Blood never goes away. It is thicker than water and its pungent iron stench fills the air. Similarly, guilt never leaves and makes people go insane The heavy-weighing feeling of guilt often hangs over the people behind the immoral act. For example, William Shakespeare shows guilt through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth with the constant mention of blood in his play Macbeth. A constant reminder of the horrendous deed they both partook in. They have dirtied their hands and now are forever stained. In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to show the never-ending guilt weighed upon a person after a terrible deed. Haunted by guilt, Macbeth changes from a good, loyal soldier, to an evil heartless tyrant. Initially, Macbeth is shown as a hero with …show more content…
This all changes when he is visited by the Weird Sisters who prophesize his rise to the throne. This is when Macbeth’s greed starts to take control. Thoughts of killing King Duncan creep into his head. This retched thought is encouraged by Lady Macbeth which further engulfs Macbeth in greed. Just as soon as the murder was complete, Macbeth exclaims, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine,/ Making the green one red” (2.2.78-81 Shakespeare). Macbeth believes nothing can clean the blood on his hands. His hands are so thickly coated that he believes the blood would even turn the vast oceans red and no amount of water will ever purify him. It illustrates Macbeth’s anguish as he realizes the severity of his actions. Macbeth knew nothing good would come from murdering Duncan as his greed fully takes control of him. Shakespeare uses the intense imagery of Macbeth’s bloodied hands to show the lasting guilt of a person. Likewise, after Duncan’s death, Macbeth secures the title of King but is again filled with guilt and remorse. Shakespeare further uses blood to represent guilt after Macbeth has received the title of King of Scotland when Macbeth attends a banquet with other …show more content…
After killing King Duncan, Macbeth spirals and collapses to Lady Macbeth on how guilty he feels. As this happens Lady Macbeth reassures him by saying “My hands are of your color: but I shame/ To wear a heart so white.”(2.2.) Lady Macbeth acknowledges she has a part to play in the murder and her hands are just as dirty as Macbeths’ hands. The difference here is Macbeth feels instant regret and guilt, while Lady Macbeth is fully aware she has played an important role in the Murder but does not feel remorse in her heart like Macbeth. Lady Macbeth instead shames Macbeth for feeling such a way. However, her lack of remorse changes at the end of the play when she sleepwalks and attempts to wash her hands of the guilt and cries “Out Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O!”(5.1.53-55.) Lady Macbeth changes from a heartless woman with no remorse to a guilt-ridden accomplice. She claims beforehand that her hands are covered with the blood of Duncan showing her part in the crime, but she feels no guilt. Now, the guilt has caught up and fully taken control of her. The guilt of the murder leaves her sleepwalking and shows just how much control it has over her. Shakespeare again uses the change in a characters mindset to show the intense impact of
Blood symbolism in Macbeth Blood is an indispensable part of any living person and necessary for survival. In William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” the symbol of blood is used to highlight issues within the main characters’ life. The play starts with three witches confronting Macbeth and telling him that he will be king, this leads to him killing the king of Scotland with his wife. After that Macbeth’s mental health begins to plummet as he goes mad and eventually is overthrown leading to the son of the person he executed becoming king. Blood is used to symbolize many things including the main character's guilt for killing King Duncan.
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth react differently to the death of King Duncan in Act 2 Scene 2. While Macbeth goes through a turmoil of emotions, starting with guilt and remorse; to then horror as he is stricken with his conscience; to dread after he is unable to say ‘Amen.’ Lady Macbeth, however, doesn’t feel guilty for her or her husband’s actions at all, and takes the initiative after Macbeth fails to do so. Macbeth’s first reaction to the murder of King Duncan is remorse, which he expresses by saying “This is a sorry sight.”
