According to the Websters New Collegiate Dictionary : imagery is the use of vivid or figurative langague to represent objects, actions, or In the William Shakespeare play Macbeth imagery is applied toclothing, darkness and blood. Each detail of imagery contains animportant symbol of the play. Symbols that are necessary tounderstand in order to interpret either a part or the whole play.Within the play Macbeth the image of clothing representsMacbeth wanting to hide his disgraceful self from the eyes of others. Shakespeares want to maintain the ironic contrast between the evil,dark character that Macbeth really is and the disguises that he passeshimself off as a reality. Macbeth is constanly representedsymbolically as the wearer of robes that do not belonging to him. Heis wearing an undeserving dignity. As stated by Cleanth Brooks :The crucial point of the comparison, it seems to me lie not inthe smallness of the man and the largeness of the robes, butrather in the fact that ---- whether the man be to large orsmall----- these are not his garments; in Macbeths case theyare actually stolen garments. Macbeth is uncomfortablebecause he is conscious of the fact that they do not belong tohim. There is a futher point, and it is that of utmostimportance; the oldest symbol for the hypocite is that of theman who cloaks his own nature under disguise. Macbethloathes playing the part of the hypocrite-----and actually doesnot play it too well.1 The great emphasis of the purpose of clothing in Macbeth is beacauseof the fact that these clothes are not his. He is very uncomfortable inthese borrowed robes In the following passages as sate the ideaconstantly persist that Macbeths newly appointed honors sit ill uponhim, like loose and badly fitting garment, belonging to someone elseThe Thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in Borrowed robes.(Act I, iii, pp.109-110) In this quote Macbeth is asking why do youput me in the robes of the Thane...
