Friday, December 26, 2014

What type of imagery is Lady Macbeth using in her last speech in Act One Scene Six?

Lady Macbeth's lines in this particular scene don't really include any traditional examples of imagery. However, we could make the argument that Lady Macbeth uses a form of financial imagery to evoke the "honors" that the king has bestowed upon her family. Her speech says that everything they have is "in compt," which means something like "in account" of him. They "make their audit," that is, render up what they owe, at the King's pleasure. Here, financial language creates a form of imagery that illustrates the debt, both real and abstract, that the Macbeths owe King Duncan. Lady Macbeth uses this language to ingratiate herself to the king. Her obsequies are intended to lull Duncan into a false sense of security and to encourage him to feel at home among the Macbeths, to whom he has also professed his love. She has already advised her husband to "look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." With this speech, she is doing exactly that, and revealing herself to be devious in the extreme. 

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