The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood / Is stopp’d; the very source of it is stopp’d.
Act II, Scene 3 · Macbeth
Context
Macbeth tells Duncan's sons Malcolm and Donalbain that their father has been murdered, using metaphorical language about blood and sources being stopped.
Analysis
The piled-up synonyms—'spring,' 'head,' 'fountain,' 'source'—create rhythmic repetition that sounds like Macbeth is trying too hard to find the right metaphor, as if he's performing grief rather than feeling it. The focus on blood as a flowing source that has been 'stopp'd' is also grimly ironic, since Macbeth is the one who literally stopped Duncan's blood by cutting him. The repetition of 'stopp'd' at the line's end hammers the point, but the over-emphasis makes the speaker sound false, positioning us to hear this as a calculated performance for the sons.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Macbeth's language gives him away even as he tries to control the narrative—the excessive synonyms and repetition here make him sound like someone searching for the right tone, revealing that his grief is fabricated and his metaphors are a shield against scrutiny.