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What Does Blood Symbolize In Macbeth

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Blood is the symbol of blood in the play that represents both the actual blood of Duncan and the guilt and remorse that Macbeth feels for his murder.”It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood”-Macbeth(3,4,151). Macbeth is entrapped by the inescapable conflict, which, according to an old proverb, "The blood poured in combat seeks greater slaughter in revenge, establishing a circle of carnage." Macbeth will understand that he must pay a price for his killings. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?”-Macbeth(2.2.6o-62). During this time in the play, Macbeth fears that no number of wiping will be able to remove the guilt he feels since he is literally tainted with Duncan's blood. Macbeth's vision of Banquo's ghost serves as a symbol of his stained conscience, as the blood he shed in his …show more content…

Throughout the play, hallucinations play a significant role, such as when Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo, causing him to behave erratically in front of guests and his wife. In the line, "Avaunt! And quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee!" (Shakespeare 3.4.80-84). Macbeth attempts to banish the ghost from his presence. This vision of Banquo's ghost could be interpreted as a foreshadowing of Macbeth's impending death.“Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain?” (2.1.44-51). Macbeth tries to grasp the dagger, but realizes that it is only an illusion and has no tangible form.

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