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Examples Of Free Will In Macbeth

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“Guilt is worse than greed, for it robs the body of its soul.” (Robert T. Kiyosaki). Since the beginning of time, people in society have made mistakes, it is natural, but the knowledge of causing harm tends to stay with one longer than the knowledge of the action itself. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, blood is an overarching motif conveying the ever-oscillating theme of fate vs. free will. The recurring image of blood throughout the play symbolizes guilt and the irreparable nature of one’s actions pertaining to murder, highlighting the downfall of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is the perfect image of what a man in power should be. He is brave, kind, and noble and has won over the public, but one stormy night, he …show more content…

After seeing the witches again, Macbeth becomes even more impulsive than usual. The witches tell Macbeth that Banquo’s bloodline will eventually become king. Macbeth decides that he will begin to act on first impulse rather than his senses, as that’s the only way he will achieve an unaffected reign in the kingdom. “From this moment, the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand.” (4.1.166-168). This statement is a clear example of Macbeth letting his fate carry him throughout the rest of his short life. Unfortunately for Macbeth, his idea was covering his tracks was killing more people. Macbeth’s image had fallen from a hero to a tyrannical villain. Macbeth shows to be somewhat aware of his evergrowing thirst for power and rampage in his last moments before fighting Macduff. “My soul is too much charged with blood of thine already” (5.8.6-7). Macbeth’s actions had taken his soul’s sense of innocence and driven him down a path he couldn’t return from. He let his mind carry him through to his death, going with the flow of life, robbing him of the fate he once …show more content…

When hearing of the great power she and Macbeth could carry when hearing about the witch’s plea, Lady Macbeth made it her ultimate goal to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan and secure that power. She used her free will to get a desirable outcome; unfortunately, that sealed her tragic fate. As the play continues, Lady Macbeth becomes less prevalent until the beginning of the 5th act. After being observed by a doctor, they catch her sleepwalking and talking about her inner turmoil. “Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!” (5.1.53-55). Lady Macbeth is reliving the trauma she faced internally for killing Duncan. She begins to wash her hands and cries that the blood won’t go away. Despite the confidence and agency Lady Macbeth once showed, her karma caught up to her and put her through a state of madness. This results in her suicide because her karma becomes too much to

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746 Words | 3 Pages

In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, blood is more than just what keeps all of the characters alive, it symbolizes guilt and eventually regret. Macbeth is one of these victims of guilt. His evil heart is pumping all of the regret and guilt through his veins and making him miserable. Three quotes that illustrate the power between blood and guilt are “act II, scene ii lines 60-66”, “act III scene iv lines 122-140”, and “ act V scene i lines 31-36”. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?

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Macbeth’s mind into committing heinous crimes. And as time continues Macbeth gives up on caring. It is almost like he forgets to care. Killing innocents by the end of the story did not phase him one bit. While Macbeth is forgetting to care you see Lady Macbeth fill up with guilt, that she can't bare anymore.

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430 Words | 2 Pages

In Macbeth, blood is a symbol used to represent guilt and how one's guilt will cause them to act with concupiscence. If an individual feels guilty about an action they will do anything to try to make up for that action or clear their conscience. They may cross a line in which they never had thought of crossing before in order to fight their guilt. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth feels guilty about the many murders he has committed and his guilt has turned to paranoia. His paranoia is evident in his conversation with lady Macbeth about banquo when he says, “Come, seeling night, / Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day /

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2192 Words | 9 Pages

In this instance, Macbeth can no longer hide from the haunting nature of his crimes; instead, they are beginning to consume him, crushing him under the weight of anguish and suffering. The thorough depiction of him being “in blood” unveils Macbeth’s integration into a perpetual cycle of guilt and savagery, every action plunging him further down an inescapable path of misery and moral deterioration. Engulfed by feelings of remorse, he has no way of undoing the offenses he has committed, realizing that any attempt to amend his wrongdoings is unachievable, and any strive toward renewal would be far too “tedious.” Sparked by the relentless grasp of his ambition, Macbeth has no choice but to concede to his inevitable fate, ultimately subjecting him to a fate of tragedy. Shortly after this instance of acknowledgment, Macbeth begins to fall to the devastating repercussions of his actions.

