Name(s): _______________________________________________ Class period: _____ Date: __________________
Macbeth: Figurative Language Chart
Shakespeare’s drama is full of other types of figurative language besides similes, including: allusions, metaphors, irony,
symbols, and foreshadowing. In Acts III-V, identify nine instances of figurative language other than similes and imagery. List
them on the Figurative Language Chart below and then give a clear interpretation of each one. Make sure to state the
importance of the quote in your interpretation (consider the context of the quote AND who/what is being discussed). The first
example has been completed for you. (Note: for examples of irony, be sure to specify the type: dramatic, situational, or verbal.)
“Original Shakespearean
Figurative Language”
“Except they meant to bathe in reeking
wounds/Or memorize another
Golgotha,/I cannot tell”
Act, Scene, Line(s);
Type of Fig. Lang.
Act I, Scene 2, Lines 39-41; Allusion
Interpretation
The Captain reports that Banquo and
Macbeth fought with so much energy
and bravery that he is not sure whether
they wanted to make the battlefield as
famous as Golgotha, the place where
Christ was crucified and known as skull
hill.
“Original Shakespearean
Figurative Language”
Act, Scene, Line(s);
Type of Fig. Lang.
Interpretation