macbeth word trace

Achal Srinivasan
Lit & Comp II
Cohen – [A]
February 12, 2014

Word Trace #1

1.
a. MACBETH – “See, they encounter thee with their hearts' thanks. / Both sides are even: here I'll sit i' the midst: / Be large in mirth; anon we'll drink a measure / The table round. / There's blood on thy face.” (3.4)
b. Macbeth is speaking to the table, addressing that it is full and that he is in the middle. He setates that they will drink (or make a toast) soon. The last line is to the First Murderer, who has just entered the banquet – Macbeth alerts of him of the blood stained on his face, who responds totell him that it belongs to Banquo.
c. First quote; no comparison yet. Macbeth has ordered the murder of Banquo, which has been taken care of. Whereas Lady Macbeth took part in the murder of King Duncan, the motivation behind Banquo’s murder is that of Macbeth.
2.
a. MACBETH – “Blood hath been shed ere now, i' the olden time, / Ere human statute purged the gentle weal; / Ay, and since too, murders have been perform'd / Too terrible for the ear: the times have been, / That, when the brains were out, the man would die, / And there an end.” (3.4)
b. Macbeth, after seeing the ghost, is speaking to his company (who are all surprised at the momentary “fit” he is having after his encounter with the ghost). He declares that blood has been shed as a result of conflict where statutes do not prohibit the killing of other peoples, and that murders have been carried out in the dark since these laws have been enacted. His encounter with Banquo’s ghost has struck him with fear that others may find out, as he declares to the people subconsciously that egregious murders have been committed.
c. In the first quote, blood is used in the tangible, literal sense as the murderer has blood of Banquo on his face. Macbeth uses “blood” here to describe murders, fatalities, and results of internal/external conflict.
3.
a. MACBETH – “Avaunt! and quit my sight! let the earth hide thee! / Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; / Thou hast no speculation in those eyes / Which thou dost glare with!” (3.4)
b. Macbeth is speaking directly to Banquo’s ghost – he commands for it to leve him alone, and for the earth to hide him from his view under the soil of the earth in his grave. He states that the ghost’s bones lack marrow, or in a less figurative sense, they are as brittle and weak as Banquo’s persona, and his blood is cold. He states that the ghost’s eyes ought to have no ability to stare at him as they lack life and power.
c. The use of blood in this section is more figurative (similar to number 2) than literal (such as number 1). Macbeth claims that the ghost’s blood is cold, meaning that it is life-less and heartless, with no emotions as it is dead and no longer a tangible life form.
4.
a. MACBETH – “It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood: / Stones have been known to move and trees to speak; / Augurs and understood relations have.” (3.4)
b. Macbeth speaks about a prophecy that he has heard from those before him – the use of “they” implies that he is speaking about a saying or message that has been passed on. This message stated that blood will have blood, meaning that murder will have revenge as when blood is initially spilt, there will be more blood to follow. “Stones” most likely refers to the stones used for tombstones, and they have been known to move (meaning that those who have passed have had an effect on those who follow), bringing just deserts to those who committed the murder.

c. The use of blood in this sentence is somewhat literal – it states that when blood is spilt, there are forces that bring about justice so that the blood of the murderer is spilt as well. Blood will have blood, relating to a concept of deserts such as “an eye for an eye”. Macbeth is foreshadowing what may fall upon him due to his ill-conceived deed of murdering Banquo and King Duncan.
5.
a. MACBETH – “By magot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth / The secret'st man of blood. What is the night?” (3.4)
b. As a result of the maggots and “choughs” and “rooks”, murderers have been brought forth. Whereas Macbeth initially believed that his actions would not be morally reprehensible, and that the ends would justify the means, he is in constant fear that the powers of these beings will expose him to the world. He speaks to Lady Macbeth about his fears of what he believes may happen next.
c. “Blood” is used here to describe a man – a man of blood, meaning that he is composed of what he has taken from another. A man of blood, implying that he has been tainted with the blood of those who he has murdered. Macbeth states that the forces of nature and spirits that surround him may eventually reveal him as a murderer.
6.
a. MACBETH – “I hear it by the way; but I will send: / There's not a one of them but in his house /I keep a servant fee'd. I will to-morrow, / And betimes I will, to the weird sisters: / More shall they speak; for now I am bent to know, / By the worst means, the worst. For mine own good, / All causes shall give way: I am in blood / Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er: / Strange things I have in head, that will to hand; / Which must be acted ere they may be scann'd.” (3.4)
b. Macbeth states that he is afraid for his safety, as he is unaware of what will happen to him moving forward after his encounter with the ghost. He states that he is “in blood”, meaning that his murders have surrounded him with the blood of those he has killed and of those whose blood has been spilt thus far.
c. Macbeth uses blood both literally and figuratively. He describes himself as surrounded in the blood of those he had killed, and this was true when he murdered King Duncan. It is also figurative because he believes that he is surrounded constantly by the evil spirits haunting him for his actions and the blood he has spilt with the murder of Banquo and King Duncan so far.

GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
1. Macbeth seems to be the only character to use the term “blood” in the entire act – this contributes to the fact that he is the one who has either orchestrated, participated in the orchestration of, or actually carried out the murder of two individuals. He is the one to whom the spirits (or so he believes) ought to bring justice to. Macbeth is living in constant fear of his safety after his encounter with the ghost.
2. There is change between the figurative and literal use of the term “blood” – it is used figuratively to describe the life of an individual, and literally to describe the part of an individual that has been removed as a result of murder. The implication is that there is both a literal impact to the death of the two individuals, in that they no longer exist, and a theoretical impact (emotional, etc.) as there are forces (according to Macbeth) that seek revenge for his murder of Banquo and King Duncan.