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Samyuktha Sankar

Mr. David

English Grade 9

October 12, 2018

‘Blood Will Have Blood’ : The Symbolism of Blood in Macbeth

Throughout Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the recurring imagery of blood is used as a

symbol to demonstrate the constant feelings of guilt felt by the characters, leading to their

endless feelings of fear and horror. Shakespeare's superb imagery of blood is essential in

captivating the flaws and sinful nature of all man. Not only does it captivate the thrilling

storyline of the play but blood also represents the fall of a man, once regarded as a hero.

To begin with, we can observe that blood symbolises the remorse within Macbeth

after murdering King Duncan, causing him to experience eternal fear for the crime he has

committed in Act 2, Scene 2. This can be proven when Cassidy Morgan explains, “The

symbolism of blood, representing both sin and guilt in this scene are trying to be washed

away with water, symbolising purity and cleanliness. However, this cannot be done as

Macbeth states that ‘Great Neptune’s Ocean’ is not capable of doing so,” (Prezi). The tough

imagery of blood in this scene indicates Macbeth’s inability to remove Duncan’s blood from

his hands. ‘Great Neptune’s Ocean’ represents the guilt that will always remain to haunt

Macbeth as the image of the crime will always remain in his consciousness. Thus, this will

cause him to experience greater remorse and despair. The permanent change in colour from

green to red in the seas demonstrates that the guilt within Macbeth is everlasting.

Accordingly, we can see Lady Macbeth is forever cursed by the ‘smell of blood’. She

is engulfed in immense guilt due to being haunted by fear and horror. Lady Macbeth says,

“Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little
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hand,” (5.1.46-47). Lady Macbeth is incapable of washing away her ‘bloody guilt’. Duncan’s

blood has become so immersed in her skin that she is able to smell it. Therefore, she believes

the ‘smell’ of the guilty and shameful blood will never be ‘sweetened’.

In addition, we can observe that Lady Macbeth made herself out to be a soldier,

sexless, but now she is afraid in Act 5, Scene 1. She is in a dark place, unaccompanied. Mark

Pressman explains, “Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking episodes attributes to the combination of

her overwhelming grief and insanity,” (Parasomnias 401). When Lady Macbeth is

sleepwalking in Macbeth’s castle, she sees blood that is not there. Her delusion play’s the use

of blood as a symbol of guilt. She senses her own guilt and realises the mistakes she has

made but is incapable of rubbing the blood off her hands. Her guilt then descends into

madness. Lady Macbeth not speaking in verse could be the reflection of her mental and

emotional state. Moreover, her inability to sleep was foreshadowed in the voice that her

husband thought he heard while killing Duncan—a voice crying out that Macbeth was

murdering sleep. Lady Macbeth created her own hell, where she is tormented by guilt and

insanity.

Furthermore, blood imagery is used to emphasise guilt due to the cruelty of Macbeth

and Lady Macbeth’s crimes as they attempt to hide their constant fear and remorse from their

sinful crimes. Macbeth says, “And with thy bloody and invisible hand Cancel and tear to

pieces that great bond Which keeps me pale!” (3.2.48-50). Macbeth is obligated to conceal

his thoughts and feelings of guilt to prevent further suspicion among other characters.

Oxymoron of ‘blood and invisible hand’ demonstrates a contrast between appearance versus

reality by comparing guilt and innocence. Also, ‘invisible hand’ is a representation of hiding

the thoughts and feelings of guilt. The strong imagery of blood on Macbeth’s hand

symbolises guilt showing the level of cruelty.

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Finally, blood also represents honour and pride in the starting of the play. Captain

says, “disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody

execution,” (1.2.19-20). This is referring to Macbeth’s success in battle. The blood that is on

the swords would represent pride and honour for Macbeth himself and also for his country in

which he was fighting for. Killing someone in battle was seen as a success. Therefore, the

blood in Macbeth’s sword represents pride for his country.

To conclude, blood symbolism serves as a continuous indicator of characters’

emotional progression. Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s reactions to blood underline their

inverse attitude changes. Macbeth moves from immeasurable guilt to callous killer, while

Lady Macbeth starts as the callous killer and falls to a state of despair. Thus, the blood

symbol allows the reader to not only see the character changes of Macbeth’s two main

characters but also compare and contrast these changes.

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Works Cited

Morgan, Cassady. “The Role of Blood in Shakespeare's Macbeth.” Prezi.com, 9 Nov. 2016,

prezi.com/xw9fmw9-eelx/the-role-of-blood-in-shakespeares-macbeth/.

Pressman, Mark R. Parasomnias. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders, 2011. Internet resource.

Shakespeare, William, and Sylvan Barnet. The Tragedy of Macbeth. New York: Signet

Classic, 1987. Print.