Macbeth LRJ 5

Macbeth LRJ 5
Jake Wythers
Ms Peifer
10 IB Hour Five
3/4/09

1. The most important theme in this act is the completion of prophecies. At the beginning of the okay, the Three Witches divined two prophecies, and both came full circle in this act. The Witches told Macbeth that no one born of a woman could harm him. Macbeth assumed then he was safe, as every man was born from a woman. However, the reciprocal of the prophecy proved true when Macduff, "Macduff was from his mother's womb/ untimely ripped" (5.8 15-16) struck the blow to end Macbeth's life. The second prophecy said that Macduff would never be vanquished until the Great Birnam Wood come to his castle on Dunsinane Hill. In Act Five, Macbeth's enemies shielded themselves with branches from the forest, and "The wood began to move" (5.5.35). Hence the reciprocal of the final prophecy came true as well.

2. An important image pattern in Act Five and a recurring image from the whole play is blood. Blood has been used to signify guilt throughout the story and in this act it does as well. In Act Five, Lady Macbeth has gone crazy with her guilt from the crimes she and her husband have commited. She objectifies her guilt by imagining blood covering her. "Out, damned spot! Out,I say!"(5.1 36) Lady Macbeth hallucinates that she is covered in the blood of those who she has caused the death of. This shows that blood continues to be a key image pattern signifying guilt.