Here is the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.

(Identify the figure of speech in the underlined parts of the following quotation and explain their function:)

The figure of speech present in the underlined quotation, "Here is the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand," is Hyperbole.

Hyperbole is a figure of speech that involves an extreme exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. It is not meant to be taken literally, but rather to create a strong impression or highlight a particular emotion or quality. In this famous line from Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth uses hyperbole to express the overwhelming and indelible guilt she feels after her involvement in King Duncan's murder. The phrase "all the perfumes of Arabia" represents an impossible vastness of fragrance, which she dramatically claims is insufficient to cleanse the metaphorical "smell of blood" (guilt) from her hand.

The function of hyperbole here is to powerfully convey the depth of Lady Macbeth's psychological torment and the irreparable damage to her conscience. It emphasizes the intensity of her remorse and the idea that some deeds are so heinous that no earthly purification can ever remove their stain. This exaggeration underscores the irreversible consequence of their actions and contributes significantly to the play's tragic atmosphere.