Blood: A Symbol of Sovereignty
Blood is more than the mere platelets and cells that compose it or the vessel that carries it. This red life force possesses an unequivocal force that connects, empowers and fuels everyone. Although it gives life, it embodies power, influence and sovereignty. The recurring motif of blood is prevalent throughout William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth and portrays blood as a symbol of power, which is illustrated through lineage, bloodshed and the depiction that a lack of blood is a weakness.
Typically, blood is portrayed as a familial link that binds an individual to their heritage. These blood ties often possess great importance and in some cases, such as nobility, great power. The concept of lineage is common
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throughout Shakespeare’s plays especially regarding Malcolm in Macbeth. Duncan proclaims his “eldest, Malcolm [as]/ The Prince of Cumberland” (Shakespeare. I. iv. 39-40) and thereby his successor. This honour is bestowed upon Malcolm simply because he is a descendant of Duncan and royal blood flows through his veins. Malcolm’s blood separates him from everyone else, as it possesses an unvarnished power that translates to a high social ranking. Contrastingly, a peasant whose blood is not of noble descent has no inherent power or birthright to the throne. This concept emphasizes the capability of blood to influence one’s life and distribute power. Also, the familial connection and distribution of power can be seen by Donalbain and Malcolm’s escape after their father’s death. Malcolm realizes that “the near in blood,/the nearer bloody” (II. iii. 141-142). After “the fountain of [their] blood” (I. iii. 100) has been stopped, the power is transferred to them and subsequently puts them in danger. Whoever murdered their father, is seeking power through blood, and the brothers recognize that they are vulnerable. This danger is directly related to their lineage and the power their blood holds. It causes them to flee, because their relation to Duncan puts them closer to death, demonstrating the power and influence of blood. Another example, of lineage being dominant is the power of Banquo and Fleance. Similarly to Malcolm, Fleance carries power in his blood due to the witches prophecy. They reveal to Banquo that he “shall get kings” (I. iii. 77) and this creates strength and importance in Fleance. Due to his relation to Banquo he now has power as a potential king. This power is evident, as Macbeth recognizes it and deems Fleance and Banquo as his newest enemies. As Macbeth struggles to maintain his grip on power, he acknowledges that “there is none but [Banquo]/ whose being [he] does fear” (III. i. 63-64) because of his “royalty of nature” (III. i. 49). The power and potential that Fleance has due to his blood ties, intimidate Macbeth and incite his murder scheme. Therefore, blood is a symbol of power as one’s lineage can influence their social standing, safety and importance. Furthermore, the portrayal of blood as power is reinforced by the bloodshed that occurs throughout the play. Initially, Macbeth is introduced as an honorable and noble soldier. This reputation is earned through his sacrifices and the spilling of blood during the war. Through his “brandished steel/which [performs] with bloody execution” (I. ii. 17-18) Macbeth earns the approval of the King and recognition. Without the birthright that Malcolm possesses, Macbeth lacks power and the ability to climb the social ranking. However, due to his ruthless behaviour and bloodshed, the king rewards him with the Thane of Cawdor’s former title. In this context, Macbeth gained prestige and power by killing people on the battlefield, thus proving himself as a warrior and man. Not only does one’s own blood make them powerful, but the blood that they spill also contribute to their strength. It is perceived that people who kill are stronger and to be feared, which is a direct source of power. Macbeth acquires his power and recognition through his actions on the battlefield and by spilling the blood of Scotland’s enemies, which further depicts blood as a symbol of power. Moreover, bloodshed accelerates one’s ascension in social status. When Macbeth kills the King, he gains Duncan’s power and becomes king thereafter. Macduff explains that although “gainst nature still/[…]the sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth” (II. iv. 27,30). This sentiment is important in Macbeth as spilling blood earned Macbeth ultimate power despite it “not [being] within the prospect of belief” (I. iii. 74). Duncan’s blood is powerful by birthright, and by killing him Macbeth subsequently gained his title and power. To compensate for his un-royal blood, Macbeth had to spill the blood of others and prove himself worthy. This conveys that blood is powerful and bloodshed has great influence. Alternatively, one can spill their own blood and still gain power and respect. When Young Seyward dies, the men describe that he has “paid a soldier’s debt” (V. vii. 69). Unlike Macbeth, Young Seyward was selfless in his motives and sacrificed himself for Scotland’s freedom and thus, “like a man he died” (V. vii. 73). Blood is a symbol of power here, as Young Seyward embodies manhood and respect due to his sacrifice. In his death, he earned the approval of both his father and the future king. Malcolm claims “[Young Seyward] is worth more sorrow/ and that, [Malcolm will] spend for him” (V. vii. 80-81). This reiterates the representation of blood as power, since Young Seyward willingly risked his life and gained nobility and honour through his sacrifice. By spilling his blood he exhibited power and action which led to respect and honour. Evidently, the spilling of one’s own blood or the blood of others is a common occurrence that can equate to sovereignty and respect as blood is a symbol of power. Additionally, the power of blood is illustrated through the depiction that a lack of blood symbolizes weakness.
