What is an example of imagery, symbol, or diction in Act 1 of Macbeth?

The word "diction" simply means word choice. Shakespeare uses diction to create character. Duncan and Malcolm, for example, use educated speech; the three sisters, the simple repetitive language of spells or folk rhyme; and the Sergeant, more colloquial language appropriate to his background. 

The Sergeant's speech is an example of ekphrasis, or vivid description, using imagery to convey the quality of the battle and of Macbeth's fighting to the audience, as in the lines describing the violence of Macbeth's attack:

with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution

The most obvious use of symbolism is the use of numbers by the witches, which have significance as part of the numerological beliefs (deriving from Egyptian and Pythagorean traditions) underlying witchcraft and alchemy. Although in Christian context the number three most often symbolizes the Trinity, in this context it makes us think of darker chthonic triads such as the Fates and Furies (both being represented normally as three old women) and the moon goddess (who has three distinct aspects) often associated in the Renaissance with witchcraft.

What is an example of imagery, symbol, or diction in Act 1 of Macbeth?

Let us remember that imagery is any passage or section that paints a strong image with the words that it uses so that we are able to picture the scene in our head. Of course, a number of different techniques can be used to create good imagery, but have a look at this example from Act I scene 2, when the Sergeant describes to King Duncan what has been happening in the battle that he has just come from and the state of the two armies and their conflict:

Doubtful it stood;
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together
And choke their art.

The Sergeant chooses to use this excellent example of imagery to describe what is going on with the conflict. He compares both armies to two exahusted swimmers that are trying to wrestle with each other and choke the other, but are finding it difficult because they are so absolutely exhausted and have no energy left. Such imagery helps us to really visualise the action being described and to picture it in our mind's eye.

Can you provide an example of imagery in Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 3?

Imagery is a description of sensory information: it can be visual (describing something we might see), auditory (describing something we might hear), olfactory (describing something we might smell), tactile (describing something we might touch), or gustatory (describing something we might taste). When the first witch compares herself to "a rat without a tail," she uses a visual image (1.3.10). Further, she describes her plans to torture a sailor because his wife would not share her chestnuts with the witch, saying, "I'll drain him dry as hay" (1.3.19). In this line, she uses an image that is both visual as well as tactile; we can imagine what the dry hay looks like as well as what such dry hay would feel like to touch (as opposed to wet or damp hay). When Macbeth and Banquo enter and are confronted by the Weird Sisters, Banquo says,

You seem to understand
me
By each at once her choppy finger laying
Upon her skinny lips. (1.3.44-47)

This is another visual image, as we can envision the way the witches' chapped and wrinkled fingers and their skinny lips would look. Banquo uses another visual image when he says, "The earth hath bubbles, as the water has" as well (1.3.82).

Can you provide an example of imagery in Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 3?

The witches are very descriptive and use imagery to describe their doings.

Imagery is use of language to create a picture in the reader’s mind, or the audience’s mind in this case.  Imagery often takes the form of common figurative language like similes and metaphors.  A simile compares two things indirectly with “like” or “as” and a metaphor is a more direct comparison, saying something is something else.

An example of imagery can be found in the first witch’s speech.  She describes the sailor’s wife munching on chestnuts, which is a descriptive sensory detail that we can see and hear.  She also uses a simile.

But in a sieve I'll thither sail,
And, like a rat without a tail,
I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do. (Act 1, Scene 3)

When the witch describes herself as “like a rat without a tail” she is referring to her supposed clandestine travels.  She can possibly directly transform herself into a rat also, of course.  She is a witch!  In this case though, it is a simile because she says “like.” The other witch offers her a "wind" which may be literal or be a metaphor.  It may be that witches can conjure wind.

Another simile is used to describe the witches’ influence over Macbeth.  The first witch already has a plan for him.

 
I will drain him dry as hay

Hang upon his pent-house lid;
He shall live a man forbid:
Weary se'nnights nine times nine
Shall he dwindle, peak and pine (Act 1, Scene 3)

The witches are going to deliver the prophecies to Macbeth in order to put him off balance.  It is not entirely clear why they have chosen him, but all of their speeches seem to indicate that they desire mischief.  They are definitely making mischief in the kingdom by pitting Macbeth against Duncan!

Figurative language adds a lot to a play.  Since the witches are a source of mystery and interest, having them talk figuratively and use a lot of imagery helps establish their mystique.  The witches are making trouble, and seem to enjoy it.  We know that Macbeth is in for a wild ride.

Where is personification used in act 2 of Macbeth?

Figurative language is rich and full in Macbeth. The use of simile, metaphor and other devices, inclusing personification, add deep dimensions to the plot and the drama is intensified.

Personification is indicated when human qualities are attributed to inanimate objects, animals or even an idea. Apostrophe- where objects are actually addressed directly- and which is widely used in Macbeth, is a form of personification and often referred to as personification:

"Is this a dagger ...? Come, let me clutch thee! I have thee not, and yet I see thee still." (Apostrophe)

In Act II, i Banquo and Fleance cannot sleep. Banquo refers to the moon as "she"  obvioulsy using personification. He then goes on to mention the "husbandry in heaven" as apparently, ""heaven" is economizing - in other words, it's a dark night; somewhat foreshadowing what is to follow.

After murdering Duncan, Macbeth, in Act II.ii. 37, personifies sleep in a famous quote before he is fully committed to his murderous activities and is haunted by his actions:

"Macbeth does murder sleep" and  "that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care."

Macbeth is keen to set up Duncan's own sons for his murder and in Act II, iii.120, Donalbaine realizes that he may appear guilty:

"Where our fate, hidden in an auger hole, / May rush and seize us."

