ipl-logo

Motif Of Blood In Macbeth

984 Words4 Pages

Lucas Lettie
Presuto
British Literature 5
April 26th 2023 An Eye for an Eye
An eye for an eye, the punishment fits the crime, blood for blood. For hundreds of years these ideas have echoed through society. Within real life crime, jailing, and especially in literature. These phrases ring true for the readers of William Shakespere’s Macbeth, who view this story warning about the consequences of one's own actions. Within William Shakespere’s Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to craft a cautionary tale about Macbeth’s corrupt power and the never ending guilt of Lady Macbeth.
The image and overall perception of Macbeth within the play truly embodies the idea of the phrase absolute power …show more content…

As the play states, “ For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name),/ Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel,/ Which smoked with bloody execution,/ Like Valor’s minion, carved out his passage/ Till he faced the slave;” ( 1, 2, 17-22). In this instance, Macbeth's bloodshed and violence is regarded as an act of bravery. Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a noble human being and acts almost as the executioner but his morality and social standing changes him. It portrays him as the person, who involves themselves with what society believes as the good of humanity. Under the command of a king, Macbeth doesn’t have that much authority or power. In the event he does someone else’s bidding, there isn’t as much discourse. Society under the king sees him as doing a public service, or compares him to a soldier. This completely contrasts to how Macduff and the rest of the land see Macbeth at the end of the play. As the text proclaims, “ Macbeth)Of all men else I have avoided thee./ But get thee back. /My soul is too much/charged With blood of thine already./ I have no words;/ (Macduff)My voice is in my sword, thou bloodier villain/ Than terms can give thee out.” (5, 8, 4-10) Here, Macbeth’s …show more content…

Her dark deeds will haunt her and hang over her head until death. This first begins after Macbeth brings down the knives, “ My hands are of your color, but I shame/ To wear a heart so white./ I hear a knocking/ At the south entry. Retire us to our chamber./ A little water clears us of this deed./ How easy is it, then! Your constancy/ Hath left you unattended” (2,2, 82-87). Lady Macbeth now has metaphorical and physical blood on her hands. Originally, she just knew about the murder of Duncan, but actively assisting Macbeth and encouraging it, makes her just as guilty. Her morals and ethics have now been forever tainted by the crimes that she and Macbeth have done. Her naivety, and ignorance leads her to believe that they will never get caught, and things will get better for them. She thinks that just a little water and a goodnight sleep will wash the blood away. But As she learns, the blood on her hands, and the guilt that follows her never truly goes away. This comes to a climax when she gets caught sleep walking, “Out, damned spot, out, I say! One. Two. /Why then, ’tis time to do ’t.Hell is murky. Fie, my/ lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? 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?” (5,1,37-42) In this moment, her paranoia

Show More
Related
147 Words | 1 Pages

This scene features Lady Macbeth speaking to herself; expressing her thoughts out loud. She speaks of killing Duncan: “The raven himself is hoarse/ That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan” (45-46). She then calls upon the spirits to assist her in murder (47-51). Shakespeare uses words with negative connotations, such as “hoarse”, “croaks”, “cruelty”, and “blood” (45-50).

Read More
389 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth" delves into the destructive consequences of unchecked ambition, culminating in a cycle of violence perpetuated by the pursuit of power. Through these works, we are reminded of the devastating impact of violence and revenge on individuals and society as a whole. These themes serve as cautionary reminders of the destructive forces

Read More
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.

Read More
1143 Words | 5 Pages

This stage comes once Macbeth realises he cannot escape his humane nature, shrouding him with a cloak of helplessness and shame. He looks down upon himself with an air of disgust following his description of his soul when using the word “piteous” (26). Macbeth starts to notice the differences between him and his cruel wife and recognises that these differences “push [them] further apart” (28). This stanza focuses more on imagery and inciting emotions within the reader because, unlike denial, anger, and bargaining, depression is not an emotion that can be expressed through words alone. It describes the physical pain and “tender[ness]” that follows such a state of mind (23).

