Macbeth Guilt Essay

The guilt also gets to Macbeth, as he goes too far: “I am in blood Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er:” (3.4.136-138). Macbeth says not that he has already killed two people, there is no way back from this. This blood represents the murders of Duncan and Banquo and also the guilt Macbeth experiences from murdering two of his closest

The image of blood plays an important role throughout the play. Blood represents the murders Macbeth and Lady Macbeth committed along with the guilt and pain they’ve felt afterwards. When Macbeth murdered King Duncan, he was fearful of getting caught. “Will Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?” (2.2.59-60) Later, Macbeth refuses to go back to the crime scene to smear the blood on the sleeping guards because he was afraid of being accused.

Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth see more and more imaginary blood as the time goes on in the play, they feel guilty for what they have done and the blood is a

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.

Through the eyes of Macbeth, blood is a stain of guilt that one can not remove. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the motif of blood is symbolic of fear, guilt, power and represents the theme, ambition kills. The motif of blood reoccurs continuously in Shakespear’s Macbeth, but does not lose its importance. As the play becomes more somber and gruesome, blood is mentioned more frequently.

This particular moment within the play stands as a significant juncture, where Macbeth's psychological deterioration becomes increasingly apparent, and the consequences of his actions become intertwined with his destiny. Moreover, the symbol of blood recurs during Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene in Act V, Scene 1, wherein she incessantly endeavors to cleanse her hands of the metaphorical stains of blood resulting from their criminal acts. Through her troubled behavior and delusional monologues, this scene delves into the profound depths of her conscience, thereby exposing the profound impact of unbridled ambition and the moral imbalance that ensues. In essence, the pervasive imagery of blood serves as a poignant reminder of the characters' tragic downfalls, encapsulating the themes of

As Lady Macbeth’s gentlewoman consults a doctor, they observe her diminishing mental state as she hallucinates that “hands [will] [never] be clean,” and that “the smell of the blood” will not be “[sweetened]” by any perfume (5.1.45, 53-54 ). Here, the author uses the motif of blood to represent guilt. Lady Macbeth’s struggle to remove the blood on her hands shows her undying guilt which she cannot erase despite countless trials. This is further proven when she says the smell of blood lingers and cannot be sweetened, meaning that her action cannot be forgiven by her guilt. Her mental state weakens due to this reason and is shown to be tormented by her hallucinations rather than being content with her desired queenship.

As soon as he commits his first murder he is overcome with grief. He is afraid of the blood on his hands. In this play blood obviously represents blood but also guilt. Macbeth can’t get over his guilt and begins to go almost mad. He is constantly worrying about who will be taking over what throne and trying to have them killed because he is so greedy and wants to rule.

Blood represents how Macbeth was a hero and how the evil will turn him into a guilty man. After the Scottish army defeated the Norwegian army King Duncan starts to praise the hero of the war Macbeth. Also however he ends up talking to a bloody soldier from the war. “What bloody man is that” :for brave Macbeth- well deserves that name.”

Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution.’ As we can see, Macbeth was ambitious as a solider who wanted to make achievement, and he did very well then he become a Cawdor. In this case, the blood is symbol glory. In the history, the warrior culture in the England was to approve a hero and as him a token to stimulate people. The line ‘As two spent swimmers that do cling together and choke their art.’

Shakespeare uses the recurring symbol of blood to emphasize the effect of death and violence on the human psyche. The connotation that Macbeth associates with blood switches from a primary motivator to a guilty reminder. Prior to Duncan’s murder, Macbeth witnessed a floating dagger covered with blood (II.i.33). Macbeth had experienced violence and Blood is also used as a reminder of the guilt and trauma from the murder of King Duncan, the guards and Banquo. Macbeth refers to his hallucination of the ghost of Banquo: “It will have blood, they say.

Each time blood is mentioned, it represents Lady Macbeth and Macbeths further mental change of state. In which their sense of life is substitute by insanity. In summary, the use of the blood and staining motif purposefully emphasized the high intensity that was present in the play. It contradicted any moral sense that Macbeth had and painted a clear image Macbeth’s true nature.

From Macbeth feeling “drowned in blood”, to Lady Macbeth not being able to wash her hands, shows how guilt will always come from making bad decisions. One wrong choice can ruin a person's life

The blood on her hands indicates the murders of Duncan and others who have died because of her and Macbeth’s ambition. However, as blood can be masked within a strong scent, such as the perfumes of Arabia, it is not the case for Lady Macbeth in her sleep because the guilt she feels is overwhelming her ability to forgive herself and forget her sins. Therefore, Lady Macbeth expresses her guilt through her vision while sleeping which is caused by her ambition and

At the beginning of the play, blood can often be seen to symbolise strength, heroism and stereotypical masculinity. The Captain describes Macbeth’s efforts on the battlefield with imagery such as “ smoked with bloody execution” to display blood as a war trophy and badge of bravery. Shakespeare’s use of descriptive language such as “smoked” conveys a tone of achievement and grandeur: which in turn implies that the act of murdering men on the battle field is heroic and praiseworthy, as it is displayed in such an impressive manner. However, Shakespeare shows the audience a very different side to Macbeth after the murder of Duncan. Shakespeare displays Macbeth’s overwhelming guilt and remorse in the words “my hand will rather/ the multitudinous seas incarnadine making the green one red” in which Macbeth states that all the oceans of the world could not wash away the blood from his hands and therefore implies that there is nothing on