancy
  • instrinsic cowardice which lady macbeth formerly ridicules rises to surface again
  • charecterised as tragic hero
• anagnorisis

  • First after murder of Duncan – becomes hallucinogenic and goes into a state of panic
  • Realises his wife committed suicide, alluding to how his death will be imminent
  • When Macduff reveals he was not “of woman born”, is a clear moment of anagnorisis as Macbeth Knows his fortunes are no longer and his death is inevitable