Question

In the Sleepwalking Scene in Act 5, Scene 1, Shakespeare uses a different language technique just like he does with the Porter and when Lady Macbeth reads the letter earlier in the play. What language device is Shakespeare using?

a. Soliloquy
b. Foreshadowing
c. Anaphora
d. Monologue

Answer 1

Shakespeare uses a monologue in the Sleepwalking Scene in Act 5, Scene 1 of 'Macbeth', delivered by Lady Macbeth and heard by other characters. It employs Iambic Pentameter and rhetorical devices to enhance character expressiveness.

Step-by-step explanation:

The language device Shakespeare is using in the Sleepwalking Scene of Act 5, Scene 1, in Macbeth, is a monologue. This is a speech given by a single character, Lady Macbeth, which differs from a soliloquy because it's usually intended to be heard by other characters, in this case, by the attending doctor and gentlewoman. Unlike a soliloquy which reveals a character's inner thoughts to the audience alone, a monologue is characteristically addressed to other characters. Shakespeare's language during his time was highly poetic, utilizing Iambic Pentameter which created a rhythm that affected the delivery and reception of the lines. The rhetorical devices and figures of speech used by Shakespeare enhanced the expressiveness of the characters and were integral to the audience's understanding and engagement with the play.