A metaphor in which shakepeare uses is “With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design” is very useful in examining Macbeths internal struggle as it shows his changing attitudes towards the murder of Duncan. ‘Tarquin’ was a early king of Rome, famous for the rape of Lucretia which is noted as being very stealthy, which shows notable comparisons with Macbeths attitude on the Murder of Duncan. He is viewing it less as a necessary evil to satisfy his ambition and more as an fantasised killing. It also shows how Macbeth is becoming more obsessive over the killing, giving it fantastical elements. This could also be used by Macbeth as a means of justifying the killing, creating a narrative around it which could distance himself from the real act.
November 3, 2016 at 1:13 pm
The fact you’ve researched the historical reference and then used this knowledge to form a nuanced conclusion about what this infers about Macbeth’s internal motives is genuinely impressive, Fraser. Awesome.