Symbolism Of Blood In Macbeth free essay sample

# 8211 ; Steve S. Essay, Research Paper Steve Strohack The bible provinces that blood is # 8220 ; The River of Life # 8221 ; . In William Shakespeare # 8217 ; s Macbeth, the symbol of blood is used in assorted contexts as an effectual method in depicting the subject of the drama. This essay will sketch how # 8220 ; Treachery and Treason, # 8221 ; # 8220 ; Honour # 8221 ; and # 8220 ; Guilt # 8221 ; ideas are clearly represented. The first mention of blood is one of honor, and occurs when Duncan sees the injured sergeant and says # 8220 ; What bloody adult male is that? # 8221 ; ( Act 1, Scene 2, Line 1 ) . This is symbolic of the brave combatant who been injured in a valorous conflict for his state. In the following transition, in which the sergeant says # 8220 ; Which smoked with bloody executing # 8221 ; ( Act 1, Scene 2, Line 20 ) he is mentioning to Macbeth # 8217 ; s courage in which his blade is covered in the hot blood of the enemy. After these few mentions to honor, the symbol of blood now changes to demo a subject of perfidy and lese majesty. We will write a custom essay sample on Symbolism Of Blood In Macbeth or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Lady Macbeth starts this off when she asks the liquors to # 8220 ; do thick my blood, # 8221 ; ( Act 1, Scene 5, Line 46 ) . What she is stating by this, is that she wants to do herself insensitive and remorseless for the workss which she is about to perpetrate. Lady Macbeth knows that the grounds of blood is a unreliable symbol, and knows it will debar the guilt from her and Macbeth to the retainers when she says # 8220 ; smear the sleepy grooms with blood. # 8221 ; ( Act 2, Scene 2, Line 64 ) , and # 8220 ; If he do shed blood, / I # 8217 ; ll gild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must look their guilt. # 8221 ; ( Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 71-72 ) When Banquo states # 8220 ; and inquiry this most bloody piece of work, # 8221 ; ( Act 2, Scene 3, Line154 ) and Ross says # 8220 ; Is # 8217 ; t known who did this more than bloody deed? # 8221 ; ( Act 2, Scene 4, Line 28 ) , they are both asking as to who performed the unreliable Acts of the Apostless upon Duncan. When Ma cbeth is talking about Malcolm and Donalbain, he refers to them as # 8220 ; bloody cousins # 8221 ; ( Act 3, Scene 1, Line 33 ) . A concluding manner, and possibly the most graphic usage of the symbol blood, is of the subject of guilt. First Macbeth intimations at his guilt when he says # 8220 ; Will all great Neptune # 8217 ; s ocean wash this blood clean from my manus? # 8221 ; ( Act, Scene, Line ) , intending that he wondered if he would of all time be able to bury the dastardly title that he had committed. Then the shade of Banquo, all gory, and bloody comes to stalk Macbeth at the feast. The sight of phantom s represents his guilt for the slaying of Banquo which he planned. Macbeth shows a spot of his guilt when he says â€Å"It is the bloody concern which informs therefore, † ( Act, Scene, Line ) he could non acquire the bravery to state slaying after he had killed Duncan, so he says this alternatively. Lady Macbeth shows the most graphic illustration of guilt utilizing the symbol of blood in the scene in which she walks in her slumber. She says: # 8220 ; Out damned topographic point! Out I say! One: two: why, so # 8217 ; Ti clip to make # 8217 ; T: snake pit is cloudy. Fie, my Godhead, fie! a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can name out power to account? Yet who would hold thought the old adult male to hold had so much blood in him! # 8221 ; ( Act 5, Scene 1, Lines 32-37 ) This address represents the fact that she can non pass over the blood discolorations of Duncan off of her custodies. It is dry, that she says this, because right after the slaying, when Macbeth was experiencing guilty, she said # 8220 ; A small H2O clears us of this deed. # 8221 ; ( Act 2, Scene 2, Line 85 ) When the physician of the palace finds out about this somnambulism, he tells Macbeth # 8220 ; As she is troubled with thick-coming phantasies, # 8221 ; ( Act 5, Scene 3, Line 44 ) . What this agency, is that Lady Macbeth is holding phantasies or dreams that deal with blood. Macbeth knows in his head that she is holding problems with her guilt, but does non state anything about it. Merely before the stoping of the drama, Macbeth has Macduff at his clemency, and lets him travel, because of his guilt. He shows that he is guilty, when he says # 8220 ; But acquire thee back, my psyche is excessively much charg # 8217 ; d / with blood of thine already. # 8221 ; ( Act 5, Scene 8, Lines 6-7 ) . Of which, Macduff answers, # 8220 ; I have no words ; / my voice is in my blade, thou bloodier scoundrel / than footings can give thee out! # 8221 ; ( Act 5, Scene 8, Lines 8-10 ) After the decease of Macbeth at the custodies of Macduff, the symbolic subject of blood swings back to what it was at the beginning of the drama. It is the symbol of honor to Malcolm this clip. The decease of Macbeth is honoured effort that Macduff is congratulated for. It has been demonstrated throughout this paper, that William Shakespeare efficaciously used the symbol of blood to foreground the ideals of the characters throughout the drama. Without this tragic medium implied, the popularity of the drama would hold been well lessened.