The serpent has long been used as a symbol of cunning. The serpent's presence has been characterized by a cunning cynicism that dates back to biblical times, when the serpent persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden. Even the phrase "snake in the grass" expresses a hidden threat. Shakespeare uses this treacherous reptile in Macbeth to convey the same evil. In his poetic prose, Shakespeare may not directly address a character's malevolence; rather, it alludes to it through serpentine images. I analyzed four such images in Macbeth. What is their purpose and what do they mean? Beneath each image runs a deep undercurrent of meaning. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Act One, Scene Five, Lady Macbeth tries to instill invisible evil in herself and her husband in preparation for Duncan's murder. He asks for a supernatural asexuality, a thickening of his blood that will "block the access and passage to remorse." She fears that her husband is too weak to kill Duncan, who she believes is Macbeth's only path to the crown. After provocatively questioning her husband's virility, she convinces him to follow her bloody plan and gives him instructions to do so. "To deceive the time, look like the time. Bring welcome in your eyes, in your hand, in your tongue. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent beneath it." He says that to succeed, they must feign mediocrity among their hosts, while hiding their sinister desires. Appearing normal will not arouse suspicion. The serpent that Lady Macbeth speaks of is Macbeth's evil ambition, which slithers cunningly out of the shadow of the virtuous flower when the deed must be done. This image is used in a traditional way, denoting malice and concealment. It represents Macbeth's hidden ambitions and his wife's plans. This is the first example of a vast amount of intrigue that will take place in an attempt to hide the bloody truths of Macbeth's accession to the throne. It also follows the theme of appearance versus reality: “right is bad and bad is right.” What Duncan thinks has "a pleasant place" is actually the venomous snake below, waiting until night to prey on its docile victim. Macbeth expresses his suspicions about the murder of Banquo and Duncan in Act Three, Scene Two. When Lady Macbeth says that "things without any remedy should be without regard," she disagrees. "We burned the serpent, not killed it. She will stay close and be herself while our poor mischief remains in danger of her old tooth." Here the serpent is a metaphor for the obstacles that prevent his rise to power. He says they simply damaged these obstacles, not eliminated them. In time, they will reunite with the same strength, while Macbeth and his wife will be vulnerable to them again. He feels that his work is not yet finished and hires assassins for Banquo to finish it. The serpent's "former tooth" that Macbeth fears will take revenge on him foreshadows the rest of his life. After burning Duncan, Macbeth unleashes his diabolical ambitions and begins to work his way through a downward spiral. His burning of the serpent ultimately leads to the painful death of him and his wife and the loss of all he had gained. The "serpent" that Macbeth was worried about earlier is eliminated by the assassins when they kill Banquo in Act Three, Scene Four. Macbeth thought that his impediments would dissipate with the general; instead, they remain in the Fleances escape. Regarding the incidents, Macbeth says: "There lies the full-grown serpent. The worm that has escaped has a nature that with/1969/)