... those sleepy two." When Macbeth brings back the bloody dagger after performing the "bloody business," Lady Macbeth goes to spread Duncan's blood on the "grooms withal," further showing the effort and extent of her deceit. Immediately after though, blood plays its largest role as a symbol of guilt and that which cannot be concealed. When cleaning his bloody hands, Macbeth questions if all of the water in the ocean can "wash this blood / Clean ... from my hand." Remorsefully, Macbeth realizes that there is too much blood to be washed away; instead, the blood will color the seas, "making t...

• Word Count: 518
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... that?- This is symbolic of the brave fighter who has been injured in a valiant battle for his country. In the next passage, in which the sergeant says, "Which smok'd with bloody execution", he is referring to Macbeth's braveness in which his sword is covered in the hot blood of the enemy. After these few references to honour, the symbol of blood now changes to show a theme of treachery and treason, mainly centred on the murder of Duncan. Lady Macbeth ... starts this off when she asks the spirits to ... ...

• Word Count: 777
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• Grade Level: High School

... ridden Macbeth ends up contributing to the restoration of honor to the symbol of blood At the end of the play, Macbeth lets Macduff go out of guilt, which leads to the death of Macbeth by Macduff. Macbeth's guilt is evident when he states, "But get thee back, my soul is too much charg'd with blood of thine already." (V. viii. 5-6) After which, Macbeth dies at the hands of Macduff, and it is here where blood ... possessions corrupt man. In the end of the play, when honor was restored to blood, the Great Chain of Being is also restored, and chaos ends. The image of blood was a critical on...

• Word Count: 878
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• Grade Level: High School

... responsible for the tragedy within the play. Shakespeare's characterization of the key narrative figures, use of imagery and symbolism, depicts the respective roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the ensuing tragedy. We follow the actions of Macbeth as he is consumed by his desire and demand for power. Throughout the twisted plot of Macbeth, the protagonist, Macbeth, gradually descends into a state of madness, that ultimately leads to his death. After Macbeth's initial encounter with the " ... decreases, and as result, Macbeth loses his mind. This complication in the plot is first n...

• Word Count: 882
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... had committed. At the end of the play, one of the characters Macduff explains that since Macbeth has been murdered, "The time is free". Another symbol used in the novel is that of sleep. ( - Thrasher, Thomas. "Understanding Macbeth" Lucent Books copyright 2002. - compellation of authors. "Readings On The Tragedies Of William Shakespeare" Greenhaven Press Inc. copyright 1996) " The master of the ship Tiger, whose wife has offended the first witch, is threatened with the punishment of insomnia: Sleep shall ... Kenneth Muir. Copyright 1973) This excerpt, gains much meaning later in the pla...

• Word Count: 814
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• Grade Level: High School

... connect towards his guilty conscience. But Lady Macbeth is also burdened with the imagery of blood to represent that the murder is weighing on her conscience. In act 5 scene one when Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking she says "Out damned spot! Out, I say" referring to the "blood" that "stained" her after her making Macbeth kill Duncan. She also refers to Duncan's murder saying "Yet who would ... have thought the old man to have so much blood in him!" saying that ... mind would only do to prove the guilt was deep. During the whole play, references are made to both ghosts and blood. The bloo...

• Word Count: 402
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... 's own will to become king, he commits some terrible crimes that are the exact opposite of moral. The death of Duncan is a major turning point in the emotions of Macbeth and his wife. After Macbeth has "done the deed" (2.2.14), he is so guilt-ridden of his crime that he cannot even utter the word "Amen" (2.2.28) after a prayer. The main consequence of their horrible crimes is their extreme guilt and sorrow. Lady Macbeth ... so that she would not have to feel so horrible. Macbeth, overall, uses morals to decide what the characters do and how they feel about things during the story. The sy...

• Word Count: 649
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• Grade Level: High School

... Here's the smell of blood, Still/ All of the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand " (Shakespeare V. 1. 43-45). Lady Macbeth is terrified by the traces of blood in her hand and the fact that not even the finest perfumes would rid her off the smell. The blood in Lady Macbeth hands represent her guilt and how she cannot get rid of it because the blood is a symbol of all the murders she ... has taken part of. Lady Macbeth's guilt causes life to be unbearable for her, ... her own life. In conclusion, the theme of guilt in Shakespeare's "Macbeth"" is represented through the im...