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731 Words | 3 Pages

Blood is both the giver of life and the mark of death, and it connects people in several different ways. In “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, various motifs are expressed throughout the play. Some of these motifs are blood, ambition, and guilt, and they each represent a different conflict or downfall of a certain character. Shakespeare uses the imagery and motif of blood to connect to the victims, common ancestry, guilt, and ambition in the play “Macbeth”. Macbeth’s victims had a common ancestry in the play “Macbeth”.

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676 Words | 3 Pages

Through the eyes of Macbeth, blood is a stain of guilt that one can not remove. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the motif of blood is symbolic of fear, guilt, power and represents the theme, ambition kills. The motif of blood reoccurs continuously in Shakespear’s Macbeth, but does not lose its importance. As the play becomes more somber and gruesome, blood is mentioned more frequently.

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816 Words | 4 Pages

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

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597 Words | 3 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, literary symbols or motifs such as blood play a significant role. Throughout the play, blood feeds off of a strong case of corrupt ambition and symbolizes guilt, blame and destruction. No matter how strong or thick one’s blood is, actions prove to be permanent and have serious side effects such as a haunting guilt marked by Macbeth’s crimson blood. Shortly after discovering that Macbeth is in line to be King, he and his wife Lady Macbeth devise a plan to murder and remove the incumbent King Duncan from his throne to open up the position. However, as soon as Macbeth commits the fatal murder, he is exasperated by his actions evidently as he yelps, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?

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452 Words | 2 Pages

People make decisions based on personal values and social norms around them. When regretting a decision, one may feel guilt, sadness, and remorse. In the play, Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Macbeth, having a guilty conscience is a predominant theme. Macbeth early on feels guilty about killing king Ducan but his guilt reduces throughout the play as he goes on a murderous rampage. Although Macbeth is seen as a vicious tyrant, throughout the play the motif of blood shows his guilt and need for redemption as he makes choices that lead to his downfall.

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776 Words | 4 Pages

As the play nears the end blood plays a less prevalent role in Macbeth’s character to represent that Macbeth’s morality is completely shot. He has nowhere to turn, he has a loss of all feeling, and his life has become completely meaningless. His wife has begun to sleepwalk saying, “What, will these hands neer be clean? Heres the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of / Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." (5.1.40, 46-47)

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675 Words | 3 Pages

From Macbeth feeling “drowned in blood”, to Lady Macbeth not being able to wash her hands, shows how guilt will always come from making bad decisions. One wrong choice can ruin a person's life

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1054 Words | 5 Pages

Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, Oh, Oh!” (Act 5, Scene 1) Though she continuously rubs her hands to get rid of the blood, Lady Macbeth can not washed away the guilt that stains her hands.

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918 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth is haunted by guilt and experiences an internal struggle to reconcile his actions with his former self:"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" (2.2.78-79). Macbeth's anguished question highlights his remorse and the impossibility of washing away the guilt of his heinous act. It reveals the stark contrast between his public appearance as a loyal subject and the reality of his monstrous deeds. This internal conflict marks the beginning of his gradual loss of identity as he is consumed by guilt and the weight of his actions.

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563 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth begins to make selfish decisions that he knows only will benefit himself. “For mine own good, all causes shall give way. I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er” (III.iv.140-145).

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746 Words | 3 Pages

As Lady Macbeth’s gentlewoman consults a doctor, they observe her diminishing mental state as she hallucinates that “hands [will] [never] be clean,” and that “the smell of the blood” will not be “[sweetened]” by any perfume (5.1.45, 53-54 ). Here, the author uses the motif of blood to represent guilt. Lady Macbeth’s struggle to remove the blood on her hands shows her undying guilt which she cannot erase despite countless trials. This is further proven when she says the smell of blood lingers and cannot be sweetened, meaning that her action cannot be forgiven by her guilt. Her mental state weakens due to this reason and is shown to be tormented by her hallucinations rather than being content with her desired queenship.

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