Personification then intensifies the plot in Act II.

Where does Shakespeare use metonymy in Macbeth, act 2, scene 1?

A metonymy is a figure of speech in which one word, object, or idea is substituted for another. The metonymy must be close enough related to the original word that the meaning of the substitution is obvious. To a certain extent, metonymies are like metaphors since one word is being substituted for another. The main difference is that metaphors involve the comparison of two otherwise different words. A metonymy, on the other hand, uses a word with a similar meaning to stand in for the original idea.

Let's look at a couple of examples of metonymies from act 2, scene 1 of Macbeth.

Towards the start of the scene, Banquo says, "And yet I would not sleep. Merciful powers / Restrain me in the cursed thoughts of nature / gives way to in repose" (2,1,8-10). In this case, merciful powers is a metonymy for angels.

Later in the scene, during the famous dagger soliloquy, Macbeth addresses the imaginary weapon that seems to float in front of him. He says that "it is the bloody business that informs / Thus to mine eyes" (2.1.49-50). Bloody business is a metonymy for murder.

Shakespeare could have simply chosen to use the word angels in the first instance and murder in the second. However, by employing these metonymies, he made the language more poetic and descriptive. They allow the characters to express their feelings and intentions in a more creative way than if they had used simpler language.

Are there examples of imagery, symbolism, themes, or motifs in Macbeth Act 3, Scene 5?

The motif here, though it is veiled, is arguably that the witches have only spurred Macbeth to do what he would have done anyway. Hecate is upbraiding the witches because of this; she in effect tells them that she was never consulted about Macbeth or enabled to "show the glory of our art." Macbeth, she says, is a wayward son who,

Spiteful and wrathful, who, as others do,

Loves for his ends, not for you.

Questions about Macbeth often involve the reason or ultimate motive for him to embark on his killing spree. Is it because of the witches or because of Lady Macbeth's urgings? The answer is neither; it's due to Macbeth's own nature. Hecate's speech symbolizes this theme of the play. On the one hand, crime is the result of an individual's failing and, more significantly, his choices; on the other, it's the result of some dark mystery at the heart of the world or at the heart of human nature. The witches are merely an adjunct, according to Hecate, fooling around on their own time without carrying out the business they are charged with.

Some may say the above amounts to over-interpretation. The themes of Shakespeare's plays, in general, are merely implicit and are unsystematically stated. The encounter between Hecate and the witches—like all the scenes in which the witches take part—is an interlude of a sort, musical and slightly (or more than slightly, depending on the production) comic. They speak in jingles, which though superficial in comparison with Shakespeare's blank verse, are almost a greater testament to his poetic skill. This scene is full of irony as well as humor. The tone of it and the imagery of these strange women conspiring among themselves are the opposite of the overall drift of the play. It is by this means of contrast, of throwing into relief the actual story of Macbeth's agony, that the play becomes even more effective.

Are there examples of imagery, symbolism, themes, or motifs in Macbeth Act 3, Scene 5?

Just before Hecate exits the scene, she says "And you all know, security is mortals' chiefest enemy" (III.v.32-33).  Here Hecate refers to one of the themes of the play--people's desire to feel safe often leads to their downfall.  Macbeth has been afraid that the witches' prophecy would not come true; his insecurity in part drove him to murder King Duncan to secure his place on the throne.  After this, Macbeth continues to commit ill acts to maintain his sense of security in his new position.  Macbeth begins to see friends as enemies, and he is suspicious of everyone.  His sense of insecurity clouds his mind and his better judgment, ultimately leading to his downfall.

What's an example of imagery from each scene in Act 5 of Macbeth?

Firstly, one needs to define the term in order to establish what one needs to look for. On a very basic level, imagery refers to the descriptions a writer uses to appeal to our physical senses. We should see, hear, feel, smell and taste what the author or the characters experience. In literature and poetry, imagery is much more complex and involves the use of figures of speech to appeal to the senses and even enhance the experience being described.

In each of the eight scenes of Act 5, Shakespeare utilizes a variety of figures of speech to appeal to our senses. In scene 1, the focus is on Lady Macbeth and her mental condition. When we first encounter her, she says the following:

Yet here's a spot.

and:

Out, damned spot! out, I say!

The 'spot' lady Macbeth sees is imaginary and symbolizes her guilt for the murder of King Duncan. It is a metaphor for her remorse in having committed such a heinous crime. Her trauma is later emphasized when she cries out:

Here's the smell of the blood still: all the
perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little
hand. Oh, oh, oh!

The use of exaggeration in this instance informs of the overwhelming regret she is feeling at this point. Lady Macbeth eventually commits suicide for she cannot bear the pain of her sin any longer.

In scene two, when Angus comments about Macbeth's current situation, he effectively uses metaphor and simile to describe what the tyrant is experiencing:

Now does he feel
His secret murders sticking on his hands;
Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach;
Those he commands move only in command,
Nothing in love: now does he feel his title
Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe
Upon a dwarfish thief. 

The metaphor in line two succinctly describes Macbeth's perfidy. Just like Lady Macbeth's 'spot', it is as if he cannot wash the blood of those he murdered from his hands. It is an unforgivable sin that he has committed. The fact that he feels his title 'hang loose' is metaphoric of the fact that Macbeth is losing control and his grip on those who once were loyal to him. The simile, 'like a giant's robe', emphasizes the point. Macbeth's lust for power has overwhelmed him and it has become an ill-fitting garb. He has metaphorically been dwarfed by his own power and ambition - he cannot sustain or maintain it any longer.

Scene three depicts both Macbeth's stubborn resolve and later, his anxiety:

... I cannot taint with fear...

