Imagery in Macbeth and Oedipus Rex Essay Sample

Oedipus Rex and Macbeth mix imagery with prophecies throughout both stories. Oedipus Rex, a Greek tragedy that tells the story of Oedipus the King of Thebes. Oedipus who killed his father and married his mother. Thebes was stricken by a plague that will only lift if the man who killed the former king gets exiled. The play Macbeth, set in a medieval time based on a historical account. Macbeth charts the rise to power and a tragic downfall of the warrior Macbeth. Macbeth committed many murders throughout the story which ends up leading to his downfall as king.

The play Macbeth starts with imagery of prophecies in act one scene one. The three witches start telling the future creating an image for the reader. The witches set the plot by saying “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” The reader could take this line a couple of different ways. It could mean life remains difficult, life isn’t fair, or appearances may act in deceiving ways. This act means appearances may act in deceiving ways, which makes the most sense. This act sets the plot for the whole book. The reader probably wouldn’t notice things at first since Shakespeare made the play deceiving.

In act 1 scene 3 the witches meet Macbeth and Banquo. Banquo acts surprised the three witches persist there. He and Macbeth both think the witches aren’t real. Banquo notices the witches don’t look right. They aren’t properly dressed and they don’t look like women. The witches soon speak when asked all of the questions. None of them answer the questions, they simply say Macbeth will go on to turn into a king. The third witch says “Ah hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” After the witches say Macbeth will go on and turn into a king, Banquo looks over at Macbeth and Macbeths scared and startled. Banquo starts to question Macbeth, because being king obtains any person's. dream. Macbeth soon speaks up saying “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more. The Thane of Cawdor lives, a prosperous gentleman, and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief, no more than to be Cawdor”. Macbeth thinks idley about turning into the king of Cawdor with a healthy king already in power. The quote in act 1 scene 1 comes in. Appearances stand to act deceiving, and it shows early in the book. 

In act 1 scene 4 a lot takes place quickly in Macbeth. Macbeth starts to catch greed about his new power as Macbeth's currently the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis. He realizes Malcolm stands for the Prince of Cumberland. He wants to rule Cumberland and step over Malcolm who currently remains in power. Macbeth then says, “That is a step I must fall, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies”. This means Macbeth’s going to either step over him or give up, because Malcolms in his way. He doesn’t understand he remains greedy for the amount of power he needs and the power he already obtains. After that, he says, “Stars, hide your fires: let not light see my black and deep desires”. The quote refers to the previous line on how he wants to turn into the prince of Cumberland. Macbeth tells us that nothing will stop him. 

Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles in 429 B.C., a play like Macbeth that turned into a story. There remains a lot of meaningful imagery such as on lines 1302 to 1303 the servant says, “Now only in darkness could they see those whom they must not see”. When Oedipus ripped out his eyes the servant knew it relieved everyone. The imagery shows he cannot make anything bad, because he cannot see. There holds some irony, because Oedipus cannot see so he won't ever apprehend the ability to create his imagery. After that quote, the servant then says on lines 1303 and 1304, “In darkness could they mistake those whom they wanted to recognize”. This elaborates on the last quote where Oedipus won’t possess imagery. This quotes talking about how he won’t make any mistakes since he lost his sight.

In Oedipus Rex Tiresias strongly declares the blindness in Oedipus on line 469, “you ridicule my blindness, but let me inform you, that with all your eyes, you are blind to the corruption of your life”. This shows Oedipus's blindness made him commit one of the biggest problems. This shows an abomination in society. This shows the inner version of Tiresias, which remains a direct gift from God. The probable cause of Oedipus leaving Corinth as soon as he managed. Sea imagery shown on line 1313 when it said, “Dark, horror of darkness”. The light from the sun acts as a form beaming on Oedipus. Oedipus continues to run away from this reality and begs the light not to shine on him. He says on line 1183, “Let not light of the sun sine to me anymore”.

Use of imagery used on line 7, “Here I am, I know you all know me and the world”. In the play, the blind prophet unravels the saga around the death of King Laius though he stands blind. Oedipus was blinded by the situation that he initially dismissed the assertion of the prophet that he himself stands for the one who killed his father. The irony as the seer, who remains blind to his inability to stand aware of what remains wrong which challenges Oedipus. Then it goes back in a circle where Tiresias knows Oedipus stands blind. To conclude, it results in clear imagery relating to Oedipus' inability to see reality and his lack of familiarity with fate. The imagery at the end of the book ends up being the final truth as Teiresias prophesied.

To conclude, Oedipus Rex and Macbeth used imagery throughout both stories in different ways. Oedipus Rex used imagery mostly through vision and prophecies. While Macbeth used imagery through mind games being deceived and through prophecies. Both acquire a different mix of imagery and prophecies. Both writers retained different ways of altering the imagery in the stories, but in ways they act the same. The quote “Fair is foul and foul is fair”. describes both plays', appearances may act in deceiving ways.