The motifs of blood and hand work together to introduce the theme of guilt and remorse. Macbeth is paranoid after killing Duncan. He tells himself that all the oceans in the world can't clean his bloody hands, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood, clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas in incarnadine, making the green one red.” (2.2.72-74). This quote represents Macbeth knowing that he is guilty of killing Duncan and the blood on his hands is freaking him out. His conscience is coming back to him. Macbeth doesn’t think that washing his hands will take away the guilt. For example, Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to create the theme of guilt and remorse. Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking and talking …show more content…
Macbeth’s conscience is coming back after killing Duncan. He is scared of the door knocking. He looks at his hand and thinks that washing them will make the water turn red, “What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes. 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” (2.2.59-63). This evidence shows Macbeth is now paranoid because of hearing a knock at the door. He looks at the blood on his hands and wants to wash them, but then he realizes that if he washes his hands it won’t take away the guilt. For example, Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to create the theme of guilt and remorse. Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking complaining about the blood on her hands and if they were going to be clean again, “What, will these hands ne’er be clean? No more o’ that. You mar all with this starting.” (5.1 36-38). This evidence shows Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking in her room, and a doctor and her gentlewomen are watching her. Lady Macbeth is feeling guilty because Macduff’s wife is dead, and she realizes that her hands will never be clean of the blood of the people that she helped kill. Her conscience comes and haunts her in her
The strong imagery of blood in this scene demonstrates his inability to remove the blood from his hands. Guilt will always remain disturbing Macbeth as the image of the crime will always remain in his consciousness, causing him to experience greater fear. The permanent change in colour from green to red in seas, shows that the guilt with Macbeth is everlasting and that there is not enough water in the sea to cleanse his hands. However, the blood on Macbeth’s hands will stain the ocean red. The crimes Macbeth has committed stained his hands in a way that they cannot be washed clean.
Lady Macbeth's anguished conscience driven by guilt is conveyed through the use of symbolism and tone. When the doctor arrives to inspect Lady Macbeth’s condition, she begins to sleepwalk, during which she confesses her crimes. Recalling the murder of Duncan when she vigorously washes her hands, she repeats this action in her drowsy state. Her attempts to clean the blood off her hands symbolizes her obsessive desire to atone for her sins. Not only to repent, but also to be liberated from evil thoughts and obtain a pure mind can be inferred by the readers.
Lady Macbeth explains to Macbeth that he should use his noble strength to think of things before he does them. She exclaims to go get water to wash the blood off of his hands. Macbeth exclaims that, “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” (Shakespeare 2.2.78-82). Macbeth portrays imagery when he asks “Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood”.
She talks about how there is still blood on her hands from the murder of Duncan. There is really no blood on her hands! But the guilt of being involved in killing Duncan has got to her and it will never leave. The blood is sticking to her hands in the hallucination, just like the way the guilt is sticking to her heart. Later in the play Lady Macbeth can not take the weight of of the guilt and throws herself off the balcony.
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, literary symbols or motifs such as blood play a significant role. Throughout the play, blood feeds off of a strong case of corrupt ambition and symbolizes guilt, blame and destruction. No matter how strong or thick one’s blood is, actions prove to be permanent and have serious side effects such as a haunting guilt marked by Macbeth’s crimson blood. Shortly after discovering that Macbeth is in line to be King, he and his wife Lady Macbeth devise a plan to murder and remove the incumbent King Duncan from his throne to open up the position. However, as soon as Macbeth commits the fatal murder, he is exasperated by his actions evidently as he yelps, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?
Next, the use of the word “clean” implies that Macbeth is trying to remove every aspect or permeant removal of guilt. He answers his own question by the claim that rather than clean his hand the “multitudinous seas” will simply turn the color of his blood. Thus, proving that his guilt is so large it would infect all of the sea of the world. Finally, he claims that the green of the sea will turn red; in this metaphor, he depicts the world as a natural state that is corrupted by the guilt of his blood. Likewise, Lady Macbeth shows her guilt of the murder through blood; a doctor is called and he observes as lady Macbeth speaks in her sleep.
What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow'r to accompt? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?" (Mac.5.1.29-33) Lady Macbeth is trying to scrub the blood off her hands while in a conscious state. She thinks she has blood on her hands.
After killing Duncan, Macbeth says “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?” (2,2,78-79) he says that the blood on his hands is too great for even Neptune's ocean to clean. This blood represents his guilt for the crime. This blood may be cleaned physically, but it never gets cleaned from Macbeth's mind. Macbeth continues to reference this “blood” throughout the play.
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.
In the context of the play, the character Macbeth is a “hardy soldier” and consequently, may be conversant to the sight of blood; yet, arguably Duncan’s “bloody business” could have been the derivation of Macbeth’s intensifying guilt. Thus, the conclusion could be made that an allegory for blood is culpability. The playwright may premeditatedly use the question “will all great Neptune’s oceans wash this blood clean from my hand?” to emphasize Macbeth's vexation. He may be irritated by the indelible 'red stains' on his hands as it may be a figurative elicitation of the murder; prompting his guilt.
They pluck out my eyes! Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine”(2.2.80). This show Macbeth has feel delinquent about killing Macbeth and his hallucinations is his hand cover with redness blood that all the water in the ocean could not wash away the blood remain in his hand. Another example of Macbeth character trait is changing.
Macbeth indicates his guilt when he say’s "Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?”(2,2,61-62). He’s meaning if he would ever be able to forget about the deed that he has committed of killing the kind of Scotland Duncan. He also is saying that even the entire ocean could wash his hands clean of the blood. Macbeth feels that what he has done was wrong and shameful.
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.
At first Lady Macbeth did not feel any guilt until things begin to get carried away. Sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth is heard saying, “Here's the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. ”(5:1:53-55) and“ Out damned spot, out, I say”(5.1.37). Lady Macbeth is saying these things because she is visualizing that there is blood still on her hands representing her extreme guilt because she knows what she did not was wrong.