Blood in the story of Macbeth is used in many different tones. To me the use of the word is one of the most important symbolics in the story. It is amazing how Shakespeare takes one simple word and makes it mean so many different things.
             First, Macbeth is a brave honored soldier, but as the play progresses, he becomes a treacherous person who has become identified with death and bloodshed and shows his guilt in different forms. The first reference of blood is one of honor and occurs when Duncan sees the injured sergeant and says, "What bloody man is that?" (II, ii, 1) This is symbolic of the brave fighter who had been injured in a valiant battle for his country. In the next passage where the sergeant says, "Which smok'd with bloody execution." (I, ii, 18) He is referring to Macbeth's braveness in which his sword is covered in the hot blood of the enemy.
             After these few references to honor, the symbol of blood changes to show a theme of treachery and treason. Lady Macbeth starts this off when she asks the spirits to "make thick my blood." (I, v, 43) What she is saying is that she wants to make herself insensitive and remorseless for the deeds that she is about to commit. Lady Macbeth knows that the evidence of blood is a treacherous symbol and knows it will deflect the guilt from her and Macbeth to the servants when she says "smear the sleepy grooms with blood," (II, ii, 49) and "If he do bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt." (II, ii, 54) When Banquo states "and question this most bloody piece of work," (II, iii, 129) and Ross says, "it's known who did this more than bloody deed?" (II, iv, 22) they are both inquiring as to who performed the treacherous acts upon Duncan. When Macbeth is speaking about Malcolm and Donalbain, he refers to them as "bloody cousins." (III, i, 29)
             A final way, and perhaps the most vivid
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