 Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
Table of Contents IMAGERY Shakespeare makes use of much natural imagery to bring out the disorder prevailing in the play. The instability of the nobles and the general chaos are reflected in two groups of imagery grouped around the natural elements such as the sea, tides, and wind and that of animals. The ebb and flow of the sea acts as the main metaphor to convey the power struggles occurring between the two families whereas the animal imagery is used to reveal the butchery and degraded nature of the charaters. The stormy imagery and its associations with disorder and instability convey the smashing and destructive power of the characters struggling for power. This can be seen in its most concentrated form in the similes of the storm-tossed ship that Margaret elucidates before the final war that results in defeat of the Lancastrians. This extended simile reveals the need for a central authority as well as securing backing to bring prosperity and peace to the kingdom. Animal imagery is used to convey the hunting tactics of the two families that prey on each other's blood and kill without conscience as well as to be linked to the characters' more basic instincts. Henry describes York as an eagle ready to dig his claws into him and Margaret is revealed as a tiger, a she-wolf and an adder to convey her baser nature. Richard is a lowly creature, a venomous toad or a lizard. Battle scenes abound with these images as well as the verbal sparring that occurs frequently throughout the play. Table of Contents | |
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