Read More
540 Words | 3 Pages

The theme of guilt and conscience has been explored intensely in literature throughout history. Guilt can manifest from engaging in actions or behaviours against one’s moral code, or even from actions not committed by oneself. Usually, it is followed by emotional and/or psychological torment which can lead to one’s downfall through several ways such as confessing their guilt, sacrificing themselves to right a wrong, or even killing themselves in remorse. William Skapespeare’s Macbeth illustrates this excellently through the main characters, Macbeth and his guilt over the murder of Duncan and Banquo, and his wife, Lady Macbeth, with her manipulation and role in organizing the plot.

Read More
960 Words | 4 Pages

Continuing on with Macbeth’s reign and violent actions, he decides he had another enemy to look out for, Macduff. “From this moment the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand. And even now, to crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done: the castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.” (4.1.161-168); In this quote, he talks about when he decides to do something, he will act upon it immediately. Acting upon that, he decides to kill Macduff’s wife and children and anyone who dares to stand in the way.

Read More
417 Words | 2 Pages

Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead Are but as pictures. ' Tis the eye of childhood That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed, I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal, For it must seem their guilt” She again calls him a coward for not going back to take the daggers and frame the guards. Lady Macbeth compares the dead and sleeping to be pictures.

Read More
312 Words | 2 Pages

Thesis: In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, the ambitious protagonist degrades his relation to his conscience as he pursues unrivaled power, driving himself mad, mirroring the moral and physical decay plaguing Scotland. Topic Sentence 1: In Acts 1 and 2, the guilt-ridden Macbeth indecisively entertains the idea of regicide, torn between his discernment and vaulting ambition. EV1: “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man That function is smother’d in surmise, And nothing is but what is not” (1.3.138-141) EV2: “He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject–strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door Not bear the knife myself”

Read More
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

Read More
1337 Words | 6 Pages

Darkness can be seen in many literary works with the intention of showing a turn for the worse in many characters lives. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare displays examples of violence in order to show audience members how Macbeth’s desire for kingship, led to his demise through his guilt. The use of blood, nature and supernatural elements are used as a way of symbolizing Shakespeare's theme of Macbeth’s guilt. Is one man’s desire for nobility worth the cost of others lives? Blood alters the atmosphere throughout Macbeth through the effect it has on the main character.

Read More
244 Words | 1 Pages

Macbeth’s bad conscience, however, cannot be curbed. Although, they both seem to go through serious pain and true regret is also involved.

Read More
684 Words | 3 Pages

This continuous ignorance puts her into the mindset that she can separate herself from her guilt, a thought that brings her further into madness. Her belief is that “things without all remedy should be without regard.” Now that the murder is over with, she continues to float higher and deeper into the illusion, believing that they have no “need to fear who knows” that they have killed Duncan and that as long as

Read More
1369 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More
843 Words | 4 Pages

Shakespeare's Macbeth is a classic tale of the cautions and dangers of the inherent absorption of ambition and violence. By displaying the mechanisms of a man ruled by power and ungoverned passion, who also abandons all notions of rationality, Shakespeare intricately showcases how these traits can dramatically enhance a play's emotional centre. In this essay, I will discuss how the prevalence of ambition, and exclusion of morality, amongst the array of characters in Macbeth prove to form a play of great emotional value. To begin, it is vital to observe Macbeth's progression of an overly ambitious, violent ruler. Highly regarded by his peers, he performed extraordinarily on the battlefield, having "carved a clear passage" and all the enemies

Read More
473 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth indicates his guilt when he say’s "Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?”(2,2,61-62). He’s meaning if he would ever be able to forget about the deed that he has committed of killing the kind of Scotland Duncan. He also is saying that even the entire ocean could wash his hands clean of the blood. Macbeth feels that what he has done was wrong and shameful.

Read More

More about Motif Of Blood In Macbeth

Related Topics

Open Document