Blood In Macbeth
Stained Red
In the play Macbeth, by Williams Shakespeare, blood is a key motif that is traced and envelops the overall theme. In the play, a Scottish general by the name of Macbeth indulges in a bloody rise to power and a tragic downfall. Set in medieval Scotland, Macbeth lets his thirst for power and his manipulative wife by the name of Lady Macbeth convince him to go on a rampage of murder stemming into chaos and eventual death for the once honorable general. Blood is prominently mentioned throughout this tragedy and represents Macbeth and Lady Macbeths separation from humanity and the inescapable guilt felt by them after their deplorable crimes. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth emerges as a heroic general who strikes down Scotland's …show more content…
After the murder of King Duncan we immediately see the guilt eat away at Macbeth. ““What hands are here! Ha! they pluck out mine eyes” (act 2 scene 2 line 24). Macbeth says that the sight of the blood, the very thought of murder, is so awful it metaphorically rips his eyes out, indicating the enormity of quilt Macbeth is experiencing. After the murder of his friend Banquo that he staged, he states in a conversation with his wife “But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer,Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep In the affliction of these terrible dreams That shake us nightly. Better be with the dead, Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, Than on the torture of the mind to lie In restless ecstasy” (act 3 scene 2 lines 18-25). The guilt evades them both of their sleep and sanity, and the imaginary blood sticks to them as a reminder of their ever pervading existence. Blood helps trace the emotions of the characters because we see Macbeth go from guilt to dry acceptance of his actions. He is aware that after all these crimes he is not able to turn back no matter how hard he tries. Blood is also keen in representing the paradoxical effect between the beginning of Macbeth and the tragic conclusion. In the beginning Macbeth spills the blood of macdownwald bringing peace to Scotland, and at the end of the story Macduff the son of King Duncan slays Macbeth bringing the restoration of peace back to Scotland once and for all.
Overall, Shakespeare used the symbolism of blood as a major motif to unearth the guilt felt by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and the hallucinations they experienced as a result. Power even the idea of it can cause of man to do things they never imagine. The murders committed happened quick and in an instant, but the blood remained and stained the rest of their short lived
In the play Macbeth, by Williams Shakespeare, blood is a key motif that is traced and envelops the overall theme. In the play, a Scottish general by the name of Macbeth indulges in a bloody rise to power and a tragic downfall. Set in medieval Scotland, Macbeth lets his thirst for power and his manipulative wife by the name of Lady Macbeth convince him to go on a rampage of murder stemming into chaos and eventual death for the once honorable general. Blood is prominently mentioned throughout this tragedy and represents Macbeth and Lady Macbeths separation from humanity and the inescapable guilt felt by them after their deplorable crimes. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth emerges as a heroic general who strikes down Scotland's …show more content…
After the murder of King Duncan we immediately see the guilt eat away at Macbeth. ““What hands are here! Ha! they pluck out mine eyes” (act 2 scene 2 line 24). Macbeth says that the sight of the blood, the very thought of murder, is so awful it metaphorically rips his eyes out, indicating the enormity of quilt Macbeth is experiencing. After the murder of his friend Banquo that he staged, he states in a conversation with his wife “But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer,Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep In the affliction of these terrible dreams That shake us nightly. Better be with the dead, Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, Than on the torture of the mind to lie In restless ecstasy” (act 3 scene 2 lines 18-25). The guilt evades them both of their sleep and sanity, and the imaginary blood sticks to them as a reminder of their ever pervading existence. Blood helps trace the emotions of the characters because we see Macbeth go from guilt to dry acceptance of his actions. He is aware that after all these crimes he is not able to turn back no matter how hard he tries. Blood is also keen in representing the paradoxical effect between the beginning of Macbeth and the tragic conclusion. In the beginning Macbeth spills the blood of macdownwald bringing peace to Scotland, and at the end of the story Macduff the son of King Duncan slays Macbeth bringing the restoration of peace back to Scotland once and for all.
Overall, Shakespeare used the symbolism of blood as a major motif to unearth the guilt felt by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and the hallucinations they experienced as a result. Power even the idea of it can cause of man to do things they never imagine. The murders committed happened quick and in an instant, but the blood remained and stained the rest of their short lived