Imagery in Macbeth
William Shakespeare s play, (if indeed he did write it) Macbeth is rife with killing, and is probably only second in bloodiness to his earlier play, Titus Andronicus. Not only is blood a key part of the plot for obvious reasons, it is also an example of imagery, representing several different symbols throughout the play. In the beginning, blood represents honor. Later, blood seems to show treachery. A the end of the play Shakespeare uses blood to show Macbeth s guilt for all his evil and greedy acts.
The first reference of blood occurs when Duncan sees the injured sergeant and says, “What bloody man is that?” (1.2.1) The King is referring to the brave messenger who has just returned from a war. Soon after, the bloody captain praises Macbeth s deeds in battle, saying that he held his sword “Which smoked with bloody execution” (1.2.20), meaning that Macbeth s bravery was shown by his sword covered in the hot blood of the enemy.
After at first symbolizing bravery, blood soon becomes an image representing treachery and treason. When Lady Macbeth is trying to summon enough courage to have the king killed, she cries out to spirits to “make thick my blood,” (1.5.50) meaning that she wants to try and be as remorseless as possible so that she can perform this treacherous deed. Macbeth also calls the act of treason the …bloody business… (2.1.60) In addition, Lady Macbeth knows that blood is evidence of treason, and so she shifts the blame onto others by telling Macbeth to “smear the sleepy grooms with blood,” (2.2.64) Throughout act two, whenever a character speaks of Duncan s murder, they always refer to it as the bloody deed or the bloody murder, showing that blood has taken on the meaning of treason.
In addition to treason, blood also represents guilt and remorse in act two. Shortly after he has killed Duncan, Macbeth asks himself, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?,” (2.2.78-79) meaning that he is already disturbed by his awful deed. Later, during the banquet scene, blood represents the guilt that haunts Macbeth. Banquo s ghost (who is covered in blood) appears and haunts Macbeth, who says, … they blood is cold…, (3.4.114) meaning that Macbeth feels guilty and is scared of Banquo s cold revenge.
Blood as a symbol of guilt shows itself very well in the scene in which Lady Macbeth walks in her sleep. While attempting to wash her hands, Lady Macbeth says “Out damned spot! Out I say! …. Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (5.1.37-42) This scene, while revealing to the doctor that Lady Macbeth was involved in some of the murders, also reveals her feeling of guilt and remorse since she cannot remove the memory (blood) from her mind (hands). The Doctor seems to pick up on this because he tells Macbeth that his wife “… is troubled with thick-coming fantasies.” (5.3.47) The Doctor means that he knows that Lady Macbeth is dreaming about blood, and possibly knows that she feels guilty. Also, near the end of the play, Macbeth uses blood to show his guilt during his last hour. When he is threatened with death by Macduff, Macbeth says, “…get thee back, my soul is too much charged (burdened) with blood of thine already,” (5.8.6) meaning that he feels too guilty about his deeds to fight with Macduff.
Throughout this play, the meaning of blood has changed along with Macbeth s emotions: blood has symbolized ideas from honor to treachery, and then guilt. It is very fitting that blood is a dominant symbol in this play, for this is one of Shakespeare s darkest and most violent.
Другие работы по теме:
Macbeth 2 Essay Research Paper Mac Beth
Macbeth 2 Essay, Research Paper Mac Beth Shakespeare s time treasured classic play MacBeth has withstood the criticism of hundreds of years and has still remained popular and world-renown to this day. In this essay, I am going to characterize the three essential characters: Banquo, Lady MacBeth and MacBeth as portrayed through act II.
Irony Of Macbeth Essay Research Paper IRONY
Irony Of Macbeth Essay, Research Paper IRONY IN MACBETH Shakespeare s play Macbeth portrays much irony. Such as the scene where Macbeth is made to believe that he is supposed to become king when really he is not. Another ironic scene is where Macbeth, on the outside gives the impression that he is trustworthy and loves Duncan, yet on the inside he longs for the death of Duncan.
Macbeth Essay Research Paper Lady MacBeth hated
Macbeth Essay, Research Paper Lady MacBeth hated Duncan when he came to the land. She hated the fact that he stood a chance of being king over her husband which ment she stood a chance of not being queen. Knowing this,
Macbeth Character Sketch Essay Research Paper MacbethMacbeth
Macbeth Character Sketch Essay, Research Paper Macbeth Macbeth is the main character in the play. In the beginning of the play he is a nobleman and Scottish general in King Duncan’s army. Macbeth later becomes the Thane of Glamis and Cawdor and King of Scotland. Macbeth is a man who is easily persuaded, brave, good-hearted, and overly-ambitious.
