Preview

Why Is Blood Important In Macbeth

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
68 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Is Blood Important In Macbeth
blood is usually linked to violence, however, over the course of macbeth, blood has also become a symbol of guilt. Death happens is an instance, but blood remains and stains. When Macbeth and lady macbeth feel the guiltiest, they distress that they cannot get the blood off of their hands, and macbeth says no amount of water can wash the blood - the guilt - from his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Guilt in Macbeth

    • 845 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Symbolism is used extensively to express the motivation of guilt in Macbeth. “Out, damned spot!” (Act 5 scene 1) is one memorable quote by Lady Macbeth. The spots of blood that the lady saw on her hand, while dreaming, is a symbol and metaphor of the guilt that she feels of the king’s murder. Despite what she does to try to wash the guilt away she can’t make the blood disappear. Lady Macbeth earlier on tries to repress her ‘womanly emotions’ in order to commit the murder but she is not successful and that guilt would later become her cause of death. Lady Macbeth says to her husband after the king’s murder, “A little water clears us of this deed”. Later, however, Lady Macbeth’s guilty conscience prevents her from ever washing the spots of blood off her hands. This is an instance of irony. Blood is a heavily used symbol. In Act 3 scene 4, Macbeth says “I am in blood / Step't in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er”. This quote is just after he sees Banquo’s ghost. The blood represents a marsh of guilt and evil that Macbeth has waded so far in that he cannot back out of it. He has no choice but to accept his guilt and if need be, cover up his guilt with more murders. Symbolism gives the audience more insight to the characters and their feelings. It also adds depth to the concepts of guilt in Macbeth and enhances the experience of the plot.…

    • 845 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As Twain did in his novel, Shakespeare also utilizes symbolism which happens to correspond to the quote. In one scene, there is a killing of a hawk by an owl. This is rather unusual in nature due to the fact that a strong aggressive hawk is overpowered by the weaker. It is parallel to how Macbeth assassinated King Duncan. By looking into it further, these two events tell us that nature is disturbed and has lost its orderliness. A second literary technique that Shakespeare uses in the tragic play is the recurring motif of blood. The blood in the play represents mainly the guilt that lasts forever. Macbeth states how not even all of Neptune's ocean will wash away the blood from his hands after killing Duncan. On the surface, it's just the matter of how blood stains are everywhere. However, what Shakespeare is "whispering" to the readers is that the blood is the guilt that Macbeth has within him. As Smith stated, what the author whispers is the true meaning behind the…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare uses the symbol of blood in MacBeth to represent treason, guilt, murder and death. These ideas are constant throughout the book. There are many examples of blood representing these three ideas in the book.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Blood Imagery In Macbeth

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Every good story needs imagery. It is what drags the reader into the story and lets them have a clearer picture of what is happening. Macbeth is a William Shakespeare play that contains amazing examples of imagery. It utilizes multiple themes of imagery, but one of the most common is blood. Blood imagery is used to present strong images and to further help the audience know what the characters are dealing with throughout the story.…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Blood motif is associated with loyalty and also identify who is feeling uneasy in Macbeth. So many things happened in Macbeth that proves motif “blood” is related with feeling uneasy and loyalty. Things are not as they appear people. Think he is great but his soul is ugly .…

    • 256 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Throughout the act of storytelling, the author of the tale will use phrases to foreshadow a later part of the story. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses blood as a central theme within his work. The representation of blood has many different meanings throughout the play. Such images of blood come to represent death, guilt, and to some extent the relationships within a family. The versatility of the symbol allows the word ‘blood’ the audience to make connections within such a tale. Without the continual influence of gore within the play, the drama would not have the same effect on the audience…

    • 243 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Shakespeare's play Macbeth tells the story of how the main character starts out as a noble lord but becomes a ruthless killing machine. As the play progresses Macbeth starts to kill lots of his peers because he is very focused on becoming king. What caused this was that Macbeth went to see the three witches to see what his future is going to look like when he becomes king. When he first met the witches . For Macbeth and Lady Macbeth blood represents Lady Macbeth’s and Macbeth’s to escape their murderers deads. Before Macbeth became king he had three titles which were Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis and of course king. Another reason for Macbeth’s titles is because the three witches gave these titles is because of what he did…