• Word Count: 762
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• Grade Level: High School

... that he swore to protect and serve. Macbeth begins to doubt his capabilities and has second thoughts. The second influence is Lady Macbeth. She is the leading lady in this play and is responsible for most of the deaths that occur in this thrilling story. She does this by manipulating the respect Macbeth has for her. He doesn't want to let her down or disappoint her. She ... on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to toe, top-full Of direst cruelty." This introduces an important theme: The distortion of sexuality, which is a symbol of moral disorder. After that she ...

• Word Count: 795
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... blood. Treachery and treason form the next phases of the blood imagery. When Lady Macbeth hears that King Duncan is dining at her castle, she says in her anticipation of his murder: "Make thick my blood" (1.5.42). By this, she is asking the evil spirits to allow her to cold-heartedly, and without emotion, participate in the murder of Duncan. After the murder of Duncan, blood becomes a symbol of guilt. Lady Macbeth smears Duncan ... 's chamber guards with the King's blood, in order to make them look guilty of the "bloody business", as Macbeth calls the murder. The guilt theme now dominate...

• Word Count: 556
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• Grade Level: High School

... " (3.2.53). Macbeth boasts this to his wife just hours before he has his best friend, Banquo, killed out of jealousy. He orders Banquo's murder at night, connecting the "night's black agents" to birds of prey, which hunt and kill in the dark. Even after Banquo's ghost haunts Macbeth, he remarks that "Stones have been known to move and trees to speak;/ Augurs ... and understood relations have? By maggot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth/ The secret'st man of blood" (3.4.122-125). Magot ... ; (4.3.217-220). The Macduff family does not have good luck in this book when it concerns bir...

• Word Count: 616
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... leads to the downfall of the protagonist, Macbeth. The contrast of light and dark representing good and evil plays a major role in the plot of the play. Blood symbolizes murder and guilt. The symbol of clothing is particularly used to suggest the hiding of ones true self is also widely used in order to achieve the general theme of evil. The image of animals also plays a large role in portraying evil as well. One of the most prominent symbolic factors in the play is ... important role in the play. From the first appearance of the bloody Sargent in the second scene to the very last scene,...

• Word Count: 1290
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... as the murder of Duncan approaches. The hallucinations are a reminder of what Macbeth may do next. Macbeth ignores the hallucination of the dagger as to not feel uneasiness about the murder. The hallucinations persist as Macbeth spots Banquo's ghost, just after he had him murdered. Macbeth continues down the bloody road that he embarked on after killing Duncan. The hallucinations continue to occur, not only in Macbeth, but in the only other person directly involved in the murder of ... Duncan, Lady Macbeth. Despite not committing the murder with her own hands, Lady Macbeth is still face...

• Word Count: 983
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• Grade Level: High School

... him and making him see the dagger. An allusion to the witches is made, with the word "witchcraft"" and the reference to Hecate, a Greek goddess depicted in the triple form hence the three weird sisters. Witchcraft can be seen as an illusion. Throughout the play, Macbeth doesn't know whether he really sees the witches or if they are an illusion because of their tendency to disappear after announcing what is going ... . There is however a difference between military blood drawn during the battles and the blood of murders. Macbeth sees blood on the dagger: "And on thy blade and dudgeon gout...

• Word Count: 1123
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• Grade Level: High School

... (V.v.43). After so much death in this play, the trees represent a new beginning that will come with the defeat of Macbeth. The trees enact life and as they are carried towards Dunsinane, it foreshadows what is to come. The reader understands at this moment who will emerge from battle victorious and that this is the annihilation of Macbeth. Overall, the use of plants helps readers visualize the atmosphere of the play and ... "Your hand, your tongue; look like th'innocent flower,/ But be the serpent under't" (I.vi. 64). In this line she is telling him to appear as a flower but mimic a snak...

• Word Count: 1030
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... he had to admit that he had broken his promise to her. Though men in the middle ages were considered high above women in standing, it was still a source of great disgrace to break your word to a Lady of the gentry after you had given it. Lady Macbeth also uses the social system of the time to her benefit when she tells Macbeth that if he kills Duncan he will ... hath made them drunk hath made me bold- indicating that the drink has given her the strength of will to go through with the murder, which many would argue is another symbol of her evilness. She is affected differently to the res...

• Word Count: 2244
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... , he feels so guilty that he decides that he does not wish to look back at his crimes. This causes him to go into a paranoid state and make bad decisions. After the murder, Macbeth asks himself if "great Neptune's ocean [will] wash this blood clean from [his] hand." (2.2.77-78). Macbeth is already feeling guilt towards Duncan's death and doesn't know whether ... on his hands will ever wash away. This guilt and remorse lowers his morale to the point where he goes crazy in front of the lords and ladies at a party after becoming king. During the party, Banquo's ghost comes and haunts Macbet...

