Macbeth Hand Quotes

In Macbeth by Shakespeare, Macbeth is the thane of Glamis. He meets three witches who, among other things, tell him that he will become Thane of Cawdor and then King. Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth try to decipher the witches’ message as they do not know if they should let things go on by themselves or kill Duncan. They devise that they are going to kill Duncan. Macbeth then follows through, killing Duncan while Lady Macbeth incriminates those who were sleeping in Duncan’s room. This is a decision that would come to haunt both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the long run. The meaning of “hand” throughout Macbeth has a very important meaning. The meaning of the word “hand” evolves significantly from just a part of our body to something that holds …show more content…
Specifically, after Duncan is murdered, Malcolm asks who did it to which Lennox responds “Those of his chamber, as it seemed, had done ‘t. / Their hands and faces were all badged with blood.” This quote shows that Macbeth and lady Macbeth successfully got away with Duncan’s murder. This is an example in the play of hand being used to assign blame. They figure that those of Duncan’s chamber committed the murder because there is blood on their hands. This shows that hands can carry a meaning with people and help to assign blame to someone for something. All in all, Lennox’s quote shows a more simple meaning of hand before it evolves into a more complex word with a much deeper …show more content…
Angus, when speaking with Caithness and Menteith about Macbeth, brings up the point that all the bad things that Macbeth did throughout his rule are coming back to haunt him. In particular, Angus talks about Macbeth’s murders staying with him on his hands, saying, “Now does he[Macbeth] feel / His secret murders sticking on his hands.” Angus mentioning this shows how the meaning of “hand” had changed throughout Macbeth as it went from just another part of our body to something that has much more