Blood’s ubiquitous symbolism emphasizes the constant guilt felt by the Macbeths in their tragic pursuit of the monarchy. The symbolism of blood prior to, and immediately following Duncan’s murder amplifies the magnitude of Macbeth’s treachery. Following the prophecy of the witches, Macbeth contemplates the possible effects of murdering Duncan in order to gain the crown. Macbeth believes the killing of Duncan will provide "bloody instruction" to Scotland and will in turn "plague th' inventor" (1.7.9-10). This quotation characterizes the murder of Duncan as a bloody deed, therefore amplifying the severity of the crime.
One of the main characters, Macbeth, is involved in many bloody murders. Lady Macbeth is behind many of the murders and convinces Macbeth to kill the king. The more people Macbeth kills the more guilt he feels and is built up inside him. In Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses blood to symbolize the guilt the characters feel after murder. An example of blood as a symbol of guilt is when Macbeth kills King Duncan.
The reason why the protagonist is a monster due to wanting power is because of all the chaos that happened after gaining that power. In the beginning of the play, we all know that Macbeth wants to murder Duncan to become king of Scotland and obtain power. After gaining power, chaos happened all over Scotland. Macbeth killed Banquo because the main character had the feeling Banquo knew he killed Duncan, to prove this, Banquo says to the audience “Thou hast it now, Cawdor, Glamis, all, As the weird women promised, and, I fear, Thou play’dst most foully for it.” Which shows that Banquo knows Macbeth is suspicious. When the main character gained the power, he instantly killed characters from the play which shows that Macbeth wanted power to rule Scotland and kill anyone who goes against him, or counts him suspicious which makes him a monster for wanting power.
After this murder he begins to see visions of blood on his hands, blood nothing could remove. As Macbeth becomes more ambitious, he also begins to kill more people to get the power that he wants. The theme of blood is shown throughout the play, and is a problem that Macbeth finds harder and harder to rid himself of after each killing. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is an esteemed member of the army, probably the greatest fighter in all of Scotland. He gets word that a rebellious tribe led by MacDonwald is defeating the Scots.
Throughout the play, Macbeth experienced a huge decent into evil and violent action that lead him to his death. With his thirst for power and constant paranoia, he killed his way to seize the crown. By killing Duncan at the beginning of the play, Macbeth soon realizes that nothing can be undone and his blood stained hands can never be cleaned. “A little water clears us of this deed” (2.3 70) said by Lady Macbeth after Duncan’s murder. But what they don’t know is that this is the start of the bloody massacre that will change who they are and how they think forever.
However, the central focus of the play is the suffering he himself undergoes, as he makes his way through his course of evil. Macbeth caused the suffering of many during his dark quest to become King of Scotland. Many innocents were brutally slaughtered as a result of Macbeth’s actions, Banquo, King Duncan, Lady Macduff and her children. However many others experienced mental torment and anguish at the hand of Macbeth. Macbeth’s ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth felt guilt for her part in the murder of King Duncan and for murdering sleep she was denied the luxury of sleep driving her to insanity.
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.
Macbeth has been killing so many people that his sword “smoke[s]” (I ii 21), or steams, with blood. These “execution[s]” (I ii 21) foreshadow his many other murders with his “brandished steel” (I ii 20) later on in the play. These executions are not for the good of Scotland, but for his acquiring (and guarding) the title of King of Scotland. Later in Act I, Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth telling her about the witches’ prophecy for Macbeth and Banquo, how he was hailed Thane of Cawdor by the witches and would eventually be King. Instantly, Lady Macbeth began plotting as to how Macbeth would go about murdering King Duncan to gain the title.
Macbeth also says, “give to th’edge o’th’sword his wife, his babes and all unfortunate souls.”(Shakespeare 107). Macbeth is now making rash decisions to kill a whole group of people without giving it a second thought. This shows a decay of emotions and guilt. So blood shows the decay of Macbeth taking place. In the beginning Shakespeare talks about bloodshed for the country and war.
The Problem of Power in Macbeth "Power poisons every man who covets it for himself" (Chute 126). In the Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, the character, Macbeth, kills the respected King Duncan in his quest for power. However, during his rule, Macbeth demonstrates that he is incapable of mastering the power and responsibilities of being a king. His drive for power and maintaining his power is the source of his downfall. Macbeth is not meant to have authority beyond Thane of Cawdor.