What are some examples of literary devices used in Act 5, scene 6

Possibly the most common literary devices in literature are the different types of figurative language.

Shakespeare loves to employ figurative language in his dramatic dialogue. The play Macbeth contains a few of his most famous lines and passages, (“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow,” “Something wicked this way comes,” Out damned spot”).

Act V, Scene VI comes near the end of the play, as Macbeth finally has to come face to face with the characters who...

Possibly the most common literary devices in literature are the different types of figurative language.

Shakespeare loves to employ figurative language in his dramatic dialogue. The play Macbeth contains a few of his most famous lines and passages, (“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow,” “Something wicked this way comes,” Out damned spot”).

Act V, Scene VI comes near the end of the play, as Macbeth finally has to come face to face with the characters who are set on overthrowing him. Here are the first lines of the scene:

Macbeth: They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly,

But bear-like I must fight the course.

There are two literary devices in these lines. First, Shakespeare creates a metaphor when Macbeth says he is “tied to a stake.” This is not literally true; if it was he would be tied up like an animal. But, like all metaphors, it is true in the figurative sense. He is trapped by the army outside his castle. Second, within the metaphor he has inserted a simile: “bear-like.” Here Shakespeare compares himself to a trapped animal who has no choice but to fight--escape is impossible.

Shortly after this, Macbeth and Young Siward fight, and Young Siward is slain. Macbeth addresses Young Siward's corpse:

Thou wast born of woman.

But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn,

Brandish'd by man that's of a woman born.

Lines spoken to an inanimate object or something not present on the stage are called an “apostrophe” (not to be confused with the punctuation mark we use to denote contractions and possession). In this case, Macbeth is revealing his thoughts by speaking to a dead body. Although the body cannot hear him, the audience can. It is a way for the dramatist to reveal the character's inner state.