The Power Of Blood In Macbeth

Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s countless plays displays the power of blood itself; the color, the smell, and importance. Vital to life and shocking to see. Throughout the play we see how blood shows its presence and prominence in shaping the characters themselves. This reoccurring motif of blood ultimately displays how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience consuming, inescapable guilt and how each one deals with it differently as they lose a grasp on reality.
The foremost occurrence in which Macbeth displays the influence of blood on his sanity is when he murders Duncan. When he returns, Macbeth mentions to Lady Macbeth that the thought of the blood splattered all over the body of the virtuous Duncan was itself horrifying, and returning the bloody
This indicates Macbeth’s initial disturbance and repulsion with the thought of blood and murder, consequentially displaying Macbeth’s fears of the repercussions and God’s punishment for his cruel and misguided actions. After murdering Banquo, Macbeth met with the Thanes at a banquet, during this meeting, Banquo’s ghost appeared. Macbeth indicates that the ghost haunts him in accusation. Macbeth protests “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake / Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.45-46). The phrase “Gory locks” indicates that Banquo is covered blood. Banquo’s appearance is then a projection of Macbeth’s guilt; his conscience self-accusatory. As the play progresses into act 3 scene 4, we can see how Macbeth’s viewpoint on blood has continued to change. He states that “I am in blood/ Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er” (3.4.168-170). We can clearly see Macbeth’s journey through his
Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s reactions to blood emphasize their counter attitude changes. Macbeth transitions from extreme guilt to heartless killer, while Lady Macbeth starts as the heartless killer and falls to a state of despair and