Describe at least one important object or symbol in the written text(s).
Explain why this object or symbol helped you to understand at least one character.
Note: A symbol could be a place, person, or thing that represents something more than itself.

Written over 400 years ago in Jacobean England, in William Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” a range of recurring symbols are used throughout the play to help give us a deeper understanding of the protagonist, Macbeth. Shakespeare uses the symbols of an imaginary dagger, blood and the symbol of light and dark to give a profound insight into the character Macbeth helping us to understand his thoughts, feelings and conscience throughout the play.

P1 dagger “art thou but a dagger of the mind” The imaginary bloody dagger that Macbeth sees in his hallucination is used to represent his guilty conscience, ambition, and desire to kill Duncan in order to become king.

P2 blood “will all of Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hands” blood is used in this play to represent guilt and purity “Here lay Duncan, His silver skin laced with his golden blood”

P3 light and dark “star hide your fires let light not see my black and deep desires” is used to represent good and evil the stars are thought of as the heavens, in this quote Macbeth does not want the heavens to ‘see’ his thoughts and plans to kill Duncan