When “hands” is first used in Act I, it is meant to project a sense of familial unity. The witches chant, “The weird sisters, hand in hand,/ Posters of the sea and land./ thus do go about, about.” (I.iii.32-34) The three witches, we are told, are sisters; this is one example of the association of “hands” with family. Their excessive closeness and fellowship is demonstrated as they join hands. Lady Macbeth, too, speaks of reaching out to family. She advises her husband to deceive his own cousin, the king. S

There are not many references to hands in Act IV, but in the few lines where they are mentioned, it is aid that is portrayed by the usage of hands, as opposed to the guilt of a violent action or violent forces depicted in Acts II and III. Malcolm speaks of an army coming to help him:

The great assay of art; but at his touch,

Such sanctity hath heaven given his hand,

In Act II, the word “hands” is constantly used in lines spoken when a character must assign blame for an action upon someone. Macbeth feels that he is being blamed by waking guests in his castle. Macbeth tells his wife that on the way back from killing Duncan he heard voices: “One cried ‘God bless us!” and “Amen” the other, /As they had seen me with these hangman’s hands” (II.ii.26-27). The guests can declare him guilty because they have seen his murderous hands. Lady Macbeth is also aware of the way that bloody hands could betray them. She orders Macbeth to clear himself of all apparent guilt when she says, “Go get some water,/ And wash away this filthy witness from your hand” (II.ii.43-44). Without proof, one can’t be given the blame for an action, so again “hands” are representing culpability in that by wiping them clean, Macbeth is also wiping the guilt of Duncan’s murder from himself. Lady Macbeth knows that her husband does not deserve all of the condemnation that would befall him if the secret of his homicide ever got out, so she tells Macbeth that she, too, is to blame. She says, “My hands are of your color (II.ii.60),” to give herself some of the guilt as well. That line means that it is as if her hands are covered in Duncan’s red blood, as well. Lennox also attaches blame to the appearance of hands. “Those of his chamber, as it seem’d, had done’t: / Their hands and faces were all badged with blood” (II.iii.101-102). It is the quick assumption that whoever’s hands look as if they have to be guilty, must be guilty. Critical scholar Kevin Muir states, in his essay, “Imagery”, that the repeated attempts in the play to remove blood from hands is a way that Shakespeare tries to get across the theme that guilt is incredibly difficult to remove, if not impossible.

The “hands” that he speaks of would be the ranks of soldiers that would come to help him fight. Hands do not only represent support in battle in Act IV, but they represent aid in civilian life. The king of England supposedly had

Some topics in this essay:
Lady Macbeth, Macbeth Shakespeare, Act III, Vii16-17 Angus, Act IV, Act II, King Duncan, IViii142-145 Shakespeare, IIIi87-90 Banquo, III Malcolm, lady macbeth, act iv, word “hands”, “hand” imagery, hands lady macbeth, critical scholar, macbeth feels, “hands” act, hands represent, blood hands, blame action,