Imagery of Blood in Macbeth
"Macbeth" is the story of a nobleman, who, while trying to fulfill a prophecy told to him by three witches, murders his King to cause his ascension to the throne of Scotland. After the King's murder, Macbeth reigns as a cruel and ruthless tyrant, who is forced to kill more people to keep control of the throne. Finally, Scottish rebels combined with English forces attack Macbeth's castle, and Macbeth is killed by a Scottish Thane named Macduff who has sacrificed everything to see peace return to Scotland. In the play, the word "blood" is mentioned numerous times. Shakespeare's use of this particular word is significant; he uses it to develop the character of Macbeth and the unfolding events of the drama (Sparknotes). The powerful symbolic meaning of blood changes from the beginning to the end. Near the beginning of the play, after Macbeth and the Scottish army defeated the rebel Macdonwald's army, a bleeding sergeant comes on stage. The sergeant then proceeds to describe the battle and how bravely Macbeth and his friend Banquo fought, "For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name- / Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel / Which smoked with bloody execution, / Like valor's minion carved ou
He will be forced to kill more and more people in order to retain control of the throne. I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er" (III, iv, 137-139). The audience has now witnessed the complete transformation of Macbeth. It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes" (II, i, 47-49). Her hallucinations of blood on her hands and her constant efforts to wash it off demonstrate that the agony of having guilty feelings is causing her to go insane. The blood imagery in this passage obviously refers to treason, ambition, and murder. Tormented by nightmares, she sleepwalks through her bedroom and cries, "What, will these hands ne'er be clean?. He is beginning to realize the magnitude of his crime, and that he has done something truly evil (Bevington, 687). 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. / Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand" (V, i, 43-52). The sins he has committed have not only perverted his virtuous life, but have condemned him to an eternity in hell. However, Macbeth's character changes throughout the play are characterized by the symbolism in the blood he sheds.
Common topics in this essay:
Disdaining Fortune,
Lady Macbeth,
Macbeth Macduff,
Lady Macbeth's,
Scottish Thane,
Macbeth Scottish,
Malcolm Macbeth,
Macbeth Macbeth,
Scotland King's,
Finally Scottish,
macbeth's character,
blood hands,
blood /,
lady macbeth,
blood imagery,
duncan's murder,
evil bevington,
evil bevington 689,
bevington 689,
ocean wash,
murder macbeth,
ocean wash blood,
forced kill people,
|
Acceptance Essays
