To think of blood, one might think of the liquid which keeps the body functioning. However, when looked at in a literary context, blood symbolizes disorder, evil, and chaos. For this reason, Shakespeare decided that blood would be an appropriate symbol to represent the evil deeds committed by the characters in his play, Macbeth. Whether it is through unthinkable murders, evil prophesies of blood and murder told by the witches, or finally a force which drives people such as Lady Macbeth insane, blood plays the utmost important symbolic role within this play. Macbeth is first introduced to the audience by a wounded captain, who describes him as a heroic soldier, fighting without mercy to protect King Duncan. According to the captain,
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When Macbeth meets with the Thanes at a banquet, Banquo’s ghost appears. Macbeth indicates that the ghost haunts him in accusation. Macbeth protests “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake / Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.45). Gory locks indicate that Banquo is bloody. Banquo’s appearance, then, is a projection of Macbeth’s guilt. His conscience is self-accusatory. Shakespeare also uses the blood symbol to illustrate Macbeth’s acceptance of his guilt. He tells Lady Macbeth, “I am in blood / Step't in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er” (3.4.48). In this metaphor comparing guilt to a pool or marshland, Macbeth says he has waded so far into this pool that it would be as difficult to turn back as it would be to “go o’er,” to continue. This metaphor clarifies Macbeth’s “no turning back now” attitude towards murder and evil. Macbeth seems to feel that he is already so guilty that he might as well accept it. The blood metaphor reveals a fundamental attitude change in Macbeth. He goes from remorseful guilt to dry acceptance. The image of blood symbolizes treason, ambition and murder, contrasting what it meant earlier in the play. It is now associated with …show more content…
He starts off as a noble and just person, turns ambitious and treacherous and, finally, becomes a man full of guilt and remorse for his crime. On the other hand, blood imagery is also used by Shakespeare to evoke a visceral reaction from the audience. Blood represents birth, injury, death and the cycle of life. It is an essential part of life without which one cannot survive. Blood symbolism serves as a continuous indicator of characters’ emotional progression. Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s reactions to blood underline their inverse attitude changes. Macbeth moves from immeasurable guilt to callous killer, while Lady Macbeth starts as the callous killer and falls to a state of despair. Thus, the blood symbol allows the reader to not only see the character changes of Macbeth’s two main characters, but also compare and contrast these
brave …show more content…
When Macbeth meets with the Thanes at a banquet, Banquo’s ghost appears. Macbeth indicates that the ghost haunts him in accusation. Macbeth protests “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake / Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.45). Gory locks indicate that Banquo is bloody. Banquo’s appearance, then, is a projection of Macbeth’s guilt. His conscience is self-accusatory. Shakespeare also uses the blood symbol to illustrate Macbeth’s acceptance of his guilt. He tells Lady Macbeth, “I am in blood / Step't in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er” (3.4.48). In this metaphor comparing guilt to a pool or marshland, Macbeth says he has waded so far into this pool that it would be as difficult to turn back as it would be to “go o’er,” to continue. This metaphor clarifies Macbeth’s “no turning back now” attitude towards murder and evil. Macbeth seems to feel that he is already so guilty that he might as well accept it. The blood metaphor reveals a fundamental attitude change in Macbeth. He goes from remorseful guilt to dry acceptance. The image of blood symbolizes treason, ambition and murder, contrasting what it meant earlier in the play. It is now associated with …show more content…
He starts off as a noble and just person, turns ambitious and treacherous and, finally, becomes a man full of guilt and remorse for his crime. On the other hand, blood imagery is also used by Shakespeare to evoke a visceral reaction from the audience. Blood represents birth, injury, death and the cycle of life. It is an essential part of life without which one cannot survive. Blood symbolism serves as a continuous indicator of characters’ emotional progression. Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s reactions to blood underline their inverse attitude changes. Macbeth moves from immeasurable guilt to callous killer, while Lady Macbeth starts as the callous killer and falls to a state of despair. Thus, the blood symbol allows the reader to not only see the character changes of Macbeth’s two main characters, but also compare and contrast these