Blood Quotes In Macbeth

In Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, many motifs are used to accentuate many different themes in the text. These themes are used to further the meaning of the play, as well as to give another definition to the characters in it. Macbeth is a highly ranked military general who is very brave and courageous. In the beginning of the play, three witches come to Macbeth and tell him a prophecy, which tells him that he is destined to become king. Macbeth trusts this prophecy and goes on a tyrannical rampage to become king. Blood is one of many motifs that Shakespeare constantly uses to accentuate many ideas which occur in the play. Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare utilizes blood in order to demonstrate that even if someone is not caught for an immoral action, the guilt they feel and the liability they experience will still punish them.

Fear, this moves us to do many things no matter if they are against or for our morals. In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth it was fear that was the main deciding factor that themed throughout this play. This can be proved by the other murders that happened after King Duncan's. These murders were committed, because Macbeth was scared of being caught and having to serve justice for the crimes he had committed. And as for Lady Macbeth, she washes her hands all the time trying to get the blood that is no longer on her hands off and sleepwalking, all of what she does is out of her own fear.

William Shakespeare's he play Macbeth takes place in a time in which violence and barbaric bloodshed determine who has power: if one is not willing to kill, he/she is not fit to be a true leader. Shakespeare uses his knowledge of this historic time period to construct a play that utilizes the horrific bloodshed and murder that occured in the feudal times. Shakespeare also demonstrates his creativity by using blood to symbolize the mental states of characters. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the motif of blood is symbolic of violence, guilt, and fear -- all themes that affect the characters in the play.

Macbeth is the ultimate story of a fight between the forces of good and evil. It tells the tale of a tragic hero whose quest for power leads to his ultimate downfall. Macbeth starts out as an honorable warrior but changes when his ambition becomes uncontrollable. As he becomes increasingly paranoid, Macbeth uses violent means to eliminate threats to his Scottish throne. As the play progresses, blood continuously plays a part in the events as the murders become more frequent. William Shakespeare, the author of Macbeth, uses blood imagery to develop Macbeth’s character, create a foil in between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and to symbolize honor and guilt.

Firstly, the person in Macbeth that was a serious victim of guilt was Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth went more insane than Macbeth even though she did not kill anyone. She was overwhelmed by guilt causing her conscience to see creepy fake illusions. The unnamed narrator insanity was caused by beating of the old man hideous heart and his evil eye, both characters use symbolism to symbolizes the malicious of both the old mans that ruined their lives. Lady Macbeth is scared when she sees her hands covered in blood, when Lady Macbeth did the murder she did not believe that it would harm her afterwards but it did which made her lose her mind. Lady Macbeth says “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One; two: why/ then ‘tis time to don’t. Hell is murky. Fie my lord, / fie! a solider and afeard? What need we hear who know/ it, when none can call our power to account? Yet who/ would have thought the old man to have had so much/ blood in him? (5.1 32-37). Lady Macbeth feels responsible for Macbeths insanity; with his insanity she also went insane. Lady Macbeth sleeps walks and starts washing her hands without water unconscious. The blood on her hand symbolizes her guilt and Duncan’s blood. She also feels like what she is going through is like Hell,

The story illustrates the act of murder has changed Macbeth’s character. But it no longer does the blood connote an image of ambition; it now symbolizes guilt, remorse, and an entry into the gates of hell from which no one can return. Macbeth laments that not even all the water in the sink will wash the blood off his hands, he is beginning to realize the immensity of his crime, and that he has done something truly evil. Macbeth say, “It will have blood,they say. Blood will have blood./ By magot pies and choughs and rooks brought forth/ The secret’st man of blood./ What is the night? (Act III, Scene 4, Lines 122-126). The imagined blood haunts both characters, following them until their death.

iv. 136-140). From this quote it can be inferred that Macbeth is concerned for himself because of all of the crimes that he is committed and is scared that people are coming after him. He has already stepped in the river of blood but cannot go back because he is already too deep and plans to continue farther. Holding the guilt of killing the most beloved King and the thought that people are coming after him, drives Macbeth to making poor decisions to protect himself and the use of blood helps the reader to see how insane Macbeth really is. Macbeth is not the only character in the play who goes insane because of guilt, his wife Lady Macbeth too goes insane with holding the guilt of ruining lives of innocent people. At one point she feels so guilty she begins to have hallucinations and even starts sleepwalking and talking. During the night when she was sleepwalking she tried to remove the blood that has stained her hands and becomes extremely paranoid that the blood is not coming off. It can be inferred that even though Lady Macbeth only helped to plan the murders she never actually kill someone, but she still carries the guilt as if she did. Shakespeare is trying to showcase with the motif of blood that no matter what type of crime is committed there is still guilt and