Macbeth Essay Essay Research Paper MacBeth EssayWe
Macbeth Essay Essay, Research Paper MacBeth Essay We are sympathetic towards MacBeth for various reasons. Reasons like that he never wanted to kill Duncan and the witches predictions were to tempting. Or that his wife almost shamed into doing it to prove to her that he was a man. After hearing those reasons you cannot forget about the pressure he received from Lady MacBeth’s degrading insults.
Macbeth Essay Research Paper 1Early in Macbeth
Macbeth Essay, Research Paper 1)Early in Macbeth we see Lady Macbeth as the strong, rational, determined, ambitious, even ruthless woman ; on the other hand we see a more vacillating , fearful Macbeth. As the play progresses, we see both characters change. Discuss.
Macbeth Vs Macduff Essay Research Paper Macbeth
Macbeth Vs. Macduff Essay, Research Paper Macbeth vs. Macduff The conflict between Macbeth and Macduff is very important, one which ultimately leads to the demise of Macbeth. Macduff, who at one point is very loyal to Macbeth, becomes Macbeth s adversary as time progresses.
Macbeth Essay Research Paper Macbeth EssayFrom the
Macbeth Essay, Research Paper Macbeth Essay From the very beginning Macbeth has been a victim of the witches? prophecy and Lady Macbeth?s ambition. With no support he soon succumbed to the pressures of each.
My Presentation Of Macbeth Act 3 Scene
4 Essay, Research Paper 10Hn This essay will show my interpretation of Act 3 Scene 4 from Macbeth. This scene is a turning point in the play because we see the first glimpse of Macbeth?s guilty conscience, which becomes the cause of
Analyzing Macbeth Essay Research Paper In the
Analyzing Macbeth Essay, Research Paper In the final acts of Shakespeare?s Macbeth the motiff blood plays a big role. It adds drama and shows how influencial the sight of blood is to many people. For instance, on page 356,Act 5, Scene 3, .lines 17-20Macbeth say?Go prick thy face and over-red thy fear, thou lily-livered boy.
Macbeth Reading Response Essay Research Paper Over
Macbeth Reading Response Essay, Research Paper Over the course of the play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth significantly change with respect to their characters and their personalities. Macbeth starts off as a brave soldier whom is devoted to his king, but is tainted from the witches’ prophecies, as Lady Macbeth appears as a kind wife but underneath lies a conniving, deceitful woman.
MacbethWho Killed Duncan Essay Research Paper MacbethWho
Macbeth..Who Killed Duncan Essay, Research Paper Macbeth Who Really Killed Duncan ? Who really did kill Duncan? This has been a question asked by many historians of Shakespeare. There are many theories that have developed over the years. Some say it was MacDuff, Lady Macbeth, or even Duncan’s own two sons.
Macbeth Essay Research Paper Many critics hold
Macbeth Essay, Research Paper Many critics hold that the imagery in Macbeth is more rich and dramatic than that of any other of Shakespeare?s plays. Woven throughout the tragedy, are the recurring images of darkness, blood, and sleep. These images aid in portraying the evilness and the moral disintegration of the murdering tyrant Macbeth and his fiend-like queen.
Macbeth Essay Research Paper Macbeth although largely
Macbeth Essay, Research Paper Macbeth, although largely responsible, was not totally responsible for the torrent of evil which was unleashed in Scotland after after Duncan’s death. Both Lady Macbeth and the supernatural powers must accept at last some of the responsibility for the evil deeds unleashed during Macbeth reign.
Imagery In Macbeth Essay Research Paper Imagery
Imagery In Macbeth Essay, Research Paper Imagery plays a very important purpose in the revealing of the character of Macbeth nearthe beginning of the story. It helps to reveal Macbeth as being brave and full of ambitionwhen the captain describes him like Valour s minion ( I, II, 20). This allows theaudience to see, without actually observing, just how brave a man Macbeth really is.
Macbeth By Shakespeare Essay Research Paper Macbeth
Macbeth By Shakespeare Essay, Research Paper Macbeth by William Shakespeare In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth unconsciously uses Macbeth and others as a shield for guilt. When she wants something but doesn’t have the guts to perform the task herself, she calls upon anyone but herself to do it.
