Macbeth: Blood Imagery Essay

Guilt is a frustrating feeling it evokes regret, self-punishment, and shame. Macbeth and skirt Macbeth do not know it, but every sequence they murder, their guilt feelings increases, and they step closer to their downfall. Shakespeare uses the imagery of blood in Macbeth to illustrate the inevitable guilt of Macbeth and wench Macbeth and how their roles change by the end of the play.In the number one of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth try their best to hide their conscience. Macbeth commands the stars to hide your fires / Let not light see my black and deep desires (1.4.57-58). If the stars hide their light, Macbeths dark desires ordain be hidden and he will feel no guilt. Lady Macbeth speaks to the spirits and orders them to unsex me here / And fill me . . .top-full / Of direst cruelty Make thick my blood, / keep up the access and passage to remorse (1.5.42-45). Lady Macbeth calls the evil spirits to get rid of her female qualities, to make her a man, and to hide her consci ence so she will feel no guilt. Both of them know that once they feel guilt, they will be doomed and found guilty.After kill Duncan, Macbeth feels extreme guilt, time Lady Macbeth seems to experience no guilt at all. Macbeth looks down at his bloody mickles and mumbles, This is a sorry sight (2.2.28). He regrets killing world power Duncan, a man of great virtues, and wishes that he could undo his evil act. Macbeth feels so guilty he forgets to leave the daggers with the guards. He refuses to go back because he is fearful to think what I have done / Look ont again I dare not (2.2.65-66). Macbeth believes his conscience will never let this horrendous act go.He exclaims to Lady Macbeth, Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one red (2.2.76-79). Macbeth feels that all the oceans in the world will not wash away his ravish for killing the king. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth does not feel any guilt. Lady Macbeth sc out of dates Macbeth and snaps, My hands are of your color, but I shame / To wear a heart so white. . . . A little water clears us of this deed (2.2.80-85). Lady Macbeth cannot believe that a little thing like killing King Duncan could make Macbeth so fearful.When it is time to murder Banquo, Macbeth plans it out himself. This is a huge change from King Duncans murder, when Lady Macbeth had to plan it out and then bring over Macbeth to go through with the plan. While Banquo is being hit, Macbeth is hosting a banquet for the lords. When Banquos ghost steps in, Macbeth wonders how Lady Macbeth can behold such sights, / And keep the lifelike ruby of your cheeks (3.4.137-138) epoch Macbeths cheeks are drained of color from fear. Even though Macbeth planned out this murder, and seemed as though his guilt is gone, it still is in his conscience and he despises thinking about it. Lady Macbeth, however, keeps the natural ruby of her cheeks and has no fear of these murders.With so much guilt already, Macbeth realizes there is no station in turning back. He says, I am in blood / Steppd in so far that, should I wade no more, / returning were as tedious as go oer (3.4.165-167). Macbeth is so close to being king that he might as well go through with it. Macbeths attitude seems to change quite a bit. At this point, Macbeth seems to have reset his conscience and has no problem with killing more people. speaking to Lady Macbeth, Macbeth says, We are yet but young in deed (3.4.173). Macbeth hints to Lady Macbeth that more killings are on the way, and that he is no longer afraid to murder.No matter how hard Lady Macbeth tries, the guilt catches up with her. Macbeth has now become immune to murders and doesnt seem to feel any guilt. When Macbeth is finally king, Lady Macbeth starts sleepwalking. Out, damned spot Out, I say Onetwo / why then tis time to dot. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie . . . . Yet who would / have though t the old man to have had so much blood in him? (5.1.31-32, 34-35). Lady Macbeth is experiencing the guilt from killing Duncan by continuously washing her hands in her sleep.Lady Macbeth also mutters, Heres the smell of the blood still. All the / perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh (5.1.45-47). This again represents Lady Macbeths disgrace as she cannot get the guilt out of her head. Soon afterwards, Lady Macbeth cannot take all this guilt anymore and takes her own life. Macbeth does not seem to feel any guilt anymore. Towards the end of the play, before Macbeth dies, he pronounces, Ring the alarum bell Blow, wind Come, wrack / At least well die with harness on our back (5.5.56-57). Macbeth wants to compact to the very end.From the use of blood imagery, readers can see the inevitable guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. By the end of the play, the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have been switched Macbeth seems to be much stronger than before, while Lady Macbeth has slowly shriveled away to nothing from all the guilt. As Macbeth said, They say blood will have blood (3.4.149). Each time the Macbeths murdered another person, they stepped closer to their downfall without realizing it. Blood imagery provides us knowledge of the main characters and helps us understand the idea of guilt in Macbeth.