Significance Of Blood In Macbeth

Blood, whether it be the color, smell, or importance is vital to life itself. However, almost exceeding the importance of physical blood is the imagery of blood found throughout William Shakespeare's, Macbeth. The continual presence of blood in Shakespeare's, Macbeth is constantly reminding the audience how significant the consequences of the characters actions are. The imagery of blood in Shakespeare's, Macbeth represents the guilt felt by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth due to their brutal actions, thus developing the theme ‘the corrupting power of unchecked ambition’. As their guilt grows, so does the importance of the blood imagery and how it haunts both characters, staining their soul.

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.

     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 vital force of the body and was the seat of the soul. Anything from body weaknesses to insanity were attributed to a defect in this vital fluid. Bloodletting was a method for balancing other fluids in the body and cleansing it of impurities. Shakespeare takes the same knowledge of blood and applies it to “Macbeth” in which the connotations not only foretell one’s glory but also one’s guilt.

William Shakespeare wove many motifs like blood into his play Macbeth, written in 1606. These motifs serve to reveal many different aspects of the plot, characters, and themes. The Blood motif is often used throughout the play to symbolize guilt, or the lack of it. The two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are driven by ambition to commit evil actions including murder. Lady Macbeth plots to have her husband murder king Duncan of Scotland, so that Macbeth can take the throne. But, with all the murder committed in the play comes blood, and furthermore the feeling of guilt eventually corrupts the characters. It is important to realize in Macbeth, blood is not just a fluid that circulates in the vascular system of humans, but is as well used to symbolize potential occurrences in the future and express a deeper meaning than what can be physically seen. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the blood motif is used to symbolize the feeling of guilt as well as a dark time throughout the play.

Macbeth is a play that entails the journey of Macbeth as he becomes the King of Scotland but will face many moral dilemmas and challenges along the way. William Macbeth uses symbolism of blood, the invisible dagger, and the witches to illustrate guilt and the evil of the human soul when Macbeth goes against his values and beliefs. In the first place, the blood that is on Macbeth’s hands after killing King Duncan represents his guilt about having just committed the act of murder. Macbeth himself describes how his actions can never be forgiven by himself or God and questions if “all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/Clean from [his] hand?” (Crowther 2.2.61-62). Macbeth describes how even all the water from

“I am in blood/ Stepp’d in so far that should I wade no more/ returning were as tedious as go’er”(III. v. 136-138). From history, one can learn that spilling blood is never the answer. Blood has the incredible power to shape one’s thoughts, actions and life. It begins life, when in the body it is essential for maintaining life, but once spilt, it can end life. Blood embodies several meanings which can be both good and bad. In some cases, it can represent bravery and nobility, but, more often, it is linked to betrayal, corruption, evil ambitions, and revenge, which can result in the abandonment of one’s morals. Ultimately, failure to learn lessons from personal experiences or “spilling blood” results in negative consequences.

Blood is an essential part of life; it provides the whole body with necessities, and without it we would not be alive. Despite this importance of blood, it is more commonly associated with negative experiences, such as pain, death, and murder. This is the case in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. Macbeth is a great war hero who learns that his supposed fate is to become King, but the only way for that fate to come true would be for the current king, King Duncan, and his sons to die. The thought of murdering to obtain the crown crosses his mind but doesn’t become reality until his wife, Lady Macbeth, convinces him to do so, almost by taunting him.

Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to highlight the theme of greed and how it affects Macbeth’s decision-making. As a skilled warrior, Macbeth never shies from a fight. Word of his heroic actions spread throughout Scotland and it sounds as if nothing can stop Macbeth. A Sergeant notes that, “Like valor’s minion carved out his passage / Till he faced the slave; / Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, / Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops, / And fix'd his head upon [his] battlements” (9). King Duncan rewards Macbeth’s heroism after one of his many battles by giving him the title Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is drunk with the idea of royalty and begins to crave royal blood. Fueled by this new desire, Macbeth attempts to

Blood, a pertinent motif in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, is continuously used as a visual representation of the guilt, which is obtained through selfishness. Through the murder of an innocent person a character’s conscience becomes plagued with this guilt. This is exemplified in the increasingly animalistic behaviour of Macbeth as the play progresses, along with Macduff’s lack of guilt after killing Macbeth. The blood or lack of blood described in these scenes directly relates to the guilt experienced by the characters. Shakespeare uses these two characters to explain that murder of an innocent person contaminates morale, along with .

Often times, the phrase “actions speak louder than words” is tossed around because of what people say and don’t do or do instead of saying. In the tragedy Macbeth written by Shakespeare, different symbolisms with blood and the actions connected to it are present. The word ‘blood’ is used multiple times, 41 precisely. Shakespeare has a variety of uses for blood and its overall meaning to a specific scene or character. The word blood is used in different situations and has different symbolisms throughout the story and shapes different characters and scenes.

What Blood Represents In Macbeth#3 As the Merriam-Webster dictionary states, blood is the red liquid that flows through the bodies of people and animals. The denotation of the word "blood" is common in many tragic stories, through bloodsheds, wars, murders, the examples go on and on, and in one of the most famous tragedies of all time, "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare, the use of blood is commonly used. From the start of the play, blood is mentioned a lot and a lot, like during the start of the play when King Duncan asks, "What bloody man is that?" (I.ii.1),

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).

Macbeth is feeling paranoid after the witches tell a prophecy that Banquo’s son will inherit the throne, after he has passed away. Macbeth wants his descendants to inherit the throne not Banquo’s. So, Macbeth then hires three murderers to kill Banquo. At his dinner, after he is crowned the king, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost because of his guilty conscience. Macbeth starts to yell at the ghost saying he can not prove it is him who did it, “Thou canst not say I did it./ Never shake/ Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.61-62) When Macbeth freaks out and has a panic attack at the table, Lady Macbeth covers for him and tells the guests that he acts like this at times. Even though Macbeth hires men to kill Banquo, the blood is still on his hands. It is his idea to kill Banquo, and now he can feel even guiltier about what he has done. Macbeth is going insane feeling all this guilt and it is making him see ghosts. Macbeth is thinking that Banquo would become suspicious of Duncan’s murder. He did not want Banquo getting in his

     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.

The word “blood” is exercised repeatedly in Macbeth. Macbeth has a bloody beginning and a bloody ending. King Duncan is the first to speak of blood when he makes a comment on an injured captain’s appearance (1.2.1). The last time blood is mentioned is in the concluding battle between Macbeth and Macduff (5.8.5-7). Macbeth’s character drastically alters between these two events. On the first occasion, Macbeth is a hero, rewarded for bravery, but by the end, he is a tragic hero, who dies because of his wicked life choices. Blood can be the evidence of guilt, the result of murder, the representation of evil, or the consequence of wrong doings.