After murdering Duncan, Macbeth is engulfed by terror and Lady Macbeth chastises him saying it would be shameful “to wear a heart so white” (II. ii. 63-64). This description alludes to the idea that a lack of blood, or in this case a white heart, are perceived as a weakness. Often, fear is exemplified through paleness which corresponds with blood draining from one’s face. Macbeth explains this natural phenomenon comparing “the natural ruby of [Banquo’s] cheeks/ … [to his,] blanched in fear” (III. iv. 106-107). This paleness is portrayed as a weakness because fear is a form of powerlessness over one’s emotions and self. Since blood is a symbol of power, the absence of it indicates weakness, fear and vulnerability. Many characters are criticized and condemned for showing their “pale-hearted fear” (IV.i.99). The term is used as an insult to manhood, bravery and power because there is an absence of blood and thus, vulnerability. Similarly, when calling upon darkness to empower her, Lady Macbeth asks that the spirits to “make thick [her] blood” (I. v. 42). Lady Macbeth demands that her thickened blood should “stop up th’access and passage to remorse” (I.v.43). It is implied that thin blood, is weaker and willing to grieve and feel guilt. She wishes for the utmost power and directly associates this power with thick rich blood, further indicating that blood is a symbol of power. In general, there are negative associations with the lack of blood such as weakness or apprehension whereas blood itself, embodies strength and
sovereignty. Overall, the portrayal of blood as a symbol of power is evident throughout Macbeth. Shakespeare emphasizes blood’s direct association with power through lineage, bloodshed and the depiction that a lack of blood equates to weakness. Evidently, blood is a source of sovereignty that empowers individuals. To have blood, is to live, with the perpetual ability to change and be changed. But to lose it, is a weakness unlike any other.
In many contexts, blood symbolizes one’s heroism and power. At the battlegrounds, Duncan notices the approaching sergeant and asks, “What bloody man is that?”(I.ii.1). The use of blood signifies the captain’s bravery through his wounded state. He reports back their victory and symbolizes the violence that took place. This also alludes to Macbeth’s heroic qualities in which he too had fought on the same grounds. Lady Macbeth cries out for courage and strength by saying, “And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood” (I.v.49-50). The use of blood in this context also relates to one’s power using the idea of it being a life source and a vital part to the soul. By thickening her b...
The blood staining the dagger, therefore, is a way for his conscience to manifest the guilt and horror he feels at killing the king. The fact that there are "gouts of blood" rather than a few drops tells the reader of the depth of his guilt, and foreshadows both the gory visions he will have and the way they will stick with him (2.1.47). The symbol of blood enhances the theme by providing a stronger, visual image for it, which, coupled with the dagger and what it represents, delivers a more impactful message to the audience than a mere statement of the theme could. Another major example of blood symbolism occurs after Duncan's murder, when Macbeth cries out that "all great Neptune's ocean" would not be able to "wash this blood"—the blood staining his hand—"clean" (2.2.61-62). Rather, he says, it will turn "the multitudinous seas incarnadine," (incarnadine means blood-red or pinkish-red) and make the "green" seas "red" (2.2.63-64) (cliffnotes.com).
Use of Blood Imagery in Macbeth William Shakespeare uses many techniques to liven up the intensity, and the excitement, of his plays. In the play of MacBeth, Shakespeare uses blood imagery to add a sense of fear, guilt, shame, insanity, and anger to the atmosphere. The use of blood imagery allows the audience to vision in their minds the crime scene where Duncan was murdered, as well as the scene where Lady MacBeth tries to cope with the consequences of her actions. The talk and sight of blood has a great impact on the strength and depth of the use of blood imagery. MacBeth’s soliloquy in Act 2 scene 1 gives the reader a description of how Duncan will be murdered.
The seemingly reassuring apparition tricks him into a sense of false security, leading to his demise. Shakespeare uses blood as a symbol of guilt with the character Lady Macbeth. She ridicules Macbeth for his morality, "Yet I do fear thy nature; / It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness," and
Shakespeare used the image of blood to portray the central idea of Macbeth, King Duncan’s murder. The crime is foreshadowed in the second scene of the first act. The king shouts, “ What bloody man is that?” (I,ii,1) He is referring to a soldier coming in from battle. The soldier then explains to King Duncan of Macbeth’s heroics in battle. One assumes that Macbeth is bloody just like the soldier. The soldier describes Macbeth in action “Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, / Which smoked with bloody execution.” (I,ii,17-18) This line connects Macbeth with killing, and hints at the future.
Imagery is the use of symbols to convey an idea or to create a specific atmosphere for the audience. Shakespeare uses imagery in Macbeth often, the most prevalent one, is blood. I believe he uses this as a way to convey guilt, murder, betrayal, treachery and evil, and to symbolize forewarning of events.
Shakespeare uses the symbol of blood in MacBeth to represent treason, guilt, murder and death. These ideas are constant throughout the book. There are many examples of blood representing these three ideas in the book.
