Macbeth

Tracing the Word “Blood” in Macbeth Act 2 1. 2.1.45-46 a. Quotation and Speaker Macbeth: I see thee still/ Find on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood.

Macbeth states “First, as I am his kinsman, and his subject” and “Then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself.” Macbeth notifies his wife that they will not be killing the king. “We will proceed no further in this business” he tells her.

Macbeth makes his first kill after killing Duncan and he is freaking out about the blood on his hands. “ 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”(Shakespeare, II.ii.60-63). “...Fear, horror and pain is increased...being Macbeth’s description of himself wading in a river of blood”(Spurgeon 126).

First, blood is a reference of honor, and this occurs when Duncan sees the injured sergeant and says, "What bloody man is that?"(1.2.1). This is symbolic of the brave fighter who been injured in a valiant battle for Scotland. The sergeant

he murdered Duncan, Macbeth lost his sanity. The witches were easily able to control his mind. They made him believe that he was invincible, and then he willingly continued to fight when he knew that it would mean his Now that the witches have succeeded in bringing out Macbeth 's evil qualities, they are ready to finish their plot and make sure that Macbeth follows his destiny to his downfall. With Hecate 's guidance, the witches plan to lead Macbeth to his death by making him feel overconfident. Macbeth goes to seek the witches in a dark cave. When he finds them, they present him with three apparitions. The first apparition appears as an armed head that says, "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff; / Beware the thane of Fife." The second apparition is a bloody child that tells Macbeth, "Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none born of woman / Shall harm Macbeth."

...And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There's no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes... (Shakespeare 2. 1. 46-50). Here blood is mentioned twice to give an emphasis that performing that deed is something serious to think about. Macbeth is already imaging the consequences and guilt that will arise if he does kill Duncan. Macbeth would not be able to live it down that he murdered the king due to ambition and will not fully enjoy the perks of being

24-29). When Macbeth decides not to continue with their plan to murder Duncan, his wife urges him to act on his desires or he will think of himself as a coward. She says, "Art thou afeard / To be the same in thine own act and valour / As thou art in desire?" (I, vii. 42-44). She then makes sure he will perform the deed by taking an active role in preparing for the murder. "his two chamberlains / Will I with wine and wassel so convince," (I, vii. 70-71) and cleaning up afterwards, "Give me the daggers: the sleeping, and the dead / Are but as pictures; 'tis the eye of childhood / That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed, / I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, / For it must seem their guilt." (II, ii. 69-73).

The use of the word ‘blood’ contains the recoiling images of horror and disgust that are associated with it. However within the play ‘Macbeth’, blood is also

Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” (Third Witch) “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king

Blood      The longest running tradition in medicine, bloodletting, was a widely accepted practice with a three-thousand year-old history from the ancient Egyptians to the late 19th century. At that time, physicians thought that disease was a curse caused by the supernatural. It was a common idea that blood carried the

            The third, and most often use of the symbol blood, is in reference to the theme of guilt.  This use was hinted at earlier when Lady Macbeth made sure that no blood was found on either her or Macbeth. Macbeth hints at his guilt and his wish to be absolved from sin when he says, "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand"(II.ii.78)?   Once again, blood is used as a

The Viewers have known blood to all of us to represent life, death and often injury. Blood is an essential part of life and without blood, we could not live. This is known to everyone, and because of this, when Shakespeare uses the imagery of blood to represent treason, guilt, murder and death. The audience have easily understands it and fits it in perfectly with the ideas we have of blood. Blood is the most prominent and seems to be the most important imagery of Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’.

One of the first references to blood represents a feeling of honour, and bravery. It is in Act I scene 2 line 1. Duncan says, “What bloody man is that?” when he sees the injured sergeant. Then, from lines 9-33 (The Merciless Macdonwald, etc…) the sergeant tells the story of Macbeth’s heroic victories over Macdonwald and the King of Norway. The telling of this story is, in itself, heroic. It is symbolic of the brave fighter who

Lady Macbeth: "Out, damned spot! out I say! ... Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?" (V,i,38-43)

Macbeth Role of Blood Play The violence and the blood that results are important symbols in Shakespeare's Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The blood imagery for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is guilty, murder, remouse and power. It shows Macbeth had killed King Duncan, Banquo and the Guards to get what he want