Symbolism of Blood in Macbeth “What bloody man is that?” (1.2.1). These opening words of the second scene in the tragedy, Macbeth, foreshadow the intended repeated symbolism of blood. The sergeant is the bloody man referred to in the second scene of the play and is weak from loss of blood. As the sergeant praises Macbeth for his victories over Macdonwald we see that blood enhances Macbeth’s image as a hero. Throughout this play blood symbolizes guilt for Macbeth as he sees blood on a dagger before the murder is committed, it symbolizes a change is charisma for Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, and also symbolizes a life-giving essence. In Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare, the writer uses blood to symbolize the overwhelming remnants of guilt,
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The cruelty of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth‘s crimes is shown by their relentless goal to hide them. We see that Macbeth feels guilt and the author uses blood to symbolize this guilt. The most quoted representation of guilt is when Macbeth prepares to murder King Duncan and begins to hallucinate blood pouring unceasingly from the dagger in which he is about to embezzle in the King’s chest. `The guilt begins overwhelm Macbeth and his obsession with murder intertwined with guilt causes him to start to hallucinate in Act 2. “Mine eyes are made the fools o’ the other senses,/ Or else worth all the rest: I see thee still;/ And on the blade and dudgeon the gouts of blood,/ Which was not so before. There’s no such thing.” (1.44-47) The “gouts of blood” are another symbol during his hallucination of his guilt. Gout is a form or arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in the blood and triggers inflammation in the joints. This reference to the gout of blood is foreshadowing bloodier images. Macbeth is hallucinating the blood before the deed is done, yet he is not so far gone that he is unaware what is happening. He follows his hallucination saying “There’s no such thing:/ It is bloody …show more content…
When she first learns about the prophecy that the witches revealed to Macbeth and Banquo she immediately shifts her mindset. The opening of the play after Macbeth returns home from war, he brings Lady Macbeth up to date with events and she seems to be reasonable. However, she shifts into a ludicrous individual with an unquenchable thirst for power. She convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan so that he will become King, just as the Wyrd sisters predicted. In Act 2 when Macbeth has killed King Duncan, Lady Macbeth seems to have no regret and in response to Macbeth when he says “this is a sorry sight” (2.18) she perceives him a fool. When he brings the bloody dagger that he used to kill the King into the bedchamber she in enraged and tells him to rid himself of the evidence. Macbeth has already had hallucinations and the blood at this point is symbolizing his guilt. However, for Lady Macbeth this scene of bloody hands, the bloody dagger, and the heartless critique we see the blood representing change for her. As Lady Macbeth takes the dagger from Macbeth we see her take a more masculine role. She believes that Macbeth’s obsession with blood and guilt is him being a coward and she shows her bold change when she dips her hands in the blood of the King and spreads it on the groom. She then says “My hands are of your colour; but I shame/ To wear a heart so white.”
The cruelty of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth‘s crimes is shown by their relentless goal to hide them. We see that Macbeth feels guilt and the author uses blood to symbolize this guilt. The most quoted representation of guilt is when Macbeth prepares to murder King Duncan and begins to hallucinate blood pouring unceasingly from the dagger in which he is about to embezzle in the King’s chest. `The guilt begins overwhelm Macbeth and his obsession with murder intertwined with guilt causes him to start to hallucinate in Act 2. “Mine eyes are made the fools o’ the other senses,/ Or else worth all the rest: I see thee still;/ And on the blade and dudgeon the gouts of blood,/ Which was not so before. There’s no such thing.” (1.44-47) The “gouts of blood” are another symbol during his hallucination of his guilt. Gout is a form or arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in the blood and triggers inflammation in the joints. This reference to the gout of blood is foreshadowing bloodier images. Macbeth is hallucinating the blood before the deed is done, yet he is not so far gone that he is unaware what is happening. He follows his hallucination saying “There’s no such thing:/ It is bloody …show more content…
When she first learns about the prophecy that the witches revealed to Macbeth and Banquo she immediately shifts her mindset. The opening of the play after Macbeth returns home from war, he brings Lady Macbeth up to date with events and she seems to be reasonable. However, she shifts into a ludicrous individual with an unquenchable thirst for power. She convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan so that he will become King, just as the Wyrd sisters predicted. In Act 2 when Macbeth has killed King Duncan, Lady Macbeth seems to have no regret and in response to Macbeth when he says “this is a sorry sight” (2.18) she perceives him a fool. When he brings the bloody dagger that he used to kill the King into the bedchamber she in enraged and tells him to rid himself of the evidence. Macbeth has already had hallucinations and the blood at this point is symbolizing his guilt. However, for Lady Macbeth this scene of bloody hands, the bloody dagger, and the heartless critique we see the blood representing change for her. As Lady Macbeth takes the dagger from Macbeth we see her take a more masculine role. She believes that Macbeth’s obsession with blood and guilt is him being a coward and she shows her bold change when she dips her hands in the blood of the King and spreads it on the groom. She then says “My hands are of your colour; but I shame/ To wear a heart so white.”