The imagery of blood plays a hefty role in the tragic play Macbeth, as it
The imagery of blood shows Lady Macbeth wants to get rid of her guilt. Lady Macbeth states, “And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood” (1.5. 49-50). Lady Macbeth is saying that she wants be filled with cruelty from top to bottom and to thicken her blood because she knows that from what she is about to do, she will get guilt.
The seventeenth-century play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, employs blood as a powerful symbol to amplify the tragic nature of the work. Prior to, and immediately following Duncan’s death, blood magnifies the treachery of Macbeth’s murderous act. Throughout the play, Blood constantly reminds the audience of the ruthless means the Macbeths implement to gain the crown. In the culmination of the play, blood symbolizes the irreconcilable guilt that will haunt the Macbeths for the duration of their lives. Blood’s ubiquitous symbolism emphasizes the constant guilt felt by the Macbeths in their tragic pursuit of the monarchy.
At the beginning of the play, the bloody captain and Lady Macbeth have very different opinions of what is brave (especially the qualities of bravery that Macbeth either shows or does not show) and both use different images of milk and blood to prove their point. The captain is bleeding because he fought bravely in battle, especially against Malcolm’s (the son of King Duncan of Scotland) “captivity” (I ii 6). His wounds signify his loyalty to Scotland. In his severely wounded state, however, the bloody captain decides to speak about Macbeth’s bravery against the Norwegian invaders and especially the rebel leader Macdonwald to the King. Macbeth has been killing so many people that his sword “smoke[s]” (I ii 21), or steams, with blood. These “execution[s]” (I ii 21) foreshadow his many other murders with his “brandished steel” (I ii 20) later on in the play. These executions are not for the good of Scotland, but for his acquiring (and guarding) the title of King of Scotland. Later in Act I, Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth telling her about the witches’ prophecy for Macbeth and Banquo, how he was hailed Thane of Cawdor by the witches and would eventually be King. Instantly, Lady Macbeth began plotting as to how Macbeth would go about murdering King Duncan to gain the title. However, she “fear[s]” (I v 15) that Macbeth’s human “nature” (I v 15) is too “milk[y]” ...
“This tyrant whose sole name blisters our tongues, was once thought honest…” (77). This quote represents the change of Macbeth throughout the play. The use of blood imagery is used to represent the character development of Macbeth from a noble thane to a murdering tyrant. We first see blood imagery characterizing Macbeth when he is called noble for defeating Norway. Then, the idea of un-washable blood shows that Macbeth’s character will change. When Macbeth begins to experience the blood of others on his own hands, it leads him to ultimately become the “villain” or antagonist of the play. Finally, before the death of Macbeth, blood imagery has been used to characterize Macbeth so much that he is now over confident and seems to be fueled by the idea of it. By examining the use of blood imagery, one can determine that blood represents Macbeth’s character development from an honorable thane to a disrespected tyrant.
Due to all the blood he lost, he was weak. Consequently, his blood and heroism seem to make Macbeth look like a hero. In Act 1 scene 5 lines 40-47, the blood changes into a form of betrayal when Lady Macbeth says, “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty: make thick my blood, stop up the access and passage to remorse, that no compunctious visitings of nature shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between the effects of it.” She means that she wants to make herself insensitive and remorseless The evidence of blood is an evil symbol. Therefore, when Lady Macbeth says in Act 2 scene 2 lines 48-57, “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”, she knows that smearing the blood will shift the guilt from her and Macbeth to the servants.
Blood was very evident throughout Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Violence caused blood to drip from the fingers of characters and stain them for the rest of their life. Blood meant various things in the play but it was certainly seen, literally and through hallucinations. Blood in Macbeth is more important when it is imagined by characters but is not actually there because it causes main characters such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to feel more guilty, becomes a reminder of death, and represents violence and murder. The biggest role of blood in the play was becoming a stigma of guilt for characters including Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
The scene with Macbeth finding a bloody dagger thinking “ And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood.” (2.1.55) This asserts guilt through the symbolism of blood, that Macbeth imagines blood on the dagger on the grounds that he feels guilty about what he is going to do. When Macbeth orders the murderers to kills his friend Banquo and he returns as a ghost. Macbeth tells that "There’s blood upon thy face". (3.4.16) The blood also symbolizes guilt because Macbeth indirectly kills Banquo and now Macbeth knows that the blood of a person who is murdered will come back to the person who committed the murder. Another scene utilizing blood as a symbol is when Macbeth assumes the throne as king of Scotland and mentions to Banquo about Malcolm and Donalbain fleeing to England and Ireland saying “We hear our bloody cousins are bestowed In England and in Ireland.” (3.1.33-34) The word “bloody” mention by Macbeth portrays how Macbeth wants Banquo to see that the two sons are guilty and fled because they killed their father. The recurring symbol of blood symbolizes guilt from the actions characters that are responsible for a specified wrongdoing.