Throughout the play, William Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a changing character; he abandons is morals and becomes a tyrannical leader who leads through violence. We see this through the usage of the motif of blood in the play and how it represents different things as the play progresses- originally it is used as a symbol of chivalrous behaviour. We see this when Macbeth is described to have ‘’unseamed him from the nave to th’ chaps’’; demonstrating Macbeth’s heroic nature. However, it eventually changes to become a symbol of violence and guilt, completely changing from its former symbolic meaning. Our first perception of Macbeth is through the Captain, he is described with the epithet ‘Brave Macbeth’. The adjective ‘brave’ tells us that …show more content…
We see this through the usage of the motif of blood in the play and how it represents different things as the play progresses- originally it is used as a symbol of chivalrous behaviour. We see this when Macbeth is described to have ‘’unseamed him from the nave to th’ chaps’’; demonstrating Macbeth’s heroic nature. However, it eventually changes to become a symbol of violence and guilt, completely changing from its former symbolic …show more content…
The adjective ‘brave’ tells us that Macbeth is a noble fighter who is willing to do what is necessary to do whatever it takes to protect his king; he is one of their most loyal soldiers. Furthermore, Macbeth is presented as heroic and chivalrous through the death of Macdonald. Macbeth is said to have ‘’unseamed him from the nave to th’ chaps’’, this shows Macbeth’s heroic nature as rather than simply killing an enemy of Scotland through normal means such as stabbing him, Macbeth slices him in half. This suggests that Macbeth is willing to face the gory and gruesome scene of a sliced body to demonstrate his honourability. Furthermore, this could also suggest that Macbeth is personally upset by the traitorous actions of the former thane of Cawdor and uses his righteous opportunity to kill to express his anger and disdain towards
The image of blood plays an important role throughout the play. Blood represents the murders Macbeth and Lady Macbeth committed along with the guilt and pain they’ve felt afterwards. When Macbeth murdered King Duncan, he was fearful of getting caught. “Will Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?” (2.2.59-60) Later, Macbeth refuses to go back to the crime scene to smear the blood on the sleeping guards because he was afraid of being accused.
When Shakespeare first introduces Macbeth, he automatically is displayed as a fierce, gruesome general. Blood represents his beneficial doing. Captain quotes, “... with bloody execution... he unseamed him from the nave to th’ chops, and fixed his head upon our battlements” (I.ii.20). Macbeth slashes Macdonwald, a traitor, from his belly to his jaw, and decapitates him.
Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth see more and more imaginary blood as the time goes on in the play, they feel guilty for what they have done and the blood is a
As the guilt of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth grows within them, so does the importance of blood throughout the writing. They both soon lose a grasp on reality. Shakesphere often employs vivid and evocative imagery to create a sense of atmosphere and to convey the complex emotion and idea that are held within a person. In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth “prays to the devil to make her blood so thick that pity cannot pass through”. Just before the murder of King Duncan, Macbeth sees a vision of a dagger floating in front of him in the castle.
Initially, they start out quiet and gradually get frantic and chaotic, echoing his deteriorating mental state. In 3.4.139-141, there is a use of metaphor to convey Macbeth's entrapment in a vicious cycle of violence “I am in blood, Stepped in so far that should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er.” The varying structure of the soliloquies depicts Macbeth’s descent into madness and his understanding that there is no going back, along with the agitated nature of his thoughts that mirrors his mental deterioration. Shakespeare’s use of visual imagery, symbolism of blood and the development of the soliloquies contribute to effectively portray Macbeth ’s deteriorating mental state, his helplessness to escape the repercussions of his actions and his peripeteia after the regicide of King Duncan.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth portrays himself as a strong nobleman during time of war. Macbeth’s responsibility for the death of a Norwegian lord in battle distinguishes him. Proudly fighting for Scotland, Macbeth leads his army towards victory. Although Macbeth exudes valor on the battlefield, his ambitious nature and manipulative wife entice him to commit murder.
Closely followed by this treacherous act, they continue these bloody atrocities until it leads to their own deaths. From the perspective of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, blood symbolizes the heavy burden of guilt shown through the many crimes they committed, the high amount of significant references to blood, and the psychological struggles that they faced. Horrendously, Macbeth commits his first murderous crime in the second act. Leading up to this moment, the doubt, fear, and straining pressure offer no mercy to him.
“which smoked with bloody execution. ”(Shakespeare,1.1) Macbeth all the way at the beginning of the play is a hero. He saved this war for Scotland and he has all the respect from the King, Duncan. Yet despite being a hero, things will change as shown by the bloody man which represents how Macbeth will feel as soon he will be covered in evilness and guilt and that is shown by all the blood.
Shakespeare uses the recurring symbol of blood to emphasize the effect of death and violence on the human psyche. The connotation that Macbeth associates with blood switches from a primary motivator to a guilty reminder. Prior to Duncan’s murder, Macbeth witnessed a floating dagger covered with blood (II.i.33). Macbeth had experienced violence and Blood is also used as a reminder of the guilt and trauma from the murder of King Duncan, the guards and Banquo. Macbeth refers to his hallucination of the ghost of Banquo: “It will have blood, they say.
Shakespeare presents Macbeth to be the stereotypical hero and ideal man, yet when the audience first ee Macbeth, he is flawed and in tatters as when confronted by the witches, he reacts in a dumbfounded and unknowledgeable way where he is oblivious of danger, which should not be seen in a war hero. Therefore, Macbeth is seen as a naïve jeopardy to himself rather than the picture-perfect hero. In this speech, Macbeth is presented as a harsh and very unstable king who does not show respect for those who serve him. He is not shown as a strong character yet as a weak one, unsure of himself, therefore taking out all his grief, anger, and remorse on those around him.
In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth the symbol of blood is often represented. The symbol of blood changes throughout the play. The imagery of blood is used in two different ways, good and evil. There are several examples of this throughout the play. The symbol of blood is very important in Macbeth.
Blood is something most people see as gruesome and disturbing, and not something ordinary people enjoy to be in the presence of. In the play Macbeth, the playwright William Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to expose a character's thoughts and personality. Blood is an important motif constantly shown throughout the play. Macbeth, the main character, thinks he can advance to the throne without any consequences. Blood exemplifies the guilt he is now stuck with, and due to Macbeth's excessive ambition, and overwhelming guilt, he is now faced with the consequences.
“What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him. ”(V.I.25-30). So much blood indeed, an amount that would not wane after death. The motif of bloodshed and fatality, follows Macbeth’s action, but Macbeth’s decisions belong to his wife. Composed by Shakespeare, Macbeth portrays the ambition toward power and the ramifications of choices through the behavior of Macbeth.
Macbeth was labeled as the brave during his early years in Scotland, when we first hear about him; he is being praised for his efforts in defeating the Thane of Cawdor. (I, ii) ” For brave Macbeth well he deserves that name.” this clearly emphasizes the impact Macbeth had during his early years, his courage was second to none as he was able to set a name for himself in the historic Scotland.
Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” explores a man’s fall from morality through committing the act of regicide, as well as ideas of guilt, greed and corruption. A motif of blood is used throughout the play to aid Shakespeare’s character development of Macbeth and it also facilitates further exploration of the figurative moral compass and culpability. Blood is used as a symbol and physical manifestation of guilt within characters throughout the play. Firstly, Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to emphasise the moral deterioration of Macbeth 's character.