Imagery of Blood in William Shakespeare's Play Macbeth In the play Macbeth , William Shakespeare uses blood as a symbol throughout the whole story to show the different emotions and themes within the context of the play. It’s a bit ironic for someone whose name means “the son of life” that he has to take so many lives instead of being a father to the people he was trying to rule. The play refers to blood in three key points to create great imagery in this play, guilt, honor, and family/ancestry are some strong points that this imagery is used. Blood shows many things in this play, such a thing like honor. Malcom the heir to the throne has made his way to England to escape the treacherous acts of the tyrant Macbeth. While there Macduff comes to call on him for an army to take back their mainland. Malcolm suggests his lack of honor for the new King of Scotland in his statement to Macduff, “It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash/ Is added to her wounds.” Then later in this dialogue continues with “More suffer and more sundry ways than ever,/ By him that shall succeed”(4.3.40-49). Here Malcom is explaining how his country is as living as the people that inhabit it. He does not want to be tricked by Macduff and have his country in bits and pieces by the likes of Macbeth. Towards the beginning of the play when Macbeth returns the Sergeant shows his respect for the brave fighter who returned from a valiant battle for his country, in this next passage, the Sergeant says, "Which smoked with bloody execution"(1.2.18), he is referring to Macbeth's braveness in which his sword is covered in the hot blood of the enemy. The worthy heir to the throne Malcolm is graced by Macduff as he holds the head of Macbeth to all the people and sa... ... middle of paper ... ...have no words./My voice is in my sword, thou bloodier villain/Than terms can give thee out!”(5.8.5-9) which leads to the beheading of the tyrant Macbeth. After the death of Macbeth at the hands of Macduff, the symbolic theme of blood swings back to what it was at the beginning of the play. It is the symbol of honor to Malcom this time. The death of Macbeth is an honored feat that Macduff is congratulated for. There are many different ways Shakespeare plays with the imagery of blood. All the ways he uses this type of imagery goes back to how honor ,family, and then to guilt, after this, it returns to the symbolic imagery of honor after the villain that changed the meaning from honor to tyranny is killed. Due to these many changes, it has been proved that the symbol of blood has many different meanings which can be attributed to it throughout the course of this play.
Shakespeare used the image of blood to portray the central idea of Macbeth, King Duncan’s murder. The crime is foreshadowed in the second scene of the first act. The king shouts, “ What bloody man is that?” (I,ii,1) He is referring to a soldier coming in from battle. The soldier then explains to King Duncan of Macbeth’s heroics in battle. One assumes that Macbeth is bloody just like the soldier. The soldier describes Macbeth in action “Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, / Which smoked with bloody execution.” (I,ii,17-18) This line connects Macbeth with killing, and hints at the future.
The blood is a symbol of guilt. Lady Macbeth is overwhelmed by guilt, leading to intensive anxiety and her somnambulistic state. Moreover, Lady Macbeth is seen to do compulsive hand washing. The Gentlewoman explains to the doctor, “It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus/washing her hands: I have known her continue in/this a quarter of an hour.” (Shakespeare.
Blood symbolizes the guilt that sits like a permanent stain on the consciences of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, one that hounds them to their graves. The Weather
It can also symbolize love, anger, hate, violence, devastation, or death. One small taste of blood is all it takes for everything to become chaotic. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the symbol of blood is sufficiently used to exhibit the overall theme of power and corruption. The symbol of blood appears to be shown through evil thoughts and death in the beginning of Macbeth.
Shakespeare employs the powerful symbol of blood to augment the tragic nature of Macbeth, while dually adding dramatic effect to the play. Blood’s recurring symbolism throughout the play constantly reminds the audience of the Macbeth’s irreconcilable guilt. Blood’s symbolism in the murder of Duncan transforms an act of treachery into a ghastly betrayal. The symbolic appearance of blood throughout the intermediate parts of the play maintains the depth of the Macbeth’s unforgiveable guilt. The use of blood as a symbol in the conclusion of the play asserts the perpetuity of the Macbeth’s guilt. Shakespeare’s inclusion of blood as a major symbol in Macbeth creates a compelling tragedy in which the audience is able to comprehend the magnitude of the Macbeth’s irreconcilable guilt.
William Shakespeare's Repeated Reference to Blood to Establish the Theme of Power of Evil in Macbeth
In many contexts, blood symbolizes one’s heroism and power. At the battlegrounds, Duncan notices the approaching sergeant and asks, “What bloody man is that?”(I.ii.1). The use of blood signifies the captain’s bravery through his wounded state. He reports back their victory and symbolizes the violence that took place. This also alludes to Macbeth’s heroic qualities in which he too had fought on the same grounds. Lady Macbeth cries out for courage and strength by saying, “And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood” (I.v.49-50). The use of blood in this context also relates to one’s power using the idea of it being a life source and a vital part to the soul. By thickening her b...
