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Essay On Symbolism Of Blood In Macbeth

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Recommended: What is the symbolic significance of blood in Macbeth

Brendan Looney
P.7 Mrs. Wudel
AP English Lit.
Macbeth Essay

In the play 'Macbeth', symbolism is used very often to create imagery in a scene, and of all the symbols used, blood is one of the most important. Throughout Shakespeare's tragedy, blood is referenced frequently. Whether the word is used to create an image of a gruesome scene, or to symbolize the guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, blood is prevalent both as a word and a theme of the play.

From the very beginning of the second act of this play blood is used heavily to represent the horrible acts committed by Macbeth and his wife by killing King Duncan. 'Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand?'(Act 2, Scene ii) This line is used to express the immediate guilt that Macbeth feels for murdering King Duncan. When Macbeth asks for Neptune's water to wash away the blood he is really asking for his guilt to be washed away, but is unsure if even all the water in the ocean could clean away what he has done. Macbeth also suffers from the guilt of having Banquo killed so much to the point that he sees his ghost at the banquet with the Thanes. 'Thou canst not say I did it: never shake/ Thy gory locks at me'(Act 3 scene iv) The word gory is used to create the image of Macbeth seeing Banquo in his bloody, murdered, state despite …show more content…

At the start of the story she instigates Macbeth to murder Duncan and washes away his blood without a shred of remorse, whereas Macbeth is mortified by his actions. This changes however the second time Lady Macbeth encounters blood with her shocked reaction to Macbeth killing Duncan's guards. Where Lady Macbeth initially stood unfazed, she now faints at the sight of the cruel acts that Macbeth has committed. This only worsens as the play progresses to the point where she hallucinates blood spots on her hands, representing the guilt she now cannot escape

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