Macbeth Irony Essay -- essays research papers

MACBETH & DRAMATIC IRONY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story of Macbeth written by the infamous William Shakespeare is an excellent storyline known and taught as a great piece of literature. Even after the creation of this tale almost 400 years ago, this wonderful written work is still admired and known all over the world. It is an adventure of a noble and truthful hero who is overcome by the lust for power and by greed. His aroused hunger for authority and supremacy leads to him losing his path and turning to the way of malice. The play progresses, as this character plays deeper and deeper into Satan’s evil hand. Through the growth of this malevolent character, the story grows and develops as well. Each and every move this character makes affects someone directly or indirectly, making him the centrepiece of the play. Shakespeare uses many literary devices in the play including dramatic ones to contribute to the advancement of the story and its characters. One of the most used dramatic devices in this play is dramatic irony. This mechanism predicts the events that are to occur by giving the audience a foresight of something that has not yet taken place but will eventually be fulfilled. Through the audience’s knowledge of trials and tribulations for different characters, the story becomes even more mysterious and interesting. Dramatic irony is used so often in the play that almost every major event like war and death is foretold, the theme is further developed and the audience is kept in suspense and anxiety. Such events occurred when Macbeth was crowned Thane of Cawdor, when regicide was committed against King Duncan by Macbeth, when the porter of Macbeth’s home pretended to be the gatekeeper of hell and also when Macbeth ordered his servants to kill Macduff. These parts not only grow the characters’ roles but also make the story even more exciting and leave the audience hungry for more action. They also introduce us to the themes of the play such as the deadly st rength of unbridled ambition and even differences between brutal tyranny and fair monarchy. Every one of these scenes is significant because they develop Macbeth’s character and expand the storyline and theme of the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Power is a very important factor of everyday life. Throughout the ages, from kings to presidents, and even before that mankind has always b... ...howed that Macbeth was no monarch but a brutal heartless tyrant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dramatic irony is used many times throughout the play to intensify the themes of the story. This dramatic device can be found when Macbeth was given the title thane of Cawdor, when Macbeth murdered the king, when Macbeth’s castle’s porter acted as if he was the porter of the gates of hell and also when Macbeth ordered his servants to kill Macduff. These dramatic ironies also support the themes of the play such as the deadly strength of unbridled ambition and differences between tyranny and monarchy. Through these scenes, foresight was given to the audience on events that were going to happen but it did not reveal how they would occur. This element made the story even more interesting and exhilarating by leaving the mind of spectators to imagine the events yet to occur and be surprised to see how they really occur in the play. As the character of Macbeth developed further, the story became much more fascinating and the audience was kept anxious. This is a wonderful work that is performed on stages everywhere and the name of William Shakespeare continues to be heard throughout the world.