Macbeth's 'How Violence Leads To Guilt'

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Monica Ellison ENG-3U1-02 Mrs. Medeiros Wednesday, October 27, 2010 “How Violence Leads to Guilt” In William Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth”, symbolism is used multiple times to demonstrate the overall theme of violence. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses symbols of blood, sleep and hallucinations all to create a suspense that leads to violence which later leads to guilt. Shakespeare uses the symbol of blood to represent the guilt that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth feel after the violence has occurred. Sleep is used to symbolize the innocence, purity, and peace of mind, and when Macbeth kills Duncan it displays how violence occurs with sleep. Lastly, the symbol of hallucinations represents the outcome of violence which later turns into…show more content…
Shakespeare states, “"There's one did laugh in's sleep, and one cried 'Murder!'" (2.2.29) To Macbeth, it's as though those men, even in their sleep, could see the blood from the murder on his hands. Moments later, still talking about the frightening things that happened to him, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he thought he heard a voice telling him that he would never sleep again. Shakespeare…show more content…
Shakespeare states, “A dagger of the mind, a false creation, / Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” (2.1.45-46) When Macbeth is about to kill Duncan, Macbeth sees a dagger floating in the air. Covered with blood and pointed toward the king’s chamber, the dagger represents the bloody course on which Macbeth is about to embark. As the play moves forward, we learn that Macbeth sets out murders to kill Banquo. When this is done we see the guilt build up in Macbeth, and almost see him admit to everything. The narrator states, “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake / Thy gory locks at me.” (3.4.59-60) This represents the violence of Banquo’s death and the guilt that Macbeth has from seeing the ghost of his former friend. The ghost of Banquo is a sign that even though Macbeth was too be King, didn’t need to kill anyone, but because he did that he would suffer the consequences of his
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