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Symbolism In Macbeth

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“The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?—What, will these hands ne'er be clean?—No more o' that, my lord, no more o' that. You mar all with this starting.” (v.i.xxx) Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, uses many symbols throughout. It is a tragedy that emphasizes the notorious crimes by a power hungry man and wife, a hunger which leads to their decline. The fact that she has difficulty washing all of the blood off, though it is no longer there, resembles the acts that she and Macbeth committed, their everlasting guilt, and eventually the decline of their psychological states. After the three witches told Macbeth of his future, his head became filled with thoughts of being king. This led him to commit heinous crimes to reach …show more content…

However she does not yet feel the pressure that Macbeth does. After King Duncan arrives, Lady Macbeth challenges her husband with his masculinity, persuading him to kill King Duncan. “What beast was ’t, then, That made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a …show more content…

(iii.iv.lxxii) Macbeth sees the ghost of his dead friend, Banquo, and starts claiming that his guests made it possible for him to see it. Lady Macbeth goes on to calm him down, claiming he has a mental illness, then talking to him aside and reminding him to calm down. At this point in the play, Lady Macbeth had been left out of the plans to kill Banquo, however she still remains calm. Macbeth, on the other hand, is beginning to feel great amounts of remorse for the murders he committed and caused. Lady Macbeth begins to feel the pressure, many dead people haunting her mind. She begins to see blood on her hands, unable to wash it off. “The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?—What, will these hands ne'er be clean?—No more o' that, my lord, no more o' that. You mar all with this starting.” (v.i.xxx) As Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, trying desperately to wash the blood off of her hands to free her of the everlasting guilt, Macbeth is now concerned, watching her as she goes insane. As she goes insane, his mental state continues to drop, constantly feeling guilty for the things that he has done. However, he is determined to remain king. Though he gets a warning from the witches, he ignores it, not thinking of the possibilities of his death. Then, Lady Macbeth takes her life, leaving Macbeth alone with his mind and his growing power. Finally, he meets his match- Banquo’s

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