Macbeth Essay Research Paper The Downfall of
Macbeth Essay, Research Paper The Downfall of Macbeth Macbeth’s love for Lady Macbeth, in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, caused Macbeth to feel the need to prove his manhood, which eventually lead to his downfall. Macbeth was not secure in his manhood, so he felt the need to prove himself to Lady Macbeth.
Macbeth Witches Essay Research Paper Macbeth who
Macbeth Witches Essay, Research Paper Macbeth, who is hailed by the three witches as the ancestor of kings. Macbeth is an intelligent spiritual likeness of a villain-hero who feels his own guilt
Macbeth Downfall Essay Research Paper In Macbeth
Macbeth Downfall Essay, Research Paper In Macbeth there were a few factors that contributed to the degeneration of the Macbeth character. There were three factors that destroyed Macbeth. The main
Symbolism In Macbeth Essay Research Paper In
Symbolism In Macbeth Essay, Research Paper In William Shakespear’s Macbeth, symbolism is abundantly used in exemplifying the overall theme of murder. There are several prominent forms of this throughout the play. The contrast of light and dark representing good and evil plays a major role in the advancement of events in the play.
Macbeth Character Analysis Of Lady Macbeth Essay
, Research Paper MacBeth In The Tragedy of MacBeth, Lady MacBeth has strong id characteristics, and is not well balanced because her superego is severely out-weighed by her id. The id, superego, and ego are the
Blood Will Have Blood Essay Research Paper
In Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, Macbeth says, “Blood will have blood?,” is implying one of the main themes. Along with this quotation, there are many more quotations throughout the story that support the theme of blood. Macbeth has always been known to be a bloody story, but it is proven so much by the numerous quotations dealing with blood and murder.
Imagery And It
’s Impact In The Play Macbeth Essay, Research Paper The tragedy Macbeth by Shakespeare conveys blood imagery throughout the play. By representing imagery in a metaphoric way, it establishes sympathy between the main character and the audience, and questions the sanity of Macbeth. By creating sympathy between the audience and Macbeth, understanding him is easier.
Blood As An Image In Macbeth Essay
, Research Paper Shakespeare uses the symbol of blood in MacBeth to represent treason, guilt, murder and death. These ideas are constant throughout the book. There are many examples of blood representing these three ideas in the book.
Blood In Macbeth Essay Research Paper Blood
Blood In Macbeth Essay, Research Paper Blood in Macbeth In the play Macbeth, a symbol of blood is portrayed frequently and has different meanings throughout the play, this symbol is developed until it eventually becomes the main theme of the play. The first use of blood is one of honor and respect, and occurs when Duncan sees the injured captain and says “What bloody man is that”(1.2.1).
Blood In Macbeth Essay Research Paper The
Blood In Macbeth Essay, Research Paper The Symbolism of Blood in Macbeth The Symbol of Blood in Macbeth Blood is known to represent most often injury and death, but also life. Blood is an essential part of life, and without blood, we could not live. This is common knowledge, and because of this, when Shakespeare uses the symbol of blood to represent treason, murder, and death, it is easily understood and fits in perfectly with the ideas we have of blood.
Macbeath Essay Research Paper Anthony Sears12298Period 2Macbeth
Macbeath Essay, Research Paper Anthony Sears 12-2-98 Period 2 Macbeth Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are two megalomaniacs. Their actions in the first two acts are very childish and selfish. Their lust for power and control over runs their lives and becomes something to die for. Lady Macbeth is very persuasive, and Macbeth will almost follow her very word.
Lady Macbeth Essay Research Paper At the
Lady Macbeth Essay, Research Paper At the start of the play, Lady Macbeth seems to have a very strong character – almost stronger than Macbeth’s – but by the end she is reduced to being afraid of the dark. At the beginning she is Macbeth’s ‘dearest partner of greatness’, but at the end she is his ‘fiend-like queen’.
Macbeth Blood As A Symbol Essay Research
Paper Blood as a Symbol in Macbeth In Macbeth, many symbols are used that parallel major themes in the play. One of these symbols is blood, and the theme that it reinforces is killing, and the fear associated with killing. Many scenes in the play involving murder also have blood mentioned, although not necessarily during the murder.
The Use Of Symbols In Macbeth Essay
, Research Paper The Use of Symbols in Macbeth In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses many symbols to add to his story. His use of blood, water, light, dark, rampant animals, and even the witches are examples of how he used