After the murder of Duncan, he delivers the bloody daggers to Lady Macbeth which in a way surprises her, and she ends up leaving them next to the guards, which makes it look like they were responsible for the murder of the loyal king Duncan. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth begins going crazy, constantly crying about the “blood” on her hands that will not come off. The blood symbolizes the guilt that she is encountering because she cannot clean her soul of what she has done, and even the doctor doesn't understand what is going on with her, they just think she is crazy. A few acts later it gets to the point where she eventually commits suicide, just because she was unable to deal with the guilt. (The Theme of Guilt). Several quotes throughout this play can help relate to the destruction that guilt causes. “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! – One: two: why, then, 'tis time to do't, – Hell is murky! – Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? – Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (Macbeth, act 5 scene 1). This quote is showing Lady Macbeth being entrapped by the guilt of the murder, which causes her to sleep walk and talk about it in a sort of dull way every night. “But screw your courage to the sticking place, And we'll not fail.” (Lady Macbeth, act 1 scene 7). Another quote by Lady Macbeth when she wanted Macbeth to continue on

As the play progresses, Macbeth’s guilt only becomes stronger while his actions and thoughts become more drastic from paranoia. Macbeth is talking to Lady Macbeth when he is still shaken up about seeing Banquo’s ghost at the feast and says, “It will have blood, they say. Blood will have blood. /…The secret’st man of blood…”(III.iv. 123-127) In this quote, Macbeth can be seen as the "secret'st man of blood" as he is spilling other people’s blood without having his crimes yet discovered. However, because he is aware that he will not get away with it, he says “blood will have blood,” to express that the blood of a victim will seek out the blood of their murderer, and thus a murderer will always be caught. This signifies that Macbeth is starting

“They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood” (Golding 31).

Lady Macbeth seems confident that they will not be caught nor feel any guilt because they will be lavished as king and queen. At first, she stated that water would wash the blood off of their hands, yet her guilt over the murder of one man was enough to drive her to insanity. Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk and the doctor overhears her muttering to herself, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! What, will these hands ne'er be clean? (Act 5, Scene 1, Line 25, 31).” This quote shows that she never could escape the guilt of murdering sleep and it troubled her even during her slumber. After many sleepless nights, Lady Macbeth eventually commits suicide before the fall of Macbeth from power. Because of her tortuous last days and obvious regret, it is believed that Lady Macbeth was adequately punished for her actions.

This quote depicts Macbeth hallucinating as a result of the stress caused by the murder he is about to commit (the “bloody business”). Originally, Macbeth imagines a dagger floating in the air directly in front of him with drops of blood gradually appearing and covering both the blade and handle. He eventually comes to the realization the dagger is just a figment of his imagination and the thought of killing Duncan is conjuring up these unnerving images. Subsequently, the king’s imminent death, in conjunction with the presence of blood on the dagger clearly illustrates how the image of blood is represented in this quote. By appearing on the dagger itself, blood foreshadows the untimely demise of Duncan, as it will be his blood staining the dagger which took his life. Furthermore, by referring to the murder of Duncan as “bloody business”, the image of blood is once again reinforced, and in addition, it highlights an immoral aspect of Macbeth’s character, as such a savage murder reveals a ruthless side of him which we have only witnessed on the battlefield (I.ii.18-25).

When we face trials and events, symbols define our memories and thoughts. Shakespeare tells a story about a man, Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth, whose destiny is forever changed the day King Duncan comes for a visit, and is murdered in the night in*** Macbeth***. The pain of guilt follows the pair throughout their journey of becoming King and Queen which leads them to misery and unpleasant endings. Shakespeare shows that blood represents the guilt within Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

Initially, she is a beguiling instigator of murder, and her first reaction to blood displays this nonchalant attitude. She tells Macbeth, “My hands are of your colour, but I shame / To wear a heart so white” (IIii 24). Lady Macbeth effortlessly washes off this blood with water, disregarding the guilt. Lady Macbeth’s second reaction to blood, however, exhibits shock over her husband’s free acts of cruelty. She sees the guards her husband has slain and faints. Covered in blood, the murdered guards underline Macbeth’s malice and cruelty. Therefore, when Lady Macbeth faints at the sight of these symbols, she makes obvious her change from plotting instigator to shocked observer. Blood continues to symbolize guilt, and eventually, just as Macbeth wants to remove blood from his hands, Lady Macbeth wants to cleanse her hands of blood and guilt. She visualizes a spot of blood on her hands and perpetually tries to wash it off. “Out, damned spot! out, I say!” (Vi 72). The stigma of guilt, however, cannot be removed, which reveals Lady Macbeth’s haunting, incurable guilt over the murders during Macbeth’s reign. Lady Macbeth continues in woeful guilt, saying “The Thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now? / What, will these hands ne’er be clean? No more / o’ that, my lord, no more o’ that: you mar all with / this starting” (Vi 72). She says her hands will never be clean, indicating that

     In the play ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare uses brutal imagery, with association of blood.  The mood of disgust and horror towards the characters and setting is established by the references to the universal representation of death and pain. The first mention of blood seems to establish a sense of honor. The second mention of blood seems to communicate betrayal.  Lastly the third allusion of blood appears to establish a sense of guilt All of these images of blood help develop the atmosphere and scene and contribute to the over all drama of the play.