Macbeth

A detailed Summary of Macbeth

Images of blood and water occur frequently throughout William Shakespeares Macbeth, the significance of which should not be overlooked. Shakespeare uses these images to portray the horror of the central action, Duncan's murder. The vibrant images of blood and water also symbolize the unending guilt of the two protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The blood and water represents their inability to erase the memory of Duncan's murder and the impossibility of ridding their conscience of the unscrupulous deed they committed. The blood of King Duncan becomes too powerful for any amount of water to rinse it clean from Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's hands. It overpowers their ability to forget their actions and clear their consciences.

Duncan\'s blood on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's hands is symbolic of the evil crime that they had committed. The blood on their hands is also representative of the guilt, which could not be escaped. \"Will all great Neptune\'s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red." (II, ii, 59) illustrates how no amount of water could clean Macbeth's guilty conscience. He imagines that all of the water from the ocean could n

ot clean his hands of the burden of guilt that weighed so heavily on his tormented mind. He pictures Duncan's blood staining the entire ocean red. Immediately after murdering Duncan, Macbeth's guilt is brought on much like a large gaping gash while Lady Macbeth's guilt is more like a small cut that in time festers into a massive lesion. Lady Macbeth\'s remark \"wash this filthy witness from your hand, " (II, ii, 46). This illustrates quite clearly that that she has far less immediate guilt for the crime and rather more physical repugnance towards her husband's blood stained hands.

The blood and water in Macbeth may well play the most significant roll. It very accurately illustrates through symbolism the unsuccessful efforts of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to rid themselves of their guilty consciences. The blood clings to their hands and makes them unable to forget the repulsive crimes they committed. The end of the play carries the blood and water simile to its inevitable finale. Lady Macbeth's suicide is directly a result of her inability to rid herself of the guilt and Macbeth's execution is directly related to " blood will have blood", (III, iv,122).

The bloody hand reappears when Lady Macbeth hallucinates about trying to clean her hands of Du

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Approximate Word count = 851
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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Macbeth

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