Shakespeare uses the blood symbol to express Macbeth’s horror and guilt over his crime. Blood reveals Macbeth’s feelings about murder. Overall, the constant presence of blood in Macbeth repeatedly reminds us about how serious the consequences of the characters actions
Macbeth feels some regret and guilt for what he did, as shown by Lady Macbeth saying “My hands are your color, but I shame/ To wear a heart so white” (II.2.82-83). Macbeth is so distraught over what he has just done that Lady Macbeth reprimands him for being so cowardly. All that changes, however, after Duncan’s body is found. Macbeth decides to act on impulse and kills the guards that he and Lady Macbeth were planning to frame for Duncan’s murder.
Furthermore, Lady Macbeth starts to feel unsure about what she did “Naught's had, all's spent, Where our desire is got without content”(III, II,104). Lady Macbeth is guilt-ridden from her actions because she is unsure of what she has done. She has started to become scared because of the backlash that may come. For instance, Lady Macbeth lost her sanity when she started seeing blood on her hands “Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” (V, I,191).
Closely followed by this treacherous act, they continue these bloody atrocities until it leads to their own deaths. From the perspective of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, blood symbolizes the heavy burden of guilt shown through the many crimes they committed, the high amount of significant references to blood, and the psychological struggles that they faced. Horrendously, Macbeth commits his first murderous crime in the second act. Leading up to this moment, the doubt, fear, and straining pressure offer no mercy to him.
Darkness can be seen in many literary works with the intention of showing a turn for the worse in many characters lives. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare displays examples of violence in order to show audience members how Macbeth’s desire for kingship, led to his demise through his guilt. The use of blood, nature and supernatural elements are used as a way of symbolizing Shakespeare's theme of Macbeth’s guilt. Is one man’s desire for nobility worth the cost of others lives? Blood alters the atmosphere throughout Macbeth through the effect it has on the main character.
Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” (V.i.l 25, 33-34). The blood symbolizes the guilt that Lady Macbeth has after being involved in the murder of Duncan. The Macbeths believe that cleaning their hands with water would make the sin of the murder not be in connection with them.
Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, Oh, Oh!” (Act 5, Scene 1) Though she continuously rubs her hands to get rid of the blood, Lady Macbeth can not washed away the guilt that stains her hands.
Throughout the play blood is used as a way to show the evil intentions of not only Macbeth but other characters of the famous play, demonstrating their ambition, anger, and guilt. Undoubtedly, the
In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth the symbol of blood is often represented. The symbol of blood changes throughout the play. The imagery of blood is used in two different ways, good and evil. There are several examples of this throughout the play. The symbol of blood is very important in Macbeth.
Blood is something most people see as gruesome and disturbing, and not something ordinary people enjoy to be in the presence of. In the play Macbeth, the playwright William Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to expose a character's thoughts and personality. Blood is an important motif constantly shown throughout the play. Macbeth, the main character, thinks he can advance to the throne without any consequences. Blood exemplifies the guilt he is now stuck with, and due to Macbeth's excessive ambition, and overwhelming guilt, he is now faced with the consequences.
Macbeths guilty conscience makes him unable to play the ‘true’ role of a villain of the play. Macbeth begins to see ‘false creations’ before murdering Duncan; the image of a floating dagger taunts Macbeth’s senses. Macbeth is devoured in his anxiety he starts to hallucinate the crime before going through with it. Macbeth is unable to dispose thoughts of his guilt and doubt, which prevents him from being stuck at the point where it is too late to turn back, yet the fear of his nature prevents him from turning completely into a ruthless coldblooded
Macbeth went through so much pressure to do the crime he later regretted and suffered and battles with himself and his paranoia. Lady Macbeth only saw the effects of blood visually she did not see how the blood stain was eating Macbeth from the inside. Once again Lady Macbeth is pushing Macbeth to forget about what happened and move on, the murder does not affect Lady Macbeth but the way Macbeth is acting shows that he was never ready to commit this
Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” explores a man’s fall from morality through committing the act of regicide, as well as ideas of guilt, greed and corruption. A motif of blood is used throughout the play to aid Shakespeare’s character development of Macbeth and it also facilitates further exploration of the figurative moral compass and culpability. Blood is used as a symbol and physical manifestation of guilt within characters throughout the play. Firstly, Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to emphasise the moral deterioration of Macbeth 's character.