The metaphor he uses refers to the fact that he cannot be fearful. Macbeth still believes in the witches' predictions and resolves that he therefore cannot be overcome by fear for any man for, 'none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.' later though, Macbeth states:

I have lived long enough: my way of life
Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf;

Macbeth realizes that his rule and the tyranny he has maintained has degraded and he uses a metaphor to compare his rule to a leaf which has turned yellow and is dying. He now accepts the fact that his tyranny is almost over. 

In scene four, Macduff uses appropriate metaphors to describe what has to be done:

Let our just censures
Attend the true event, and put we on
Industrious soldiership.

What he means is that their justified disapproval of Macbeth's tyranny should drive them on to deal with the removal of the tyrant (the true event). They must now become true, hardworking soldiers to remove Macbeth.

In scene five, upon hearing about his wife's death, Macbeth utters a remarkably poignant metaphor:

Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

The brevity of life is compared to that of a candle. Macbeth, through an extended metaphor also explains how meaningless life is and that our existence is shallow for we only put on a show and we do it all for nothing. He compares us to inept actors who play our roles badly, presenting ourselves in a foolish manner - all a purposeless exercise.

Scene six signifies Macduff's determination:

Make all our trumpets speak; give them all breath,
Those clamorous harbingers of blood and death.

Once again, a metaphor is used. Macduff asks that the soldiers blow their trumpets at full volume and compares them to messengers who loudly proclaim tidings of slaughter and execution, in this instance, the death of Macbeth and his supporters. 

In scene seven, the older Siward informs Malcolm that they are on the verge of success in the battle against the tyrant, Macbeth:

... The day almost itself professes yours,
And little is to do.

he uses personification. It is as if the day itself (an allusion to the battle), has declared Malcolm's victory. There is little more to achieve to ensure success.

In the final scene, Macduff provides Macbeth with a shocking revelation:

Despair thy charm;
And let the angel whom thou still hast served
Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb
Untimely ripp'd.

The witches had previously informed Macbeth that 'no man of woman born shall harm Macbeth.' Macduff has just informed him that he has been 'untimely ripped' from his mother's womb. The image is brutally descriptive of the fact that he had been prematurely cut from his mother's womb and had therefore not been born through natural process. Macbeth finally realizes that he had been deceived by the witches and curses them for such wicked duplicity. He refuses to surrender and bow to Malcolm's authority. Macduff kills him and then presents his head to Malcolm later.    

What's an example of imagery from each scene in Act 5 of Macbeth?

Throughout the final Act of Macbeth there are numerous instances of imagery in each of the scenes.  However, the predominant imagery that comes across in the entirety of the Act is first the violence of impending war time as Malcolm, MacDuff and their armies approach Macbeth's castle, and then the imagery that is associated with the emotions that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth feel during the final moments of their lives.  These two opposing styles of images help reinforce the central themes of the play regarding the evil deeds that one does in order to attain power or pursue ambition.  

In the first scene, Lady Macbeth suffers from pervasive mental illness which is marked by her continuously washing imaginary blood from her hands.  This imagery of hand washing is paired with her continuously seeking out the light.  These visual images reinforce the guilt that she feels over the evil things that she and Macbeth have done in order to gain power.  

In scene II, the images of impending war open the scene with the flourishing colors that represent the army.  Moreover, the overall discussion of war time preparations serve as the primary source of imagery here.

In scene III, the primary imagery within this section of the text is color related.  There are many references to white and pale yellow which suggest fear and cowardice.  These color images serve to develop the sense of panic that Macbeth begins to feel but attempts to put off.  This is also ironic because he spends much of the scene accusing others around him of being afraid.  

In scene IV, there is not much imagery to speak of.  Again, war time preparations are the primary source of imagery.

In scene V, the shriek of Lady Macbeth's suicide serves as the primary auditory imagery and the visual images of the moving wood towards the castle serves as the primary visual imagery.  These two events begin to cause Macbeth's unraveling and ensure his downfall.  Moreover, the imagery here of candles and shadows reinforce a deeper meaning about the frailty of existence and give one of Shakespeare's most lasting messages within the play.  

In the final scene bloody and violent imagery is the most important and serves to end the play with Macbeth's demise.  The image of Macbeth being be-headed is an important and lasting one to close out the play.  

What examples of personification in Macbeth add interest to the play?

In Act II Scene I we find this double personification:

and wither'd Murder,
Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf,
Whose howl's his watch,

Murder is depicted as the lord of a castle, and the wolf as a human sentinel who calls at regular intervals like a night watchman.

Two personifications are to be found in the following lines from Macbeth's soliloquy in Act I Scene VII

that his virtues
Will plead like angels trumpet-tongued against
The deep damnation of his taking-off,
And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, 

Duncan't virtues are likened to angels and pity is likened to a naked infant exposed to the strong, cold winds.

Later in Act I Scene VII, when Macbeth tells his wife he will not go through with the murder, she asks:

What beast was't then
That made you break this enterprise to me?

What examples of personification in Macbeth add interest to the play?

Macbeth is a centuries old account of what unchecked ambition, greed and total self-absorption can do to a person. It has a modern ring to it because so many people today are unaware of reality, living in their own version of it and unable to cope when challenged by either good or bad fortune. Macbeth, himself, has the same problem. He has succeeded in battle and is being lauded by his peers and even his king and yet he still manages to twist the circumstances and ruin several lives in the process.

We first meet Macbeth in unusual circumstances and, without delay, the plot begins to develop. Banquo is clearly affected by the vision of the witches and talks to Macbeth of "The insane root That takes the reason prisoner."(I.iii.84-85) This quote basically sums up how all measure of logic will be ignored in Macbeth, with disastrous consequences. It's importance becomes obvious later as Lady Macbeth goes insane and Macbeth's visions become increasingly absurd.

After his initial panic at having murdered Duncan, Macbeth has a false confidence so much so that he intends to have Banquo murdered and seems quite proud that his has orchestrated this without Lady Macbeth's assistance. He thinks she will be so proud of him and "applaud the deed" and calls upon night- as if a person- to "Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day, And with thy bloody and invisible hand Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond Which keeps me pale."(III.ii.46-50) He is aware that Banquo remains a threat, which admittedly scares him but he does not stop to think of the consequence of murdering Banquo. This quote reveals Macbeth's irrational thoughts and inability to see the whole picture. From his great achievements and obvious strategic prowess on the battlefield, he is now unable to think beyond each individual act.   

This also reinforces one of the famous instances of personification as Macbeth laments Lady Macbeth's death: "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage..."(V.v.24-25) He believes that Lady Macbeth was not allowed to reach her full potential and is saddened by the futility of life. This is full of irony as it seems Macbeth still does not recognize his own part in her downfall.

There is a thread to all of these quotes which audiences would have and still do appreciate which is why they contribute to the play as a whole. There is a serious lesson to be learnt in leading a life of selfishness and conceit.  

What examples of personification in Macbeth add interest to the play?

As has already been stated, personification is a literary device in which, as Dr. Wheeler phrases it, "abstractions, animals, ideas, and inanimate objects are given human character, traits, abilities or reactions" (Dr. Wheeler, "Literary Terms and Definitions: P"). Dr. Wheeler gives us an example from Sylvia Plath's poem "The Moon and the Yew Tree" in which Plath describes the moon as having a "face in its on right" (Dr. Wheeler). Definitely many examples of personification can be found all throughout Shakespeare. Several more examples can be found in even the first act alone.

One example can be seen immediately after the three witches disappear after having given Macbeth and Banquo their prophecy that Macbeth shall become both Thane of Cawdor and king. The witches vanish so mysteriously and suddenly that both Banquo and Macbeth stand amazed. Banquo is the first to speak of their amazement when he compares the witches' disappearance to bubbles, saying that the earth possesses bubbles that disappear, just like bubbles in water disappear. Since he is describing the earth as having ownership, he is also describing the earth as having a human characteristic, as we see in his lines:

The earth hath bubbles as the
water has,
And these are them. Wither
are they vanish'd? (I.iii.)

This use of personification to describe the mysterious disappearance of the witches is important in that the supernatural is a dominant theme in Macbeth. One major question in Macbeth is whether or not we are guided by our own personal choices or by things like fate and the supernatural. The presence of the witches and their mysterious disappearance helps set up the supernatural aspect of the theme.

A second example of personification can be found in this same scene (I.iii) when Banquo responds, "What, can the devil speak true?" Banquo says this in reaction Ross, who has just informed both Banquo and Macbeth that Ross has been sent by the king to bring Macbeth to the king and call Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. Calling Macbeth Thane of Cawdor is a fulfillment of the witches' first prophecy. This is a perfect example of personification because the devil has become understood as an abstraction of evil; the devil has also become understood as a being but specifically a being with only one character trait--the trait of being evil. Hence, to ask if the devil has spoken the truth is a means of personifying the devil with the human ability to both understand and speak truth, which is not something the devil is typically capable of. This example of personification is significant because, again, it captures the theme of the supernatural but also captures a second theme--the theme concerning the significance of prophecy and predestination. Other major questions that arise from Macbeth concern the influence of prophecy, particularly, the questions can be raised, did Macbeth fall as a man because he was prophesied to fall as part of his predestination? Or did he fall simply because he heard the prophecy and then made his own personal choices?

What examples of personification in Macbeth add interest to the play?

The previous answer does list some of the most memorable examples of personification in Macbeth by William Shakespeare, though of course you also asked for some commentary regarding their significance in the play. Personification is giving human qualities or characteristics to things which are not living or not human, and there are many examples in this play.

Lady Macbeth is quite a dramatic and memorable woman, and the things she says are often rather outrageous, which is in keeping with her personality. In Act I of the play, she has just read the letter her husband sent her about the witches' predictions and says this:

Stars, hide your fires!

Let not light see my black and deep desires.

This is an excellent example of personification because the imagery is as dramatic as the intent. She is asking the stars to do the impossible, to hide her ambition (her "black and deep desires") from the rest of the world. Of course a star is a grand and powerful object compared to a mere mortal, yet Lady Macbeth presumes to command them to obey her will. Even more, she is asking them to be complicit (participatory) in her deception and change the entire pattern of the world (make dark what is supposed to be light) just for her. 

It seems like an outrageous request, and her arrogance is rather astonishing. In the end, of course, no one but her husband does see this awful ambition in her eyes, so perhaps the stars did cooperate, though obviously not literally. This example of personification serves to show the size and scope of her ambition--only the stars are capable of hiding it.

Macbeth is a rather larger-than-life character, as well, making him the perfect match for Lady Macbeth. He is ferocious in battle, loyal to his king (at least until he wasn't), and a good enough actor to fool nearly everyone after Duncan's death. (Banquo is only suspicious because of the predictions.) 

Despite his valor in battle and his clear, overriding ambition, In Act II he is moved by guilt over what he and his wife are planning to do to Macbeth. In scene ii he has to go finish the job his wife was supposed to do, and when he returns from killing Duncan he is distraught:

Me thought I heard a voice cry "Sleep no more!

Macbeth doth Murder sleep"--the innocent sleep,

Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care,

The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath,

Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,

Chief nourisher in life's feast--

Sleep is personified several ways here. 

First, sleep is something that can be murdered, as Macbeth thought he heard someone say he has murdered it. Of course it is only his own guilt playing tricks on his mind, but the idea that Macbeth has murdered sleep is a great personification here. Sleep is representative of peaceful rest, and Macbeth has, indeed, killed that for Duncan.

Second, sleep is personified here as something that can heal the body by doing things a person can do. It knits up all the loose ends of worry and care into a neat edge or hem, it provides the balm (soothing ointment) which can heal "hurt minds" and it provides nourishment for every man's life. Obviously sleep is inanimate and can do none of these things on a literal level, but when it is personified, sleep is able to provide healing and peace--something Macbeth will not be able to find from this moment on in the play.

What are some examples of dark imagery in Macbeth?

In William Shakespeare's Macbeth the ambition for power leads to the dark and mysterious realm of witchcraft, murders, insomonia, and madness.  And, the imagery used to inspire the experiences of darkness and evil are abundant.

Certainly, the weather connotes sinister acts. For instance, the play opens with "fog and filthy air" as the three witches stir their cauldron and the captain describes the actions of the dauntless Macbeth:

For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--

Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel,

Which smoked with bloody execution. (1.2.16-19)

And, throughout the play there are storms, dark castles in which the candles are out (2.2,5), and murders in the night. As Lady Macbeth prepares to "unsex" herself in order to encourage Macbeth in his deadly deeds, she asks that heaven not "Peep through the blanket of the dark" (1.53)

Enthralled by the prophecies of the "instruments of darkness" as they win him with "honest trifles," Macbeth spends many a night of "curtained sleep" (2.2.51).

When Macduff and Lennox arrive at Macbeth's castle in Act II, Scene 3,  Lennox describes the night as "unruly," speaking of confusion.  He describes the earth as shaking the livelong night."  Ironically, Macbeth agrees, "'twas a rough night" (2.3.63).

The many dark images of night and its predominance in the play clearly suggest that evil abounds:

That darkness does the face of earth entomb. (2.4.

Banquo says in Act III that he

must become a borrower of the night

For a dark hour or twain.(3.1.27-28)

And, as he sends his murderers to kill Banquo, Macbeth comments,

Good things of day begin to droop and drowse (3.3.53)

In Act IV, Malcolm, determined to return to Scotland tells Macduff, "The night is long that never finds the day" (4.3.240). And, so it is for Macbeth whose many nights of murder have finally caused the madness of Lady Macbeth as well as that of Macbeth himself. 

What are some examples of dark imagery in Macbeth?

Macbeth is Shakespeare's bloodiest and darkest play, with its supernatural forebodings, revenge, bloody births, wanton cruelty, murder of women and children, and our tragic hero's beheading at the end.  The whole play is predicated on dark imagery, beginning with the witches' equivocations:

• Wicked / Evil Imagery: “Foul is fair and fair is foul”  (I.i); "Something wicked this way comes." (IV.i.45)

• Blood Imagery:  "Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valor’s minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave...[and] unseamed him (Macdonwald) from the nave to the chops and stuck his head upon the battlements.”

• Light / Dark Imagery:  “Let not light see my dark and deep desires”

• Gender Imagery: “Unsex me here”; “If you were a man…”

• Sickness Imagery: "If thou couldst, Doctor, cast The water of my land, find her disease And purge it to a sound and pristine health”

• Appearance vs. Reality Imagery: “Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t"

• Animal Imagery: There the grown serpent lies, the worm that’s fled Hath nature that in time will venom breed, No teeth for the present. (III.iv.29-31)

What are the quotes involving plant imagery in Macbeth?

You are right in identifying planting as a recurrent image throughout the play. There are many examples of where this image appears, but I will focus on three of the main occurrences.

Act I scene 4, lines 28-29:

I have begun to plant thee, and will labour

To make thee full of growing.

Act IV scene 1, lines 58-61:

                  ...though the treasure

Of nature's germens tumble all together,

Even till destruction sicken...

Act V, scene 8, lines 64-69:

              ....What's more to do,

Which would be planted newly with the time -

As calling home our exiled friends abroad

That fled the snares of watchful tyranny,

Producing forth the cruel ministers

Of this dead butcher and his fiendlike queen.

What you will want to do is examine how all instances of such imagery tie in to a central theme of the play: order vs. disorder. The first quote is from Duncan when he is talking how he will reward both Macbeth and Banquo for their loyalty and courage in battle. Under the system of "order", a king's duty was to reward faithful subjects to allow them to "flourish", which we see in his giving Macbeth a new title and other honours besides. However, in the second quote, we see Macbeth completely rejecting the natural "order" of things, wishing destruction upon his kingdom in order to gain knowledge from the witches. Lastly, Malcolm, having defeated Macbeth, re-establishes order in Scotland, and talks of calling back the exiles who have fled Macbeth's tyranny.

Therefore, the image of planting in the play is one that is used to help us examine the state of Scotland and is a kind of mirror that reflects the true nature of its leaders - obviously finding its nadir in the despotism of Macbeth.

How are plant metaphors used in Macbeth?

When Lady Macbeth and Macbeth speak about murdering the king, right after Macbeth returns home, she tells him to

Look like th' innocent flower,
But be the serpent under 't (1.5.76–77).

Here, she tells him to put on a show where he appears to be loyal and kind and good but is really devious and murderous. The plant metaphor is used to describe that outer appearance of goodness. Likewise, Duncan sows seeds of goodness, or so he thinks, in Macbeth and Banquo. He tells Macbeth, to whom he is so grateful,

I have begun to plant thee and will labor
To make thee full of growing (1.4.32–33).