    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, it shows many examples of darkness and blood. These give the reader the much intended feeling of eeriness. Macbeth, along with most of the characters introduced in act one all contribute to this feeling. Throughout this act the audience goes through a series of foreshadowing, along with being shown sides of characters that none of the other characters get to see. These characters all show both darkness and blood.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Motif Of Blood In Macbeth

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I believe that the most prominent of the many motifs in Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” was blood. Blood appears in nearly every scene, if not physically then at least as an idea. It is like a presence lurking in the background at every moment, waiting to make its grand appearance.…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Macbeth shakespre has used the theme of blood and death to portray the evil side. In act 2 scene 1 it says that “is dagger which I see before me, the handle towards my hand”. This quote tell us that Macbeth evil side is leading him to fulfil the dead of killing the king even through Duncan had named him thane of coward .This is a divine rights of king as Macbeth is trying to kill the king even through kings had the direct authority of god which back in the Jacobean times was consider to be a massive sin. The noun “dagger” presents a bloody and deathly imagery this could suggest inner conflict between Macbeth greedy sides as his loyal side. The phrase “towards my hands suggest that Macbeth could be imaging the dagger which could lead him…

    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Blood In Macbeth

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Overall, Shakespeare used the symbolism of blood as a major motif to unearth the guilt felt by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and the hallucinations they experienced as a result. Power even the idea of it can cause of man to do things they never imagine. The murders committed happened quick and in an instant, but the blood remained and stained the rest of their short lived…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Blood can represent many things in life, injury, sin, and even guilt. In Macbeth blood is described throughout the book. Most of the time it is where the characters are experiencing a lot of guilt in what they have done. There are many situations where guilt is the main theme and blood is the reason for this. Guilt can build up in someone until they can not handle it anymore, it is like blood, it stains.…

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of all, blood serves as a symbol of death several times throughout the play. Death is a dark non-living thing. Blood, gore,and darkness is a general theme of motif of death. Macbeth considers murdering Duncan he spots a “dagger of the mind” (2.1.50) that guides him to the room where the king is sleeping. Macbeth continues to think is his mind playing mind games with him. For example, he believes that the dagger is covered with imaginary blood which makes him second guess about killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth goes in for the kill and goes into his room and kill him. “O horror, horror, horror!” (2.3.59) Macbeth goes running from out the room saying that King Duncan has been killed. Lennox and Macbeth rush in to see what was happening. In the long run Macbeth know he committed the crime but tried to act like he…

    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Guilt In Macbeth

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Since the play was written during Elizabethan times in which to be named King you were appointed by God. When you killed a king you went against God and sided with evil so it is almost like Macbeth commits cardinal sin. It is so bad that he will never be able to clean his hands of the blood, more symbolically cleanse himself of the guilt and have a clear conscience. If he even tried to clean his hands there would be so much blood that it would turn the oceans red with blood of the King. "Will all great Neptune 's oceans wash this blood Clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red." (II, II, 77-80). Now Macbeth must suffer the consequences of having fallen into a pool of darkness which he can 't come out of. Thus, the play on the word "hand" evokes a moral message of not getting caught up in a pool of blood and darkness. Thus, the play gives one the reader a moral message of being careful of deeds that one does because one doesn 't want to fall into a trap of…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Blood Word Trace

    • 766 Words
    • 2 Pages

    After the first murder scene, when Macbeth stabs King Duncan in his sleep, he encounters a great deal of guilt towards the murder. This is shown by a quote from Macbeth, "With all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas in carnadine, making the green one red", at this point in the play, blood is resembled mostly by guilt. What Macbeth is really saying is that not even the entire ocean could wash his hands clean of blood from this dirty deed he had committed. He feels that what he had done was so wrong and shameful there is not a way in the world to hide it, the ocean is an excellent way to portray this. After the discovery of Duncan's murder in the third scene, Macbeth exaggerates the king's wounds," His silver skin lac'd with his golden blood, and gash'd stabs look'd like a breach in nature..." Macbeth most likely said this to drive away any thought of him being the murderer. The word "golden" resembles the King's blood, referring to his social standing on the great chain of being.…

    • 766 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays