William Shakespeare always liked to use iconic imagery in his plays, and the Tragedy of Macbeth is no exception. Throughout the play, different recurring images are used as symbols of different themes. One of the most common elements used is blood. Blood is utilized in many different ways throughout the play. Bloodiness is used as a term for brutality, blood is used literally to describe vivid images in the play such as the bloody baby, and blood is also used in terms of heritage. This essay will focus on the use of blood to portray guilt. In the play Macbeth, blood is used to show how the guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth progresses their characters.
Because of their ambitious plot to murder king Duncan and steal the crown, Macbeth and his …show more content…
Macbeth’s attitude towards these visions of blood indicate his sorrow over the deed he’s committed. However, after being named king, Macbeth decides he needs to murder Banquo in order to ensure that the witches’ prophecy of Banquo fathering kings will not come true. After his hired men have finished the job, Mabeth witnesses Banquo’s ghost at a banquet Macbeth 's hosting. Macbeth, yells to the ghost, “Thou canst say I did it: Never shake / Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.49-50). The gory locks which Macbeth is referring to, is the bloodstained hair of Banquo. Macbeth’s guilty conscience has once more caused him to hallucinate, but this time Macbeth was so shaken by the encounter, that he resolves himself to continue killing. Macbeth uses more bloody imagery when he proclaims, “I am in blood / Stepp’d so far that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.136-138). Macbeth thinks that the amount of evil he’s committed is like a bloody river in which he is halfway across. If he were to return to the other side, or stop killing, it would be just as hard as to continue killing. The inane deaths that Macbeth causes later on in the play, like the murder of Macduff’s wife and child, are a testament to his resolution. The …show more content…
Lady Macbeth also progresses as a result of her guilt, but in the opposite direction of Macbeth. After Lady Macbeth inveigled Macbeth into killing Duncan, Macbeth was shown to be incredibly panicked and terrified over what he had done. Lady Macbeth reacts differently. In response to Macbeth freaking out, Lady Macbeth says to him, “My hands are of your colour, but I shame / To wear a heart so white” (2.2.67-68). Lady Macbeth is shaming her husband for his cowardice. The colour that she is talking about is the blood that is on both of their hands from the murder, but by calling Macbeth’s heart white, Lady Macbeth is insinuating that her husband is a craven. In this portion of the act, it is implied that Lady Macbeth shows little signs of being affected by the death by the imagery she uses. She even tells Macbeth, “A little water clears us of this deed” (2.2.70). The confidence Lady Macbeth is showcasing points to the fact that she isn’t heavily affected by the guilt of killing Duncan like Macbeth was. However, as the play moves closer to the climax, Lady Macbeth’s confident veil is broken, and she breaks down from the austerity of her actions. She shows signs of insanity when she begins to sleepwalk. Lady Macbeth even openly recounts the events of Duncan’s murder while sleepwalking when she
Because of their ambitious plot to murder king Duncan and steal the crown, Macbeth and his …show more content…
Macbeth’s attitude towards these visions of blood indicate his sorrow over the deed he’s committed. However, after being named king, Macbeth decides he needs to murder Banquo in order to ensure that the witches’ prophecy of Banquo fathering kings will not come true. After his hired men have finished the job, Mabeth witnesses Banquo’s ghost at a banquet Macbeth 's hosting. Macbeth, yells to the ghost, “Thou canst say I did it: Never shake / Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.49-50). The gory locks which Macbeth is referring to, is the bloodstained hair of Banquo. Macbeth’s guilty conscience has once more caused him to hallucinate, but this time Macbeth was so shaken by the encounter, that he resolves himself to continue killing. Macbeth uses more bloody imagery when he proclaims, “I am in blood / Stepp’d so far that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.136-138). Macbeth thinks that the amount of evil he’s committed is like a bloody river in which he is halfway across. If he were to return to the other side, or stop killing, it would be just as hard as to continue killing. The inane deaths that Macbeth causes later on in the play, like the murder of Macduff’s wife and child, are a testament to his resolution. The …show more content…
Lady Macbeth also progresses as a result of her guilt, but in the opposite direction of Macbeth. After Lady Macbeth inveigled Macbeth into killing Duncan, Macbeth was shown to be incredibly panicked and terrified over what he had done. Lady Macbeth reacts differently. In response to Macbeth freaking out, Lady Macbeth says to him, “My hands are of your colour, but I shame / To wear a heart so white” (2.2.67-68). Lady Macbeth is shaming her husband for his cowardice. The colour that she is talking about is the blood that is on both of their hands from the murder, but by calling Macbeth’s heart white, Lady Macbeth is insinuating that her husband is a craven. In this portion of the act, it is implied that Lady Macbeth shows little signs of being affected by the death by the imagery she uses. She even tells Macbeth, “A little water clears us of this deed” (2.2.70). The confidence Lady Macbeth is showcasing points to the fact that she isn’t heavily affected by the guilt of killing Duncan like Macbeth was. However, as the play moves closer to the climax, Lady Macbeth’s confident veil is broken, and she breaks down from the austerity of her actions. She shows signs of insanity when she begins to sleepwalk. Lady Macbeth even openly recounts the events of Duncan’s murder while sleepwalking when she