Blood Imagery In Macbeth

BLOOD IMAGERY IN MACBETH

The sight of blood has a profound impact on people. Different people react differently to blood. This phenomenon can clearly be observed in Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth, especially in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Once Macbeth starts murdering people, he becomes attracted to it, thereby killing more people throughout the play. Lady Macbeth's reaction on the other hand changes through the course of the play. In real life, people react in several ways to bloody or gory images. Some people suffer from emotional and physical distress when they see blood, but research shows that people with psychological problems are attracted to blood imagery.

One of the character's in the play that has a noticeable reaction in the play in Macbeth. Macbeth undergoes some emotional changes because of blood during the course of the play. The first time blood is mentioned with reference to Macbeth is in Act I Scene 2.

"FOR BRAVE MACBETH Ð'- WELL HE DESERVES THAT NAME Ð'- DISADINING FORTUNE, WITH HIS BRANDISH'D STEEL, WHICH SMOKED WITH BLOODY EXECUTION,LIKE VALOUR'S MINION CARVED OUT HIS PASSAGE, TILL HE FACED THE SLAVE WHICH NE'ER SHOOK HANDS NOR BADE FAREWELL TO HIM TILL HE UNSEAM'D HIM FROM THE NAVE TO THE CHAPS, AND FIXED HIS HEAD UPON OUR BATTLEMENTS" (ACT 1, SCENE 2, 18-25)

Here blood is used in an honourable sense. It shows some of Macbeth's good qualities. Macbeth was indeed a brave warrior and was extremely successful at battle. In the play, a turning point in Macbeth's character is the bloody dagger soliloquy. The hallucination convinces him to kill Duncan.

"AND ON THY BLADE AND DUDGEON GOUTS OF BLOOD, WHICH WAS NOT SO BEFORE. THERE'S NO SUCH THINS, IT IS THE BLOODY BUSINESS WHICH INFORMS THUS TO MINE EYES." (ACT 2 SCENE 1 LINES 53-56)

Macbeth could never decide on whether to kill Duncan or not. Lady Macbeth tried to appeal to his manhood or his male ego, but finally it was the bloody dagger that convinced him to kill Duncan. After killing Duncan, Macbeth reacts strongly to the blood on his hands. He says :

"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" (ACT 2 SCENE 2, 77-80)

The blood here represents his guilt. He sees himself changed and is unable to remove the bloody image from his conscience. When Macbeth decides to kill Banquo, he doesn't inform Lady Macbeth of his decision. He is now attracted to blood and has no remorse in shedding more blood. "I AM IN BLOOD, STEPP'D IN SO FAR THAT SHOULD I WADE NO MORE RETURNING THINGS WERE AS TEDIOUS AS GO OVER" (ACT 3 SCENE 4 167-169). This shows us that Macbeth has realised there is no going back now and he wants to make sure that his position as the king is safe. He is willing to shed more blood for that. The final blood shed in the play is that of Macbeth. Ironically Macbeth was the first on to shed blood in the play. In the end blood leads to his downfall.

Another example of how blood influences a person can clearly be seen through Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth reacts differently to blood before and after the murder of Duncan. This shows how an event can change a person's reaction. The first time Lady Macbeth mentions blood is when she appeals to the spirits to take away her womanly qualities and give her the mental strength to kill Duncan. "AND FILL ME FROM THE CROWN TO THE TOP-FULL, OF DIRTIES CRUELTY, MAKE THICK MY BLOOD"(Act I, Scene 5, Lines 45-46.)

Here Lady Macbeth uses blood as a motivational force. She wants the mental strength to be able to kill Duncan. She wants to have no conscience. So she appeals to the spirits to

thicken her blood so that she will have remorse.

Another time Lady Macbeth uses blood before the Murder of Duncan is when she tells Macbeth her plan to murder Duncan during the feast. She suggests that Macbeth uses the dagger belonging to Duncan's guard. And after murder has been committed, she suggests Macbeth should smear the blood on the guards. Here Lady Macbeth realizes the sight of blood is sure to bring suspicion on the guards. She knows that the blood will deflect the guilt from them and they will be safe. After Macbeth kills Duncan, he freaks out when he sees his hands smeared with blood. He says that all the water in the oceans can not wash his guilt. At that point Lady Macbeth says "MY HANDS ARE OF YOUR COLOUR, BUT I SHAME TO WEAR A HEART SO WHITE." (Act II Scene 2, Lines-81-82)

"A heart so white" means a cowardly heart. Lady Macbeth knows that her hands and mind bear the signs of guilt of Duncan's murder. She is scared but she doesn't want to be. She ends up being ashamed of her fears and tries to suppress them. Duncan's murder changes her reaction to blood

This is the first time in the play, the sight of blood has a negative effect on Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth constantly keeps washing her hands off. She becomes paranoid and consumed with guilt. When the doctor reports Lady Macbeth's condition to Macbeth, he says that she is "Troubled with thick coming fantasies." This clearly means that Lady Macbeth is having nightmares or hallucinations with bloody images of King Duncan. She becomes psychologically disturbed. "HERE'S THE SMELL OF BLOOD STILL: ALL THE, PERFUMES OF ARABIA WILL NOT SWEETEN THIS HAND." (Act V, Scene 1, Lines 46-47). Ironically in Act II, Scene