• Word Count: 1511
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... !" Macbeth does murder sleep". Sleep is a sign of innocence in this play and Macbeth has lost his. Later on in the play he talks of his "fitful sleep". He can't be at rest after what he has done; at this point he knows he will pay for his sins in the afterlife. These are some of the "consequences" of which he spoke earlier in the play. This shows Lady Macbeth is feeling guilty ... . In the play she can't get a stain off her hand. This is a symbol of her guilt that in reality the stain would come off but it will always be there in her mind as her guilt, ever present. She says to herself du...

• Word Count: 1874
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• Grade Level: High School

... from top to toe..." (Bloom 29). This quote illustrates the connection between Lady Macbeth and the witches, showing us that they both participated in Macbeth's moral decline. Shakespeare, it seems, utilizes the symbol of the witches to portray the basic evil inherent in Lady Macbeth. One could not have worked without the other. If it were only the witches' prophecies, then Macbeth would surely not have murdered ... Macbeth greets her husband and "... her greeting recalls the weird sisters." (Ludwyk 233). This teaches us that even after the murder is done she does not return to her former...

• Word Count: 1235
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... that Macbeth is easily fooled. They play with Macbeth and trick him with true "lies". After listening to the prophecies, the seed of evil is planted in his heart, and he could not stop thinking about them. He is supersititious, and believed that the witches really have the ability to see into the future. "This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill (Act one scene 3 line 142)" He does not ... is using Banquo as a symbol of virtue and goodness. The goodness of Banquo even scares Macbeth. He is afraid that Banquo, being the only one (except Lady Macbeth) who knows about the prophecies and c...

• Word Count: 1847
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• Grade Level: High School

... analogy of the future in a sense. As the ship resembles Scotland and when macbeth is the sailor (king) it will suffer from a terrible storm. The Witches do not have the power to sink the ship; only Macbeth has the physical and mental ability to do that. The Witch's just have to throw the misread ambition in the wrong direction so Macbeth chases it and makes it happen. They begin the destruction, Macbeth believes in himself after ... . "Thou canst not say I did it; never shake thy gory locks at me!" He had to be dismissed from the banquit by his wife through fear of confession. Maybe the w...

• Word Count: 1517
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• Grade Level: High School

... punished for not acting on their sexist roles. Throughout the Shakespearean play, the main male characters are stereotypically perceived to be fearless. After killing the rightful king of Scotland, Macbeth starts to show signs of fear. Macbeth confesses to Lady Macbeth that he could no longer utter the word amen after saying a prayer. "One cried 'God bless us!' and 'Amen' the other; As they had seen me with these ... while he lives. He holds onto the word amen in order to correct himself but cannot. The stage directions of this scene show his trembling hands which is a symbol of fear an...

• Word Count: 2029
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• Grade Level: High School

... seem not as bad as it really is. The last time we see an imagery of blood in Macbeth is when the apparitions visit him after Macduff's death. The second apparition was a bloodied symbol of Macduff. Shakespeare tells us that the second apparition is a bloody child, a symbol of Macduff at birth. " Be bloody, bold, and resolute! Laugh to scorn The pow"r of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth" (IV, i, 78-81 ... ). Blood here seems to symbolize great strength. Thourhgout the story blood proved ... ...

• Word Count: 368
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• Grade Level: High School

... of blood is one of honour, and occurs when Duncan sees the injured sergeant and says "What bloody man is that?". This is symbolic of the brave fighter who been injured in a valiant battle for his country. In the next passage, in which the sergeant says "Which smok'd with bloody execution", he is referring to Macbeth's braveness in which his sword is covered in the hot blood of the enemy. After these few references to honour, the symbol of ... blood now changes to show a theme of treachery and treason. Lady Macbeth starts this off ... ...

• Word Count: 329
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... it. He sees it as a symbol of his potential murderous transgression, as he moves to kill Duncan. Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? .Art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation When Macbeth notifies Lady Macbeth that he does not see fit that he should Murder the king and he would precede no further in this business, she questions his ... get them caught. Macbeth is convinced by this, and with all his doubts laid to rest, he proceeded with the plan, now eager to place himself on the throne. After the king was murdered, his sons fled to England and ...

• Word Count: 610
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School