When Duncan speaks kindly to Banquo, saying that he would "enfold" Banquo to his heart, Banquo responds,

There, if I grow,
The harvest is your own (1.4.37–38).

Again, all positives. Duncan is being so kind and generous, and Banquo is returning Duncan's kindness with another plant metaphor of his own. It seems, then, that in a great many examples from the text, plant metaphors are used to describe things that are positive and beneficial. They connote good feelings. In the end, Malcolm talks about all of the helpful things he plans to do to begin to restore Scotland to her former glory, listing them as things "Which would be planted newly with the time" (5.8.78). Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, of course, engage in an unnatural behavior, and it does not seem as though plants are ever connected with them once they perform this unnatural act.

How are plant metaphors used in Macbeth?

A metaphor is a comparison of two unlike things by saying one is the other.  Plants are often used as metaphors of growth, death, and decay.  In Macbeth, we see several examples of plants as a metaphor.  One such metaphor is used by Ducan in the first act.

I have begun to plant thee, and will labor

To make thee full of growing. (Act 1, Scene 4, p. 17)

Here Duncan suggests that he is working for Macbeth’s well-being.  He has begun to “plant” him for greater things.  By this he means he has given him a better title, Thane of Cawdor.  Macbeth interprets this as confirmation of the witches’ prophecies, however, and thinks Duncan is preparing him to be the next king.  He misinterprets Duncan’s metaphor, and his generosity.

What symbol accurately represents the character of Macbeth?

In determining a symbol that represents Macbeth, one may do well to consider the dominant personal traits that have become subverted by the hubris of this tragic character and let the symbol represent the common denominator among all these considerations.  For instance, Macbeth is a formidable warrior, he appreciates friendships, he has aspirations of greatness, he loves his wife, but he believes in the supernatural and he craves power.  It is, indeed, this "vaulting ambition" spurred by Lady Macbeth's attack upon his manhood that propels Macbeth onto his murderous path, blinding him to his loyalties and friendships and love.

With these things in mind, one suggestion for a symbol to represent Macbeth is that of a warrior (or an animal that is representative of bravery or force) wearing a blindfold, whose heart is displayed and blackened. However, if only one item can be used for Macbeth, then the blindfold is, perhaps, the most representative as Macbeth's noble nature and reason are blinded by the preternatural world of the witches as well as his cupidity and masculine pride.

Another idea for a symbol comes from the text of the play in which clothing is alluded to as symbolic of Macbeth. In Act I, Scene 3, after hearing the prophecy of the witches, Macbeth asks them,

.... Why do you dress me
In borrow'd robes?

In further parts of the play and, finally, in Act V, Scene 2, Angus refers to Macbeth's clothing:

Now does he feel his title
Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe
Upon a dwarfish thief.

So, Macbeth can be portrayed as wearing robes that do not fit him. Or a symbol of him can be " the dwarfish thief" itself, whose hands can be bloody.

What are some examples of disease imagery in Macbeth?

When Macbeth has decided that he no longer wants to go forward with Lady Macbeth's plan to kill King Duncan, Lady Macbeth does not take the news well. She gets very angry with him, berating and emasculating him, and calling him a coward. She asks him,

Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since?
And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? (1.7.39-42)

Lady Macbeth asks her husband if he was drunk earlier when he professed his hopefulness about their plan. Then, continuing with the idea of being drunk, she asks if he is now ill, as if hungover from too much drinking. This visual image of being "green and pale" describes the way a person might look when they suffer from a kind of sickness, like nausea.

Just a little while later, as Macbeth is on his way to kill Duncan, he hallucinates a dagger floating in the air before him. In the moment, he is trying to figure out if it is real or not. He asks,

Or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? (2.1.49-51)

He asks if the weapon is really ahead of him or if it is only in his mind, a hallucination created by a feverish mind. The tactile image of a "heat-oppressed brain" helps to convey how conflicted and stressed out Macbeth is by the murder he is about to commit; he seems to think that it is affecting his mental health.

What are some examples of disease imagery in Macbeth?

That is an interesting question! Shakespeare actually uses the idea of disease throughout the play as a metaphor for the corruption that has crept into Scotland in the form of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth on the throne.

Lady Macbeth talks of life as a "fitful fever" in Act III, scene ii:

Duncan is in his grave;
After life's fitful fever he sleeps well; (III.ii)

She also tells Macbeth he is "infirm of purpose" in Act II, scene ii, indicating that he is sick with regards to being afraid to follow through on their plans. 

Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures: (II.ii)

And in Act V, scene iii, Macbeth has a conversation with the doctor concerning whether or not a memory that is torturing someone can be plucked from their mind, thus curing the patient. The doctor replies, however, that the "the patient/Must minister to himself" - he (or she) has to repent to cure himself as that is not something a doctor can treat the way he would the body.

What symbols and imagery does Shakespeare use in Macbeth?

One of the most important repeated images in Macbeth is blood.  Blood is symbolic of violence and destruction in this play.

The first example of blood is found when the sergeant explains Macbeth’s heroics to Duncan.  He is described as injured and bloody.  This foreshadows blood and violence connected with Macbeth.  Blood is also imagery because it is used very descriptively in the dialogue, such as this line from Macbeth.

What hands are here? Ha, they pluck out mine eyes!

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood

Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather

The multitudinous seas incarnadine,Making the green one

red. (Act 2, Scene 2, p. 31)

This vivid image is used to connect us with the violent act, and to remind us of the blood motif.  Macbeth has killed Duncan, and his reaction is more a sign of his being afraid of being caught than experiencing guilt over the murder.

Lady Macbeth does experience guilt over her part in Duncan’s death.  In fact, she seems to lose her mind as a result of the guilt. 

Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One–two—

why then ’tis time to do't. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie!

A soldier, and afeard? … Yet who would

have thought the old man to have had so much blood in(35)

him? (Act 5, Scene 1, p. 77)

She also had blood on her hands, literally, when she took the daggers from Macbeth.  This blood becomes symbolic of the deed, and is figurative.  She cannot wash the blood from her hands.

Another symbol that is also a vivid image is Macbeth's head.  When Macduff kills Macbeth at the end, he holds up the head.

Hail, King! for so thou art. Behold where stands
The usurper's cursed head. The time is free. (Act 5, Scene 8, p. 90)

The head is symbolic of the end of Macbeth's tyranny.  Although it is not described in detail, one can picture it clearly.

What symbols and imagery does Shakespeare use in Macbeth?

There is of course a lot of imagery that is used in this play to describe the character of Macbeth. In particular, you might want to think about the various soliloquies he has and the kind of imagery that Shakespeare uses to help describe Macbeth, his feelings, and his situation. For example, in Act I scene 7, Macbeth uses the following imagery to describe his situation as he contemplates whether it is worth killing Duncan or not:

I have no spur

To prick the sides of my intent, but only

Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself

And falls on th'other--

The image here is of a man who jumps so high when mounting a horse that he actually doesn't land on the horse, but flies straight over and lands on the ground. Macbeth here suspects his "vaulting ambition," and begins to understand that being obedient to his ambition might not actually be the best thing he can do.

In the same way, one of the most moving and desperate images associated with Macbeth comes in Act V scene 5 when he hears of his wife's death and says:

Out, out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,

And then is heard no more: it is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

This is an incredibly moving speech as not only does it describe Macbeth's grief at his wife's death and also his sudden understanding of how temporary and meaningless power is, but also it communicates an incredibly desperate vision of life. These are just two of the images associated with the character of Macbeth, but there are plenty more to discover in this play.

What symbols in Macbeth represent Macbeth, excluding bloody hands and sleep?

There are many different symbols, found in William Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth, which one can align with the protagonist Macbeth.

As stated in the question, both bloody hands and sleep are symbols one can align with Macbeth. Outside of those, another important symbol is clothing.

Clothing references in Macbeth

Act I, scene iii:

The Thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me
In borrow'd robes?

Here, Macbeth is aligning his address as the Thane of Cawdor (by the witches) to his clothing. He refers to this address as if he were wearing the Thane's clothing and not his own.

Banquo solidifies this symbol by illuminating the reference even further. He, too, recognizes the title placed upon Macbeth through his use of the phrase "strange garments."

New honors come upon him,
Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould But with the aid of use.

Act I, scene vii:

When Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are speaking about the murder of Duncan, so that Macbeth can gain the throne, he states that he has just recently gotten his Thane of Cawdor title and does not want to give that up too quickly.

Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon.

Act II, scene iv:

Here, Macduff makes another clothing reference to Macbeth. He is not happy with the placement of the crown (with Macbeth) and is stating that he was far happier with his position under Duncan than Macbeth.

Well, may you see things well done there, Adieu,
Lest our old robes sit easier than our new!

Act V, scene ii:

In this scene, Angus makes another reference to Macbeth's clothing.

Now does he feel his title
Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe
Upon a dwarfish thief.

Angus hopes that Macbeth feels the weight of the world on his shoulders given he cannot "fit" into the robe of Duncan. The last part of the quote refers to both Macbeth's wrongful taking of the crown and his inability to be the real man he needs to be.

What imagery of blood, darkness, and disease is used in Macbeth?

For an example of death imagery, take a look at Act IV, Scene I, when the three witches are casting a spell. They list "finger of birth-strangled babe" as an ingredient in their potion. This image of a dead child emphasizes the dark and sinister nature of the witches' magic. It is also important in creating a dark, disturbing mood as the three women cast their spell.

Next, for an image of darkness, take a look at Act I, Scene IV, when Macbeth hears that Malcolm has been named as Duncan's heir. For Macbeth, this creates an obstacle on his path to becoming king, prompting him to create an image of the stars extinguishing their own brightness:

Stars, hide your fires;

Let not light see my black and deep desires.

Finally, for disease imagery, turn to Act V, Scene III, when Macbeth is talking with the doctor. In this image, Macbeth also personifies Scotland as a diseased person who is in need of a cure. Moreover, he compares the English to a disease which needs immediate treatment:

If thou couldst, doctor, cast

The water of my land, find her disease,

And purge it to a sound and pristine health...

What rhubarb, senna, or what purgative drug,

Would scour these English hence?

What imagery of blood, darkness, and disease is used in Macbeth?

Macbeth, 1.4: "Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires." (Macbeth is ashamed of his greed and treachery.)

Donalbain, 2.3: "Where we are, / There's daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood, / The nearer bloody." (Donalbain is fearful of Macbeth's manner and suspects he is up to no good.)

Macbeth, 2.2.: "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one red." (Macbeth reflects on his murderous deed.)

Macbeth, 3.4: "It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood: / Stones have been known to move and trees to speak; / Augurs and understood relations have / By magot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth / The secret'st man of blood." (Macbeth anticipating having to pay for his crimes.)

Lady Macbeth, 5.1: "Out, damned spot! out I say!" (Lady Macbeth's guilt makes it appear to her that she can never wash the crime of Duncan's blood off her hands.)

Macbeth: 5.3: "Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased...?" (To the doctor. He feels hopeless in the manifestation of his darkness.)

Discuss Shakespeare's use of imagery and figurative language in Macbeth. 

