How Does Shakespeare Use Punctuation In Macbeth

The play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare makes use of many techniques in order to convey the downfall of the tragic main character, Macbeth. Through the use of techniques such as aside, adjectives and punctuation, Shakespeare enforces the message of the play to show Macbeth’s transition from a war hero into a murderer.

In the opening scenes of the play, William Shakespeare presents Macbeth as an honorable war hero and courageous fighter. Through the use of dialogue, such as “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)”, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a ruthless warrior who will stop at nothing to defend his country. In “O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!”, the playwright uses punctuation to exaggerate the idea of Macbeth’s honorable
As the witches predict Macbeth’s future in “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!”, punctuation is used to emphasize the significance of the prophecy, as well as plant a seed within Macbeth’s mind. As Macbeth realises what he must do to become King, the composer uses aside in “Stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”. The witches’ predictions open a door within Macbeth’s mind that allows dark thoughts to grow, and is shown within this aside. Macbeth asks for his dark desires to be concealed from the eyes of anyone with good intentions, implying that he is considering completing a sinister deed. Although the witches plant the initial dark seeds in Macbeth’s mind, they are cultivated by Lady Macbeth through her persuasive words and manipulation of Macbeth’s
She manipulates his pride in order to persuade him to kill King Duncan, and acts as his evil conscience to corrupt the good that is left in him. In the lead up to committing the deed, Lady Macbeth calls on the spirits through dialogue to “unsex” her and make her blood thick, asking to become as strong as a man. She begs for everything womanly to be taken away from her, for the murdering ministers to come to her woman’s breasts and take her milk for gall. This symbolises her need to remove anything within her that gives life, leaving only her power to kill and manipulate. Once she harbors the strength and masculinity of a man, she manipulates Macbeth by challenging his manhood. After they complete the first murder, Lady Macbeth announces “my hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart to white”. This piece of dialogue relates to Macbeth’s pride, as she expresses disgust for Macbeth’s cowardly ways. By saying this, Lady Macbeth causes Macbeth to feel the need to prove himself to her, ultimately by committing even more murders. By challenging his pride, Lady Macbeth is the driving force behind the insane murderer Macbeth evidently becomes. The comments she makes lead to a desensitising of Macbeth’s initially good conscience, allowing him to continue in his murdering ways without feelings of