OPPapers.com

Macbeth

I am going to prove that in the play

Macbeth, a symbol of blood is portrayed often(and with

different meanings), and that it is a symbol that is developed

until it is the dominating theme of the play towards the end of

it. To begin with, I found the word "blood", or different

forms of it forty-two times (ironically, the word fear is used

forty-two times), with several other passages dealing with

the symbol. Perhaps the best way to show how the symbol

of blood changes throughout the play, is to follow the

character changes in Macbeth. First he is a brave honoured

soldier, but as the play progresses, he becomes a

treacherous person who has become identified with death

and bloodshed and shows his guilt in different forms. The

first reference 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 when she asks the spirits to "make

thick my blood,". What she is saying by this, is that she

wants to make herself insensitive and remorseless for the

deeds which she is about to commit. Lady Macbeth knows

that the evidence of blood is a treacherous symbol, and

knows it will deflect the guilt from her and Macbeth to the

servants when she says "smear the sleepy grooms with

blood.", and "If he do bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms

withal, for it must seem their guilt." When Banquo states

"and question this most bloody piece of work," and Ross

says "is't known who did this more than bloody deed?", they

are both inquiring as to who performed the treacherous acts

upon...