Macbeth Blood Imagery Essay

For many writers, using imagery in order to convey characteristics or changing themes throughout their work is a necessity. William Shakespeare, a classic and idolized writer known by all, is no exception to this. In his tragic play, Macbeth, Shakespeare’s imagery is vital to fully comprehend the characters and events as the titular character and his wife attempt to quench their thirst for power. With Shakespeare’s use of blood imagery, the changes in Macbeth’s feelings towards himself and others as well as the change in the supporting characters’ feelings towards the titular character is made clear throughout the play.

In the beginning of the play, Shakespeare uses blood imagery to convey a sense of honor, righteousness, and strength. In the start of the play, the Captain is retelling the happenings of the most recent

battle to Duncan and the first description of Macbeth is given. The Captain describes him as fighting “with his brandished steel” (Act 1, Scene 2, 17). By using a word such as “brandished” to describe the titular character’s way of holding his sword instead of other words with similar meanings, Shakespeare is suggesting a connection between Macbeth’s fighting style and the glory he possesses. Shortly after this, King Duncan tells the Captain to see a surgeon for his wounds, stating, “thy wounds; / They smack of honor” (Act I, Scene II, 43). With this comment, both King Duncan and Shakespeare are relaying a message: to be a valiant warrior and fight for king is honorable, as our the wounds acquired in said manner. The blood imagery used in the beginning of the play also relays a sense of righteousness. When describing Macbeth’s war efforts to Duncan, the Captain describes Macbeth’s sword as “[smoking] with bloody execution” (Act I, Scene II, 18).

‘Execution’ has a strong connotation not only with death, but with justice as well. This connotation creates a sense of justification among Macbeth’s actions, bloody as they may be. The Thane of Ross, also describing Macbeth’s resilience in battle, refers to him as, “Bellona’s bridegroom. . . curbing [the enemy’s] lavish spirit” (Act I, Scene II, 54-57). By describing Macbeth as the husband of the goddess of war as well as suppressing the enemy’s spirit, the titular character’s actions are perceived as noble and righteous throughout the battle. Blood imagery is also used to characterize strength in the beginning of the play. When retelling the happenings of the battle, the Captain depicts Macbeth’s heroic nature to the king, characterizing the titular character as, “valor’s minion [carved] out his passage” (Act I, Scene II, 19). The word choice of ‘valor’-- which is derived from ‘valere’, meaning “be strong”-- paired with the image of Macbeth carving a path with his sword through the enemy lines creates a strong visual of strength towards the tragic hero. Lady

Macbeth, after reading a letter from Macbeth in which he describes the witches’ prophecy, reinforces the idea of blood being directly related to strength. In her soliloquy, Lady Macbeth wishes to separate herself from her sense of empathy, asking the spirits to “Make thick my blood. / Stop up the . . . passage to remorse” (Act I, Scene V, 33-34). In asking for her blood to thicken in order to no longer feel remorse, Lady Macbeth is restating the connection between blood and strength. With his use of blood imagery, Shakespeare is able to convey a sense of honor, righteousness, and strength towards the titular character and his wife.
As Macbeth’s status changes as a result of unscrupulous and deceitful actions, the connotation towards blood begins to shift negatively, gaining a greater association of guilt and regret. The beginning of the shift is made clear shortly after Macbeth has murdered Duncan. When a knock is heard offstage, the titular character begins to panic due to his state of hypervigilance. Experiencing an intense feeling of remorse, Macbeth cries, ““This my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one red” (Act II, Scene II, 58-60). With this statement, Macbeth’s guilt is characterized as being so strong, he believes that all of the water in the ocean wouldn’t be able to rid him of the blood on his hands. In addition to this, the blood acts as a metaphor for the guilt he feels over his betrayal of Duncan. With the feeling of being unable to wash the blood from his hands, Macbeth is also feeling as though he will never be able to cleanse his conscious over the murder. In the morning after Duncan’s murder, Macbeth is questioning who would be able to commit such a crime. In this passage of speech, he describes Duncan’s wounds as “a breach in nature” (Act II, Scene III, 92). By describing the wounds this way, Macbeth is subconsciously recognizing the corruption of his actions by referring to the gashes as though they were wounds upon the earth. The apex of Macbeth’s guilt is marked by the appearance of Banquo’s ghost at the banquet. When confronted by the apparition, Macbeth demands that Banquo, “Never shake / [his] gory locks at [him]” (Act III, Scene IV, 54-55). By using the word ‘gory’, Shakespeare is making it clear that Banquo’s hair is bloody-- which is upsetting to Macbeth, who could not kill Banquo himself and instead hired murderers to perform the act.