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Examples Of Bloodshed In Macbeth

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Macbeth’s Bloodshed
The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a very violent and bloody play as many of the characters in the play die and all of their deaths are due to the actions of one man, Macbeth. He not only killed the current king to take his crown but also had his best friend killed and even innocent people to maintain his power. Macbeth is ultimately responsible for the bloodshed in the play because of his ambition for power, his pride allows him to be manipulated, and tries to change the witches' prophecies. After Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecies he becomes overly ambitious with being king, ultimately starting his trail of bloodshed. When King Duncan visits Macbeth’s castle, he is presented with an opportunity to seize the crown for himself. Macbeth is conflicted on whether or not he should kill the king and eventually sees a “dagger” in his mind signaling to him that he should kill the king (Shakespeare 2.1.50). Macbeth was so desperate to become king that he was searching for any sign to tell him to go through with this fatal decision. The bloody dagger in this scene symbolizes the death of King Duncan, but also foreshadows the trail of bloodshed that is to come as Macbeth attempts to maintain his …show more content…

When Lady Macbeth finds out about Macbeth’s prophecy to become king and learns he has decided not to kill Duncan she calls him a “coward” for breaking his promise (Shakespeare 1.7. 47). By insulting his pride she is able to get what she wants — which is to be queen — and convinces him to change his mind on not killing Duncan and follow through with his “enterprise” to her (Shakespeare 1.7.55). Even though Lady Macbeth played a factor in convincing Macbeth to kill the king, Macbeth is still ultimately responsible for the bloodshed because he is the one who made the decision to take Duncan’s

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