William Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’, written in the 1600’s, displays the dramatic effect that greed and power can have on not just a person, but a country. The promise of kingship from the mysterious witches catapults Macbeth into a downwards spiral of his desperate search for power. Which ultimately leads to the fall of Scotland, and the death of Macbeth. Through the use of his language, Shakespeare describes the journey of a lost soul, who watches his deepest desires tear apart his mind in front of him, and how this unfortunate and unbreakable path has been set by fate. To do this Shakespeare uses key language features such as metaphors, imagery, and Irony to get across his central concepts surrounding the dangerous effect greed can have on a person, and to enhance the audience’s emotions and understanding of the play.

Greed has the potential to control peoples actions and thoughts. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare displays this effect on Macbeth by using carefully thought out metaphors. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is happy and satisfied with where he stands, (Thane of Glamis). However, after being met by the three witches this all changes. He is told by the creatures that he will rise through the ranks and eventually become king. Due to this, Macbeth slowly changes into a soul who is almost entirely controlled by greed. “Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires;” These lines were spoken aside by Macbeth in Act 1, Scene 4. In this quote, Macbeth is ordering the stars to hide his dark greed from light. This is a useful metaphor which Shakespeare has used to further our understanding of the Macbeth’s feelings. Macbeth is telling the stars to ‘hide’ their fires, he is telling them to not shine down on the evil which he is filled with. Macbeth is beginning to become convinced that the witches prophecies, (Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, and then the king), could be true, as he has just been told by the king that he is now the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is telling the stars to hide his greed as just the thought of kingship is literally driving him crazy, he can’t help but think that King Duncan will have to die in order for Macbeth to take the crown. Shakespeare specifically used this quote as it would not only give the audience more understanding of the character Macbeth, but would also introduce to the audience the dark power which grows throughout the play; and how the darkness which is lit up by the stars transforms Macbeth into a broken soul.

In the play ‘Macbeth’, William Shakespeare uses the unique language feature of imagery to get across to the audience his more evil concepts. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses the idea of dark imagery to show how disturbed and evil Macbeth has become after being overcome with greed. He begins to be filled, and surrounded by a powerful darkness, which seems to follow and even influence him. By using dark imagery Shakespeare also reveals that Macbeth’s greed affects the people around him, for instance, Lady Macbeth. “Come thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry, “Hold, hold!”” – Lady Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 5. This quote is a perfect example of Shakespeare’s use of dark imagery to display the effect that Macbeth has had on the people around him. Lady Macbeth has just found out that the King will be visiting her and Macbeth, she believes that this is fate giving them the opportunity to kill King Duncan on a silver platter. Shakespeare has made sure to place a heavy presence of darkness within Lady Macbeth’s quote. She is commanding the “thick night” to cover them in the “smoke of hell”. These two objects are intense examples of darkness, she is asking the thick night to bring her the darkest night possible, so she can’t see the horrors that she is committing while defying god himself, (“That my knife see not the wound it makes,”). In the quote, Lady Macbeth also speaks of a dark blanket, and how it is like a curtain concealing her actions from God, she doesn’t want god to see her and Macbeth’s greed and evil. This also relates to the quote analysed in the paragraph above, how Macbeth asks the stars not to shine on his evil intentions. By using these extreme language features within the play, Shakespeare displays the amount of greed which has flooded Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and how the severity of their actions sporadically jumps when they are given the option for them to become the King and Queen of Scotland.

Shakespeare uses Irony in the play ‘Macbeth’ to show the deterioration of Macbeth himself, the people around him, and the fall of Scotland. The biggest example of Shakespeare’s use of Irony in the play is the kingship. After defying god by killing King Duncan due to his dark greed, Macbeth finally gains the crown, but at a great cost. Macbeth’s mind slowly falls to pieces in front of the audience as he realises that what he has done wasn’t worth it. Macbeth was told by the three witches that he would be unable to have children to become king, and in Act 3, he finally comes to terms with what they said. “They hailed him father to a line of kings. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, And put a barren sceptre in my gripe, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand,” – Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 1. Shakespeare displays the language feature of Irony perfectly in this quote. Macbeth went to great lengths to secure his name under the throne, and now, is filled from toe to crown with anger and rage against not just Banquo, but also himself. He is enraged that he let himself be given this “fruitless crown”, and he is furious at Banquo for having the role to become the father of kings. Shakespeare uses the language feature of irony to communicate to the audience that Macbeth was sure that he would be happy with his kingship, but now is the opposite, he is unhappy with where he is, and wants even more than the kingship. He can feel his own mind being controlled by greed, and so can the audience. Shakespeare’s use of Irony in the play aids the audience in understanding the painful search for Macbeth’s happiness and satisfaction.

To summarise, William Shakespeare’s use of language features within the play ‘Macbeth’, draw out the audiences emotions and help them create a much clearer image in their heads of the complicated ideas which are present in the play. By using these ideas William displays the transformation of the character ‘Macbeth’, from a brave, selfless soul, “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)” – Captain, Act 1, Scene 2, to an evil being, who has been taken over by greed, “I am sick at the heart,” – Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 3. The metaphors in ‘Macbeth’ are used by Shakespeare to compare the characters emotions to events which represent evil, such as the night time. Also present in the play is Shakespeare’s complex imagery of darkness. This darkness is referenced to many times by most of the main characters in the play, Shakespeare uses the dark imagery in Macbeth to communicate to the audience that as the play continues and Macbeth is filled with more and more greed, a powerful and evil darkness surrounds, and even over powers him. Finally, Irony is used by Shakespeare to reveal the never ending effect that greed has on humans. Macbeth is never satisfied with where he stands, even after killing the king, he is unhappy. Shakespeare uses the language feature of Irony to describe this taking place on Macbeth. By using all of the above language features, Shakespeare takes the play to a higher level, and furthers the audiences understanding of the play, ‘Macbeth’, and how the factors of greed and power, can tear apart a country.