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Macbeth's sensibility is jolted by the confrontation with evil and the soliloquies reflect unrest, indecision, and fear in a style of broken, meditative flashes of thought. Macbeth's poetry is an expression of his spiritual conflict. The magnificence of his poetry is a measure of his sensitive soul. His emotional states are reflected in the rhythms of his speech. As Macbeth feels the moment of crime draw near, the language rises and the imagery begins to flow: and withered murder, Alarm by his sentinel, the wolf, Whose howls his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, With Tarquins ravishing strides, toward his design Moves like a ghost. (Act 2, Scene I) The same meditative eloquence can be seen just before Banquos murder: Light thickens, and the crow, Makes wing to th rooky wood; Good things of day begin to droop and drowse; Whiles nights black agents to their preys do rouse. (Act 3, Scene II) Macbeth's language always shows a strain of hyperbole when he is under pressure. After Duncan's murder he launches into a poetic description of sleep: the innocent sleep, Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care The death of each days life, sore labours bath, Balm of hurt minds, great natures second course, Chief nourished in lifes feast- (Act 2, Scene II) When forced to explain why he murdered the two grooms he comes out with a highly descriptive picture of Duncan's dead body: Here lay Duncan, His silver skin act with his golden blood; And his gas stabs look like a breach in nature For ruins wasteful entrance: (Act 2 Scene III) Macbeth's torture of mind gives rise to a profusion of images.
But as his imagination is replaced by a mere weary lack of feeling, the rhythm of his speech becomes monotonous. There is a slow hopeless beat in: To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, (Act 5, Scene V) Nevertheless Macbeth is still a poet: Out, out, brief candle! Lifes but a walking shadow; a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more; (Act 5, Scene V) And there is a dignity in his calm acceptance of the dreadful finality of nothingness. Lady Macbeth's language is in stark contrast to that of Macbeth. Whereas Macbeth utters the most profound responses of the play. Lady Macbeth's language contains a literalness which is indicative of her character.
Lady Macbeth sees nothing but the promise of the crown. She has no imaginative flights of fancy, experience no torture of the mind. She is a forthright person and for the most part utters simple forthright statements. Her images are simple, almost commonplace: Your face, my thane, is as a book where men May read strange matters.
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