Blood as a Symbol in Macbeth Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most tragic and violent plays. It is only fitting, then, that blood is the main symbol throughout this sad tale. Representing honor, disloyalty, and guilt, Shakespeare uses blood to describe Macbeth’s desire to destroy his king, leading to the eventual downfall of his country. The first mention of blood in Macbeth takes place early in the play. During act 1, scene 2, Duncan notices the injured soldier and states, “What bloody man is that?” This first reference symbolizes honor as the soldier (a sergeant) is returning from battle.
28). This shows how much the death played on Macbeth’s mind, almost instantly after the murder Macbeth felt this way because his had sense of loyalty toward the king as he was praised for his heroic work on the battlefield. When faced with danger of being discovered as the murderer of Duncan, Macbeth acted with fear and indecision. Lady Macbeth takes control of the situation. “Methought I heard a voice cry, sleep no more: Macbeth does murder sleep.” (Act 2 Scene 2, Pg.
This suggests that in the opening stages of Macbeth blood is a symbol of bravery and courage. Another strand upon which blood imagery incurs along throughout the play is that of the blood of those murdered by Macbeth. It begins with Macbeths Soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 7, where he contemplates the murder of Duncan. His prediction that “Bloody instructions, which being taught return to plague the inventor” is the image in question. In this soliloquy Macbeth is considering the advantages and disadvantages of murdering his noble king in cold blood.
Although Macbeth is to be blamed for his own wrong doings, such as killing King Duncan, the three witches have played a major roll in this deed as well. The witches’ prophecies are what influenced him greatly, with something that sounded so pleasant yet caused such a dreadful downfall. “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!
She says “and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood…”( act 1 scene 2) Lady Macbeth asks this so that she can free herself from the guilt or remorse she expects to feel for the deed she hopes to fulfill. Also, the feeling of guilt is symbolized by blood after Macbeth has killed Duncan. He asks, “Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? "(act 2, scene 3) This is an example of blood representing guilt because Macbeth wishes he could just wash away his immense feeling of guilt.
Macbeth Tragic Themes One of the themes in The Tragedy of Macbeth is that of blood. Macbeth is known for his skills as a warrior and his mercilessness that is shown in his killing of MacDonwald, this warrior mentality spreads though into his life and Macbeth begins to make killing a habit. When he is told in a prophecy that he shall be king, Macbeth takes it upon himself to murder, Duncan, king of Scotland, after this murder though he has visions of blood on his hands, blood nothing could remove. As Macbeth becomes more and more ambitious, he also begins to kill more people to get what he wants, more power. The theme of blood is shown throughout the play and it is a problem that Macbeth finds harder and harder to rid himself of after each killing.
The character who entered the stage at the beginning is, in the eyes of the audience, completely different person from the character at the end of the first act. He transforms himself from a man of deep morality and honesty to one who is prepared to kill the sovereign king. Even before Macbeth himself appears on stage, he is discussed in admiring terms by the king and the king's eldest son 'Malcolm'. They speak of Macbeth in such glowing terms following his recent successes in the battlefield, whilst in the service of the King. In act I scene 2 a captain describes how Macbeth killed McDonald in battle.
Macbeth is seen to have ‘unseamed him from the nave to the chops.’ Shakespeare creates a violent image of Macbeth brutally killing Macdonwald. Macdonwald is the opponent warrior who was as violent as well, but Macbeth overpowers Macdonwald which suggests that Macbeth is very brutal. The use of ‘unseamed’ is a metaphor from clothing that shows his precision and expertise. Macbeth is seen as a heroic warrior in this act as he is fighting for Scotland. He is represented as a valiant character who hunts down Scotland’s enemies.
Blood is a major symbol in Macbeth. Blood symbolizes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s guilt because they feel that their murderous crimes have stained them in a way that cannot be washed clean. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” Macbeth exclaims after he has killed Duncan; his wife only scolds him and says that a little water will wash the blood away. Later, she comes to share his sense of remorse: “Out, damned spot; out, I say . .
First of all, Macbeth is evil since he became a murderer. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was a war hero who was honorable. He was celebrated as a brave soldier and rewarded with a new title from the king. However, after he has been told by the three witches that he will eventually become a king of Scotland, he immediately kill King Duncan. This was a evil decision that he made for the first time.