This symbolizes the audacious soldier who fought and got injured in the battle for his country. Next, the sergeant says “Which smoked with bloody execution” (I:2). He is referring to Macbeth here where his sword is bloody and he is brave by killing the enemy. After Shakespeare briefly uses the symbol of blood with honor, it quickly changes to a theme of treason. It starts off with Lady Macbeth asking the spirits “Of direst cruelty!
Making the green one red" is eloquently self-explanatory.He commits Duncan's murder to gain the crown, once he gain it, he has the murders of Banquo and the wife and children of Macduff committed for the preservatiom of his crown. But when Banquo's son (the would-be king) and Macduff escape, he gets horrified,realizing the importance of the prophecies of the witches. kc4u Teacher Doctorate Editor, Debater, Expert In act2 sc.2, we see Macbeth return from Duncan's chamber, after having done the 'deed'. He
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red” (Act ll Scene ii 59-62). Macbeth says this to Lady Macbeth right after he has murdered Duncan. In this quote, Macbeth has this powerful feeling of guilt within him and he explains how not even Neptune’s ocean can wash this blood off of his hands and clean himself. The guilt he is feeling makes Macbeth come to a conclusion that he has so much blood on his hands he can make the green seas red.
Of course the Macbeths realized the severity of their deeds and guilt crept on in on them. Macbeth is losing his cool and begins having conversation with himself. He ask “will all great Neptune’s ocean was this blood; Clean from my hand?”and he proceeds to answer with “no , this my hand will rather; the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red”( Macbeth II ii 57-60). The roles soon reverse and Lady Macbeth complains of blood on her hands. Saying “what, will these hands ne’er be clean?
By the time Macbeth’s mind conjures up a dagger for him, he can see the murder as a conclusion, not a question for his consideration. Macbeth has a guilty conscience. He sees a vision of the murder weapon with which he killed the king. He wonders if the vision is supernatural or a delusion of his disturbed mind. Quote 3 Line numbers: Act 2 Scene 2 57-60 First five words: “Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?
Images of Blood • It is a symbol of death, cold-blooded murder and a stain that is difficult to eliminate (seen in Lady Macbeth’s hand-washing compulsion). • It represents guilt as well as cowardice (the bloody dagger and the Ghost of Banquo). • It has been used to scapegoat innocent people (e.g. Macbeth puts Duncan’s blood onto the guards). • It also represents kinship, severing family ties and bonds.
“More is thy due than more than all can pay” (1.4.21). King Duncan says this to show how he is grateful of Macbeth for wining the war. As events unfold, Macbeth shows his true character when he kills Duncan to become king. This shows he has a false appearance because Duncan thought the two were friends and Macbeth would not kill a relative. Towards the end of the play Macbeth gets caught up in a killing spree by hiring people to murder Banquo and his son, and by having everybody in Macduff’s castle killed: The castle of Macduff I will surprise, Seize upon fife: give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate
Motifs in Macbeth Motif is a recurring element that gains significance as a literary work continues. In the book Macbeth, by William Shakespeare there are numerous motifs such as blood, sleeplessness, and darkness. Blood is a sign of evil and wrongdoing. After Macbeth kills Duncan he says, “He can’t wash the blood off his hands.” Macbeth says this because he has this feeling that he will always have that blood stained knowing how he feels guilty for killing Duncan. Macbeth describes Duncan as having had "golden blood," which contrasts with his own.
He then goes on to elaborate, commenting, “Well he deserves that name”. The respect granted by this line enables Macbeth to feel powerful- the first degree of a Tragic Hero. To add, ‘brave’ creates a plosive sound, pursuing a noble feel to the scene. Despite this, there is a sharp contrast in Act 1; Scene 7 as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth plan to arraign the guards using the blood buried daggers that would be used in the murder. Macbeth hatches the plan, as he is in conversation with Lady Macbeth, he states, “When we have marked with blood those sleepy two”.
As Macbeth first feels the immense guilt of killing his king, he asks himself: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand?” And answering his own question he states: “No, this my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine,/ Making the green one red.”(2,2,57-60). The powerful image of Neptune’s vast oceans and multitudinous seas being unable to cleanse Macbeth’s blood stained hands further implies that Macbeth will never be forgiven for his gruesome deed, and that his guilt will plague him till his final day on earth. As he enjoys the spoils of the “King of Scotland”, Macbeth becomes plagued with inevitable guilt and remorse so severely that he becomes blind of the heinous acts of murder that he permits, claiming “It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood.” (3,4,121). Blood having blood serves as a continuous cycle, therefore Macbeth’s killing will become a habit and his guilt of killing shall not impede him from his goals of slaughtering possible deceitful subjects, including his close friend Banquo, of whom he finds justification for killing “with thy bloody and invisible hand/ Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond/ Which keeps me pale!”(3,2,48-50). The “great bond” that Macbeth refers to represents Banquo’s lease on life, and as he terminates that bond, Macbeth supposes his pale and bloodless face with replenish with the blood of his adversary, symbolically driving all other guilt he once felt out of his soul and gone forever