Shakespeare opens Macbeth with a scene rich in imagery that sets the tone for the play. Amid thunder and lightning, the witches are planning to meet on an unnamred battlefield (where they encounter Macbeth.) They sing:

Fair is foul, and foul is fair. 
Hover through the fog and filthy air.

This imagery foreshadows the course of the play, in which what it is clear that foulness is at work. Throughout the play, we often see blood, for example, on Macbeth's and his wife's hands after he commits the murders and she the cleanup. This blood comes to symbolize guilt later in the play, when Lady Macbeth, overcome by guilt, is sleepwalking in the famous "out, damn'd spot!" scene.  Blood thus symbolizes the actual brutality of Macbeth's actions as well as the guilt that he experiences. Banquo's ghost appears to Macbeth covered in blood, and of course, the dagger that points the way to Duncan's chamber is bloody as well. 

Darkness, blackness, and night are often used to symbolize evil, as in the weird sisters' dark gathering, and the act of concealing evil, such as when Macbeth asks for the "stars" to hide their fires so that his "black" desires will not be revealed to the world. 

What are some motifs and symbols in Macbeth that support the themes?

Like all of Shakespeare's best work, he uses a plethora of motifs to develop the themes and tie the work together structurally. Since the play is very much about violence, murder, and death, blood is one of the key motifs. Shakespeare uses blood both literally and figuratively. Much blood is spilled, but blood also becomes what the characters cannot escape. After several murders, Lady Macbeth's mind has become unsettled, and she is haunted by what she has done. Famously, she thinks her hands are covered in blood and is trying to wash them: "What will these hands ne'er be clean?" Macbeth too is tormented by the murders he has committed. At a banquet held at his castle, his former friend Banquo, whom he murdered, "appears" as a ghost or as a figment of Macbeth's imagination (it's open to interpretation). This is one of the first indications that murder leads to madness. He reproaches the ghost: "Never shake thy gory locks at me."

A final use of the blood motif is Macbeth's line "Blood will have blood," which refers to how, once killing starts, it can never stop. In other words, murder begets murder, and eventually, the blood spilled by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth comes back in the form of vengeance.

A second motif that recurs is that of clothing or "dressings" (like what a king wears). One of the themes is that Macbeth is an impostor and usurper, and so the role of king does not "fit" him, which is clear from Angus's line,

Now does he feel his title hang loose about him, like a giant's robe upon a dwarfish thief.

Macbeth himself is aware of this, recalling the witches' prophesy that he will have no progeny. In a soliloquy he refers to a "fruitless crown" and "a barren scepter." A third use of the clothing motif is when Macbeth first meets the witches, and they hail him as the Thane of Cawdor. He asks them, "Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?"

How is blood symbolized in the play Macbeth?

There are two places in Macbeth in which blood is used conspicuously. This may have been real blood from a recently slaughtered animal or some substance resembling blood. After the murder of King Duncan, Macbeth returns to his wife in Act 2, Scene 2 with his hands covered with blood. Shakespeare chose not to show the actual murder but to get the emotional effect of the terrible crime through showing what purports to be the King's blood. Macbeth is also carrying two blood-stained daggers. When his wife orders him to return the daggers to Duncan's chamber, Macbeth tells her:

I'll go no more.
I am afraid to think what I have done;
Look on't again I dare not.

So Lady Macbeth takes the daggers back to Duncan's chamber in order to incriminate the two drugged grooms. She returns with her own hands smeared with blood and shows them to her husband, saying:

My hand are of your color, but I shame 
To wear a heart so white.

It seems likely that she would rub one hand after the other across the front of her nightgown as she says these words. In addition to showing a lot of blood, there is also a lot of talk of blood in this harrowing scene.

Another place where blood is used conspicuously is in Act 3, Scene 4 when the ghost of the murdered Banquo shows up at the Coronation Banquet. We know he must be a ghost because we have seen him murdered. The First Murderer also appears to assure Macbeth that Banquo is truly dead. In this scene the actor playing Banquo's ghost would be familiar to the audience, but his clothing and his hair would be drenched in blood. When Macbeth reacts with horror to the sight, he speaks these words:

Blood hath been shed ere now, i’ the olden time,
Ere humane statute purged the gentle weal;
Ay, and since too, murders have been perform'd
Too terrible for the ear. The time has been,
That, when the brains were out, the man would die,
And there an end; but now they rise again,
With twenty mortal murders on their crowns,
And push us from our stools. This is more strange
Than such a murder is.

There are many spoken references to blood throughout the play, such as in Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene; but the two scenes described above seem to be where a lot of blood is actually shown.

What are some symbols used throughout the play Macbeth?

There are a handful of symbols that reappear throughout Macbeth, but the following symbols are the most commonly found. 

• Blood.

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? (MACBETH. II.ii.58-59)

Out, damned spot; out I say... who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him? (LADY MACBETH. V.i.30-34)

Blood reappears throughout the play and often signifies guilt, shame or paranoia. Macbeth speaks of blood when he kills Duncan, wondering if Neptune's ocean can wash the blood clean from his hand. He is not literally asking for Neptune to rise and wash his hands, but rather for his sin to be forgiven. Lady Macbeth continues this relationship with the blood symbolism by frantically trying to scrub imaginary blood from her hands in the fifth act. 

• Night and The Weather.

Fair is foul, and foul is fair; / Hover through the fog and filthy air. (WITCHES. I.i.12-13)

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. I.v.56-60)

The weather is mentioned from the very beginning of Macbeth and often is used to create a mood over the stage. The Witches all mention the weather in the first scene, describing how the weather must be right for the prophecies and deeds to occur. Night, specifically, is used to achieve things in Macbeth. Lady Macbeth frequently mentions night, wishing it to surround her and her husband so they may commit their acts.