Blood and "Macbeth"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how William Shakespeare successfully uses blood imagery in his play "Macbeth" to illustrate the drastic change in Macbeth's character. Blood imagery is powerful because blood is essential for life and every time we see blood, we are reminded of life. It looks at how the images of blood are all linked to Macbeth throughout the play, from the first images of blood connected with loyalty, to the blood imagery connected with justice at the end of the play.

From the Paper:

"Blood is a powerful image to the audience and to Macbeth. After he kills Duncan, Macbeth says, "Here lay Duncan, /His silver skin laced with his golden blood" (II.iii.130-1). The murder of Banquo brings even more bloody imagery. At the feast, it becomes apparent that Macbeth is becoming unstable because he cannot distinguish between what is real and what is not. He thinks he sees Banquo's ghost at the table and blurts, "Blood hath been shed ere now, i' th' olden time" (III.iv.87). Here we see, like the blood and guilt in the previous scenes, Macbeth cannot wash this blood away, either. In fact, the image becomes more intense, which intensifies Macbeth's reactions to it. It is more real to him now because he is slipping."

More papers on Blood and "Macbeth":

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