In the beginning of this play blood resembles honor, bravery, and maybe even victory. Macbeth's blood saturated sword after the war portrays him as a brave hero because of the enemy he killed. He is known as "Brave Macbeth" to everyone including Duncan, the King. His bravery is rewarded by the title of Thane of Cawdor, with the help of the current one being executed for treason. I feel that the word blood at the beginning of this play earns Macbeth’s respect from not only the characters, but also the audience.
The image of blood plays an important role throughout Macbeth. Blood represents the murders that Macbeth had committed, the guilt that went along with the murders and the pain that it brought on him during his downfall. The soldier describes the violence and bloodshed, in the war between Scotland and Norway, "Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds." (I. ii. 43) foreshadows the violent nature of the play filled with murder, guilt and pain. Blood in the murder of King Duncan also plays a major role because it represents Macbeth's guilt as well as his shame for slaying King Duncan. Macbeth observes his blood stained hands and remarks "As they had seen me with these hangman's hands." (II. ii. 28) This reveals his guilt and shame because he is comparing his hands to those of an executioner's. After the murder, Macbeth refuses to return back to the bed chamber of Kind Duncan to smear the blood on the sleeping guards, because he is afraid that the blood will incriminate him further. Lady Macbeth smearing the blood onto the guards represents them trying to rub their guilt off onto the guard. "I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt" (II. ii. 73) but this proves to be ineffective because Macbeth ends up murdering t...
“.blood will have blood.” , Macbeth is a well known book written by Shakespeare. In it, a once loyal soldier to the king of Scotland starts to seek a way for him to get the crown for himself. In Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses the imagery of blood to represent the guilt of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, demonstrating the feeling of guilt has consequences of severe punishments. The imagery of blood shows Lady Macbeth wants to get rid of her guilt.
...(IV iii 117) is “miserable” (IV iii 118) since there is an “untitled tyrant” (IV iii 118), or Macbeth, in its midst who is undeserving of a title. Macbeth, according to Macduff, is “bloody sceptred” (IV ii 118) for his sceptre and sign of his authority as a monarch, unlike those of other rulers, is covered in blood, since he had to murder to ascend the throne. It is only when Ross brings news that Macduff’s family has been murdered (most likely by Macbeth), however, that Malcolm encourages Macduff to slay Macbeth, and Macduff agrees. Macbeth wades in the blood of his victims while Malcolm and Macduff use blood imagery to describe the violence and destruction of Scotland (first evoked by the three witches) under Macbeth’s rule.
He will forever be associated with the forces of evil. When Macbeth is fighting Macduff in Act 5 scene 5 lines 4-5, he says, “But get thee back, my soul is too much charg’d with blood of thine already.” But in lines 6-8, Macduff does not let that stop him from killing him and says, “My voice is in my sword, thou bloodier villain than terms can give thee out.” After Macduff killed Macbeth, the blood turns back into a positive aspect of courage, and bravery and order is once again restored. The significance of blood in Macbeth changes frequently from honour to betrayal, to guilt and then back to honour again when Macduff kills Macbeth.
One common aspect that every single living thing on this Earth has is blood which runs through every living organism. There is no living thing that is a stranger to blood; Its universality allows Shakespeare to use it as an impressive imagery in his literary works. Throughout the play William Shakespeare use blood imagery to indicate the character 's feelings of guilt, and always haunts their consciousness. In the result, characters feel scare, unease and terrify.
The imagery of blood like Spurgeon suggests is often linked with the feeling of fear, horror, and pain (Spurgeon 126). Often time’s blood is linked to the feeling of guilt and in this case Lady Macbeth calls upon the spirits asking them to make her strong and stop the feeling of remorse. This is seen when she says: “Of direst cruelty: make thick my blood, stop up the access and passage to remorse” (Shakespeare, I.v.43-44). This quote is important because it demonstrates the use of blood to convey strength and the will to commit evil. This links with the major theme of Macbeth, showing that Lay Macbeth is asking the spirits to poison her soul allowing her ambition to take over herself. To add, in some cases symbolism of blood could be linked to regret and horror like Macbeth after he killed Duncan in his chambers. At this time Macbeth said: “With all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine” (II.i.60-64). This quote demonstrates the regret and guilt M...
Shakespeare employs symbolism and imagery to explore the themes of Good vs. Evil and Suffering in his play Macbeth. Shakespeare uses blood to portray murder and wrongdoing, “I am in blood, stepp’d in so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.” (III. iv. 136). He uses daggers to portray the same idea, and the two are often used with each