Shakespeare Essay, Research Paper
Blood Imagrey in Macbeth
Andrew Ott Macbeth Imagery Paper May 22, 2000 Blood Imagery in
William Shakespeare?s Macbeth William Shakespeare wrote the Tragedy of
Macbeth in approximately 1606 AD. He loosely based it on a historical event
occurring around 1050 AD. Macbeth is the story of a nobleman, who, while
trying to fulfill a prophecy told to him by three witches, murders his King to
cause his ascension to the throne of Scotland. After the King?s murder,
Macbeth reigns as a cruel and ruthless tyrant, who is forced to kill more
people to keep control of the throne. Finally, Scottish rebels combined with
English forces attack Macbeth?s castle, and Macbeth is killed by a Scottish
Thane named Macduff who has sacrificed everything to see peace return to
Scotland. In the play, the word ?blood? is mentioned numerous times.
Shakespeare?s use of this particular word is significant; he uses it to develop
the character of Macbeth and the unfolding events of the drama. The
powerful symbolic meaning of blood changes from the beginning to the end.
Near the beginning of the play, after Macbeth and the Scottish army defeated
the rebel Macdonwald?s army, a bleeding sergeant comes on stage. The
sergeant then proceeds to describe the battle and how bravely Macbeth and
his friend Banquo fought, ?For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name- /
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish?d steel / Which smok?d with bloody
execution, / Like valor?s minion carv?d out his passage?? (Act I, Scene 2,
Lines 19-21) Blood is symbolic of bravery and courage in this passage.
Blood shed for a noble cause is good blood. However, Macbeth?s character
changes throughout the play are characterized by the symbolism in the blood
he sheds. Before Duncan?s murder, Macbeth imagines seeing a dagger
floating in the air before him. He describes it, ?And on thy blade and dudgeon
gouts of blood, / Which was not so before. There?s no such thing: / It is the
bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes.? The blood imagery in
this passage obviously refers to treason, ambition, and murder. This is a stark
contrast to what blood meant earlier in the play. Blood, once seen as a
positive value, is now associated with evil. This imagery also shows the
beginning of Macbeth?s character transformation from a personage of
nobility, honesty, and bravery to that of treachery, deceit, and evil. After
Macbeth murders Duncan, he begins to realize the severity of his crime as he
tries to wash Duncan?s blood off his hands, ?Will all great Neptune?s ocean
wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No; this hand will rather / The
multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one red.? (Act II, Scene
2, Lines 71-75) This passage illustrates the act of murder has changed
Macbeth?s character. No longer does the blood connote an image of
ambition; it now symbolizes guilt, remorse, and an entry into the gates of hell
from which no one can return. Macbeth laments that not even all the water in
the ocean will wash the blood off his hands, he is beginning to realize the
magnitude of his crime, and that he has done something truly evil. This same
blood symbolism continues when Macbeth, shortly after he sees the ghost of
the murdered Banquo at his feast, goes into a state of shock and has to be
escorted back to his chamber by Lady Macbeth. He tells Lady Macbeth
before he goes to sleep, ?All causes shall give way: I am in blood / Stepp?d in
so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o?er:?
(Act III, Scene 4, Lines 159-161) We now find that Macbeth has entered so
far into hell and the world of evil, it is impossible for him to return to
righteousness. He will be forced to kill more and more people in order to
retain control of the throne. The sins he has committed have not only
perverted his virtuous life, but have condemned him to an eternity in hell.
There is no chance of redemption; he has permanently allied himself with the
forces of evil. Like her husband, the once ambitious Lady Macbeth finally
realizes the significance of associating herself in the murder plot, and the
severe repercussions it will bring. Tormented by nightmares, she sleepwalks
through her bedroom and cries, ?What, will these hands ne?er be
clean??Here?s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of / Arabia will
not sweeten this little hand.? (Act V, Scene 1, Lines 40, 46-47) The blood
imagery exhibits Lady Macbeth?s guilt over Duncan?s murder. Her
hallucinations of blood on her hands and her constant efforts to wash it off
demonstrate that the agony of having guilty feelings is causing her to go
insane. We later learn that this guilt strains her mind to the point that she
commits suicide. In the play?s final scene, Macduff confronts Macbeth to
avenge the murders of his children and his wife at Macbeth?s hand, and to
see Malcolm established as the rightful King. As Malcolm sees Macbeth, he
exclaims, ?I have no words: / My voice is in my sword, thou bloodier villain /
Than terms can give thee out!? (Act V, Scene 8, Lines 8-10) Macbeth and
Macduff then engage in a fight to the death with Macduff eventually emerging
victorious. When Macduff, mentions blood, it speaks to justified bloodshed,
and revenge. Shakespeare uses this blood imagery to enhance the audience?s
understanding of Macbeth?s character. The audience has now witnessed the
complete transformation of Macbeth. He begins as a noble, just and brave
person, to becoming evil, ambitious, and treacherous during Duncan?s
murder, to his final feelings of remorse for his crime and finally, to the
realization that he will be punished for his sins.
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