Blood is a recurring motif in Shakespeare's Macbeth. It is constantly used to describe or intensity murder or an act of treachery. The excessive use of blood in the play also relates to the guilt and change faced by numerous characters. Blood is seen or mentioned in every act in the play and this is not a coincidence. In the beginning of the story blood was used to display honor and bravery but as the story progressed and as characters developed, blood became a symbol of treason, treachery, and most of all, guilt. Guilt is so prevalent in this story that it affects almost every single character. Guilt is the driving force which turns Macbeth and Lady Macbeth mad. There is no other perfect point in the book where guilt is displayed through blood more than after Lady Macbeth and Macbeth kill Duncan: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?” …show more content…
The haunting of the ghost is a representation of Macbeth’s guilt haunting him, reminding him that once you take a person’s life, their blood will forever be on your hands and you will never be able to forget about it.
Blood continuously links the theme of guilt to sin. And, it displays how the characters react to and are affected by ‘bloody’ events. Blood plays a major aspect in all parts of the play. It affects all of the main themes of betrayal, death, guilt and pain. This is why Shakespeare used blood to spread these messages; because it can connect them so well. Overall these themes, is guilt. It has been the most shown, constant throughout the play most easily tied to