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The Motif Of Blood In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

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In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, Shakespeare uses symbolism as well as structure of speech to illustrate Macbeth’s spiral into madness. In this drama, the motif of blood becomes a symbol of Macbeth’s guilt and remorse over Duncan’s murder, which eventually causes him to become unhinged. Once Macbeth becomes King of Scotland, he realizes that each of the witches’ prophecies about him has come true, and he suddenly fears that the prophecy about Banquo being a father of kings will also come true, and that the Weïrd Sisters will have “put a barren scepter in [Macbeth’s] gripe” (III.i.66), for the title of King would be worthless if it given to Macbeth only to be taken away immediately. Therefore, Macbeth hires murderers to assassinate Banquo as well as Banquo’s son Fleance in order to ensure that his position as King of Scotland is secure. …show more content…

159-161). This indicates that Macbeth was reluctant to shed any blood at all, yet now that he is a murderer and is in power, it would be just as difficult to return to his righteous and nonviolent ways as it was in his descent into corruption for the reason that he is now utterly paranoid about the public finding out that he had murdered Duncan, as well as the fact that Macbeth is destined to lose the throne to Banquo’s

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The guilt also gets to Macbeth, as he goes too far: “I am in blood Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er:” (3.4.136-138). Macbeth says not that he has already killed two people, there is no way back from this. This blood represents the murders of Duncan and Banquo and also the guilt Macbeth experiences from murdering two of his closest

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In Shakespeare's Macbeth imagery of blood represents man’s constant aspiration for authority, even at the cost of the well being of others. In Shakespeare's Macbeth a Scottish man by the name of Macbeth receives a prophecy from 3 mischievous witches that one day he will become King. Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then plagued with ongoing guilt which follows him throughout this novel. Macbeth's intense yearning for authority completely clouds his judgement and causes him to commit unspeakable acts.

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In Act 2 of Macbeth by WIlliam shakespeare, Tthe blood motif is associated with being nervous and fearless which contribute to the character trait. s. This contributed to the character trait of In Macbeth, tThe blood motif links to being anxiousnervous because Macbeth is thinking about killing Duncan. When Macbeth is talking to himself in his bedroom, “IS this dagger which I seeI see before me? The handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee.

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In The Tragedy of Macbeth, the theme of power emphasizes the motif of blood. The blood motif focuses on almost every character throughout the play. It beings with the prophecy of three witches that tell Macbeth that he will become king of Scotland. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s thirst for power results in the murder of King Duncan and crowing of Macbeth. The prophecies of the witches, and later the apparitions, encourage Macbeth to murder his friend, Banquo, because his sons were destined to become future kings.

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This also shows that Macbeth is willing to kill anyone who tries to overthrow him because he is paranoid about the witches’ prophecy that he will be king. Shakespeare continues the idea of blood when the murderers kill Banquo and Macbeth learns that Fleance escaped. Macbeth is furious when he says, “Then comes my fit again; I had else been perfect” (Act III, Scene iv. Lines 24-25 -. This displays Macbeth’s paranoia because the witches’ prophecy said that Banquo’s son would be king one day.

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Blood and Light vs. Dark *must work on organization of paragraphs and when to break up a paragraph* *must work on wording in the body paragraphs* The motif of blood occurs in almost every scene of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Though, is meaning of blood is blurred and mixed throughout the drama, the representation of blood can be directly related to light and dark, (good and bad). Blood represents a variety of character traits, from guilt to bravery. Every time the word “blood”, or “bloody”, is mentioned, Shakespeare alters the meaning of blood a little bit. In one scene it could show a character's guilt and violent personality, and in the next scene it could represent some courageous and brave characteristics.

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Symbols of Blood in Macbeth Macbeth, the famous play by William Shakespeare, is considered one of the most violent theatrical pieces from the Elizabethan era. Throughout the play, we observe the process of countless murders. Duncan, Banquo, and many others lost their lives at the hands of Macbeth and his wife. The play has many themes tying back to their murders, and many poetic devices to symbolize such themes, with blood being one of the most prominent. In this piece, blood symbolizes murder, guilt, and consequence.

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Blood, hallucinations, and sleep are important symbols and motifs in the play Macbeth. Blood is a symbol of the guilt and violence that permeate the play. The characters are haunted by the blood on their hands, and it serves as a reminder of the terrible acts they have committed. Blood also symbolizes the idea that violence begets violence, and the cycle of violence continues until it consumes the characters.

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A man’s pride can be his downfall, and he needs to learn when to turn to others for support and guidance. (Bear Grylls) Lady Macbeth and Macbeth will do anything for Macbeth to become the king. In the story Shakespeare uses blood and hallucinations as symbols to convey his theme that pride forces people to go too far, often pushing people to make choices that are irreversible. Blood represents guilt which conveys theme.

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A wide plethora of symbolism is used throughout numerous works of Shakespeare, all deeming different meanings and meant to be understood in sometimes distinct ways. Macbeth shows that there can be light and darkness, which is all things that represents the good and bad seemingly through the whole play. A more common example is one shown in if not any, but all of his plays, which is blood. For example, the blood in Macbeth represents the guilt and darkness which is associated with one’s evil nature.

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Throughout the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare there are several mentions of blood. Blood serves a bigger purpose in the play than some may or may not, based on the first impression, recognize. The play focuses on a tragic hero who, encouraged by his wife, falls victim to being the cause of a series of unfortunate events. There is an abundance of bloodshed and in the end, it doesn’t end entirely as Macbeth planned. Our tragic hero faces guilt often, as he is the cause of many deaths in his pursuit of power.

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Following Macbeth hearing Banquo’s suspicions about who murdered Duncan, Macbeth explains, “Our fears in Banquo / Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature / Reigns that which would be fear’d” (3.1.50-52). To put it differently, Macbeth voices his concern about Banquo’s ability to overtake him so that his own sons can become king more quickly. Shakespeare uses a metaphor to compare fears to thorns that “stick deep.” While keeping the witches’ prophecy in mind, Macbeth comes to terms with the possibility of Banquo taking power from him, and he knows he must do something about it; his solution is getting others to murder Banquo and his son.

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It has often been said that today’s award-winning series Game of Thrones is loosely based off William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The original gory tale of murderous ambition, however, was musingly plucked from Scottish history by William Shakespeare. Illustrating history as an imaginative tragedy, Shakespeare subsequently presented his work to King James I. Critics, such as Charles Haines, described Shakespeare’s work of literature not only as dark but as a relentless spectacle in red and black (Haines, p. 105). From the bleeding Captain on the battlefield to Macbeth’s bleeding skull at the end, blood practically drips off every page of Macbeth. The recurring presence of blood in Macbeth acts as imagery for honor that progresses into wickedness,

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244 Words | 1 Pages

“Blood itself - the color, the smell, and importance - is vital to life and shocking to see. ”-Anonymous. Throughout Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, blood plays an important role. Blood represents guilt for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It’s not until after the murder of Duncan that their guilt begins to manifest.

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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.

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