Macbeth is a play overfilling with language features which brings depth and endless meaning. Language features have a large impact and are hugely beneficial as they’re an easy and effective way to portray an emotion, feeling or idea by simply contrasting words to developing a bigger picture in the reader’s mind. With the play Macbeth, there is a continuous factor that is Macbeth’s state of mind, the deterioration, this being developed as the play goes on. William Shakespeare is super effective in the way he illustrates this through the character Macbeth, his choice in metaphors and the power they bring. A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unrelated things to each other. Shakespeare frequently uses metaphors while employing imagery to further explain his characters and what they are thinking or feeling. In this instance, the main imagery he is employing to the readers is Macbeth’s state of mind.

In the beginning, Macbeth was stable and in control of his state of mind. At this point in the play, Macbeth is reliant on his ambition ” I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself, and falls on th’other (1.7)“. This metaphor is telling us that Macbeth is acknowledging that fact that the only reason for his actions is because of ambition. This being the only thing that drives him, his desire for power being so strong that he would do anything in order to achieve being named the king. This metaphor gives a clear insight into his thoughts and feelings. Vaulting which is when horses jump over large obstacles and high bars is being used to express his ambition which is his desire and determination to succeed. This develops an image in your head whilst reading which brings a deeper understanding and outside context. This makes the reader engaged and immersed in the text. There is also more behind this metaphor as throughout the play there is an ongoing theme relating to horses and the wild.

The middle is where his state of mind started floating off a bit, the hesitance began. It was clear that he now was second-guessing himself “I am in blood Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er (3.4)”  either way he’s screwed, it would be just as bad to go back, rather than to keep going forward, therefore he shall keep going forward. This strongly implies that at this point he feels stuck, lost and is quite unsure of how it will all unfold for him. Macbeth is now vastly out of control “oh full of scorpions is my mind (3.2)”. This is a very powerful metaphor in that it gives a very vivid image of his mind being completely full of poison by using scorpions. However, this leaves him powerless and has no control over his mind. As this occurred after he killed the King, it soon made him realise that going against the natural order can result in sufficiently harmful consequences. In this case, it was his state of mind.

Finally, complete deterioration, the paranoia, remorse and guilt had overtaken everything. Macbeth no longer has any grasp on his state of mind and it was now taking a massive toll on himself and his country. During the soliloquy

“She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. 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. ”

In act 5, he expresses his feelings through multiple metaphors. Near the start, he says “To the last syllable of recorded time” comparing a unit of time to a unit of language, a syllable, indicates that Shakspeare is developing the idea that our lives are like a script, that our fate is already determined for us and therefore Macbeth has no control over it, he’s just along for the ride. Next, in the soliloquy, he says “Out, out, brief candle” where he is comparing life to a candle flame emphasising that it is transparent, fragile and insignificant. This metaphor is simple yet effective in the fact that it portrays his feeling towards his life. Macbeth then goes on to say “Life’s but a walking shadow” again displaying how he feels about his life though another metaphor. Here he refers to himself as a walking shadow and that he has now begun to believe that his life is worthless, pointless and insignificant. By describing himself as a shadow meaning a dark invisible reflection that is simply walking through life gives a powerful image reiterating what he’s thinking. At this point, he’s completely lost, worthless with no means or power left to live.

Rippling throughout the play Macbeth’s uncontrollable state of mind ends with his death. At the start, he was capable of his thoughts and actions. being aware of himself and his surroundings but it wasn’t long until it was gone. Incapable of controlling his mind resulted in him becoming reliant on his ambition which leads him to make irrational decisions which intensify over time. William Shakespeare heavily uses metaphors to display this and Macbeth’s state of mind which furthers the readers understanding. The so called notorious Macbeth thinking he had security and was invincible when in fact he really didn’t was very obvious in the end. The importance of a steady, clear mind has a tremendously huge impact on you. When you lose the control of your state of mind things begin to really get out of hand. Accidents, regret, wild actions are only the beginning of what may happen In consequence accidents happen, you begin to make wild actions, and you end up feeling completely fill with pain, remorse and just outright shame.