Why Is Blood Important In Macbeth

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A tragedy refers to a work of literary art that probes with high seriousness questions concerning the role of man in the universe. In Macbeth, a Shakespearean play, a great man is deemed the new Thane of Cawdor after a victorious battle with the former, rebellious title holder. Without Macbeth’s knowledge of the king’s decision, an encounter with three witches and a prophecy foreshadowing Macbeth’s future as King of Scotland compels him to take the throne. Through vaulting ambition and endless desire, Macbeth, with the accompaniment of his loyal yet deceitful wife, Lady Macbeth, attempts to accomplish his goals, even if that involves the death of his peers. As the play progresses, multiple motifs arise as guilt slowly consumes Macbeth. One prominent motif consistently shown is the significance of blood. Blood …show more content…
His wife, thinking foolishly of him, especially after bringing the bloody daggers from the King’s chamber, tells Macbeth he must put them back, but first smearing the King’s sleeping grooms with the blood. However, Macbeth is so troubled with the event, that all he can do is stand there and stare at his bloody hands. His wife is then forced to take the daggers back herself. Macbeth, finally awakened from his shaken state, says “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hands?” Answering his own question: “No, this my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine,/ Making the green one red “ (2.2.57-60) . The guilt of his crime is so heinous that he believes that if he were to wash his bloody hands in the sea, the water itself would turn red, and not clear his hands of the blood. Duncan’s blood not only represents the severity of the actions Macbeth has taken, but the intractability of his crime. The blood itself doesn’t play an important role; however, its association with why it is on another’s man hands expresses its