The Symbolization Of Blood In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

The word blood is not used in the novel until a few chapters in, but is a major motif. Blood symbolizes life in Dracula, because in every situation characters seem to be struggling without it. The Count is always craving it while some of the characters are constantly lacking it. As the readers all know Count is a vampire, but the characters are clueless throughout the beginning of the book, when poor Lucy is suffering. As Harker is a prisoner in Dracula’s castle, Dracula makes sure that it is clear to Harker that blood is something everyone should cherish. Harker thinks he is going crazy because of the weird sights, smells, and fears he has encountered while staying with the Count. Although he thinks he is becoming crazy everything that he think is unrealistically happening is actually happening.

            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

What does one think when the word blood is said? Death? Betrayal? Sadness? Blood is a prime example of imagery. Imagery paints a picture within the readers’ minds and puts them in the same situation that the sentence is portraying. Having imagery in a work, makes a reader more into the piece and involved. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, blood is a device most often symbolizing betrayal by the conspirators, the death of Julius Caesar, and foreshadowing the upcoming events through Mark Antony’s eyes.

     Despite the use of blood as a good connotation, Shakespeare uses blood to describe other connotations. In many instances, blood is what haunts Macbeth before and after the murder. “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” (II.ii.78-81). No matter if it is a little water or a whole ocean of water, Macbeth feels that no amount of water will clean the blood off his hands. Blood used in this context is sinful and evil. With guilt, he knows that what he has done will never be undone like the blood on his hands. When hallucinating the dagger, Macbeth sees that the blade has “gouts of blood, / Which was not so before. There’s no such thing. / It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes” (II.ii.58-61). The imagery of blood on a sharp knife brings evil connotations and foreshadows the violence and goriness that is anticipated. Macbeth refers to the

The intention of repetition throughout a story is to signify a word and draw attention, among many others the word blood was repeated numerous times placing a great significance of the word. The context of the word varies from sentence to sentence, but always circles back to the original sense of sexual desire and virginity. “drunk on the smell of my own young blood

Blood is essential to every human beings survival. It is a fluid circulating throughout the body that carries nutrients and oxygen to the tissues in exchange for life and if this was somehow lost then the life would also be lost. It represents life, death, and injury. It is an essential part of life. Without it, we would not live. As a symbol and major theme in Macbeth, Blood is used most often to represent injury and death, but also life. In Macbeth, he uses blood to represents impurity. Shakespeare often accompanies the image of water with the image of blood. The water represents cleansing and purity.

Shakespeare in the book Macbeth shows two ways on how the motif blood is related in scene II. Macbeth show fear and bad mind control by doing the wrong things. He also show respect and honor to his friend, Banquo who had stay loyal to him and that's why he appreciated him. After the king dies, Banquo began to get suspicious about Macbeth been the murdered.

In “The Kite Runner” blood is used in different situations; this usually shows the connection to the feeling of guilt Amir feels. An example of this would be when Hassan sacrifices himself for Amir while rescuing the blue kite: “...I pretended I hadn't seen the dark

In the beginning of the play, blood imagery is very important. "Till he unseamed him from the nave to the chaps, / and fixed his head upon our battlements"(I.ii.22-23). Macbeth has just killed the enemy and become a hero; Macbeth killed the enemy not for fame or fortune but to defend his land and people. In this next quote Macbeth's

Family, violence, and guilt; all things that blood can be related to. In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, blood symbolizes the guilt of the main character, Macbeth, as he is deceived by his wife, into killing the king. During the eleventh century, Macbeth, the Thane of Cawdor was seen as a courageous warrior to many, however, in William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth is seen as hesitant and weary. Throughout the play, the word blood itself changes from representing the actual bloodshed from many of the characters, to symbolizing the emotions felt by Macbeth and his wife. The importance of blood is introduced after Macbeth kills the king, and frames the guards of the murder.

Blood is something that we need to live. So it is clearly understood when Shakespeare uses the symbol of blood to represent murder, betrayal, and death, to show all of the evil that was going on. It is a symbol that was used the most in the play Macbeth, and had different meanings.

Duncan's blood on the Macbeths' hands is symbol of the evil crime they committed, the guilt of which cannot be washed away. Pontius Pilate is the supreme example of the futility of the symbolic act of 'washing the hands' to expunge guilt. History will forever hold him guilty. Macbeth's curse, "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. (II,iii,61)" The symbol was also used earlier as Lady Macbeth tries to blame of the murder on the sleeping grooms, "...smear the sleepy grooms with blood. (II,II,49)" Lady Macbeth's remark on her entry shorty after that "A little water clears us of this deed; How easy it is then!" shows that she has less immediate guilt for the crime, where Macbeth's conscience is eating away at him, or that she has not yet absorbed the enormity of the deed. The same symbol of evil deeds not being washed away is brought out again in (V,II,17) where Angus says, "Now does he feel His secret murders sticking on his hands;" The bloody hand appears again when Lady Macbeth has the waking dreams in which she curses,

Blood reveals Macbeth’s feelings about murder. For example, blood symbolism exposes the apprehensiveness of Macbeth before he kills Duncan . Macbeth hallucinates a dagger floating before him, guiding him towards

     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.

This source details, chiefly, the significance of blood during the Victorian era both in a scientific sense as well as in more of a cultural sense. Twayne’s Masterwork Studies has critiqued and revealed similar things in other well-known novels such as Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Don Quixote, making them a reliable source. This source provides insight into the implications of using blood as a motif as it specifically relates to the Victorian era.