Blood Stained Hand In Macbeth

During Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the blood-stained hand is a recurring symbol which is used to contribute to the understanding of human nature and the struggle with acts of evil and its consequences, which subsequently leads to the downfall of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The concepts explored throughout the use of this symbol include the acts of evil, which then leave the characters filled with guilt and remorse and this finally results in the overthrow of natural order.

The acts of good and evil are explored throughout the play with the use of several characters and events. Through the use of numerous literature techniques the reader is able to see that these acts of evil become pivotal moments in the play, along with adding to the character development …show more content…
The blood itself is a metaphorical indication of the guilt they cannot wash away. A mythological allusion is used when macbeth wonders if “all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / clean from my hand?”. Shakespeare uses this allusion to express the amplitude of Macbeth’s crime. Neptune was the king of the seas and if all that water couldn’t wash away the blood on Macbeth’s hands, then nothing would be able to. Macbeth has a handful of guilt that he will never be able to wash away and he doesn’t know what to do, which leads to him committing more murders and this contributes to his tragic downfall. Lady Macbeth also has this realisation when the doctor comments on her behaviour saying “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”.The perfumes are personified in making a point that Lady Macbeth will never overcome the guilt that she feels. She will never recover her innocence and she is filled with remorse and nothing will cure her. The doctor later tells Macbeth that “Therein the patient/Must minister to himself.” This reflects on the previous statement that the doctor made, explaining that nothing can cure Lady Macbeth of her guilt, only she can cure herself. Lady Macbeth tries to reassure herself that she has done nothing wrong saying “What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?”. Lady Macbeth feels she should not feel guilty because no one knows that they were the ones who committed the murders. When she says “no one can call our power to account” she is trying to convince herself that her guilt is unnecessary. This guilt consumes her and leads to her committing suicide and the reader sees that her character has evolved throughout the play as Lady Macbeth seems quite cold at the start of the play, but towards the end she allowed the guilt to consume her.