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Macbeth Navigator: Index of Themes and Motifs
Fair and foul. ... In Macbeth the word "nature" usually refers to human nature, and one might say that the whole play is about Macbeths unnaturalness. ... In the end he is destroyed when nature itself appears to become unnatural: trees walk and Macbeth has to fight a man not of woman born. ... " In Macbeth all of these senses of the word "hand" come into play, and Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both have scenes in which they are transfixed by the sight of blood on their hands. ... Much of Macbeth takes place in the dark, and both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem to believe that the dark can hide their crimes, perhaps even from themselves. ... We often say that we need to "sleep on" a problem, but what do you do when you murder sleep, as Macbeth does? ... Duncan is a true king, gracious and kindly; Macbeth is an usurping tyrant, false and murderous. ... In Macbeth both of these places seem very close to earth. ... Later in the scene, after he has received news that he has been named Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth asks himself "why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, / Against the use of nature? ... "Suggestion" means "temptation," so Macbeth is asking himself why he feels himself giving into temptation, especially a temptation that makes his heart race and his hair stand on end. The "use of nature" means the way things usually and naturally are, so Macbeth means that he is not used to feeling this way. ...
After Lady Macbeth receives her husbands letter, she is eager to talk him into doing the murder she knows that he has in mind. ... Lady Macbeth wants to be unnatural, so that she can be "fell," deadly. ...
Just before Macbeth murders King Duncan, Banquo is preparing to go to bed, and says to his son, "A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, / And yet I would not sleep: merciful powers, / Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature / Gives way to in repose! ... He certainly suspects that Macbeth intends evil to King Duncan, and he may also have some doubts about his own ambition or his own safety. ...
After Banquo has gone to bed, Macbeth hallucinates, seeing a bloody dagger in the air, and then he tells himself that it is the time of night for such a hallucination: "Now oer the one half-world / Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse / The curtaind sleep" (2. ...
As Lady Macbeth waits for Macbeth to murder King Duncan and return to her, she says of the kings grooms, "I have druggd their possets, / That death and nature do contend about them, / Whether they live or die" (2. ...
Later in the scene, after Macbeth has killed the king, he frets that he has murdered sleep and that he will never sleep again. ... " Macbeth feels that he will never again be nourished by kindly nature. [Scene Summary]
When Macbeth explains why he killed King Duncans grooms, he describes the horrifying sight of the dead kings body: "And his gashd stabs lookd like a breach in nature / For ruins wasteful entrance" (2. ... Macbeth is lying about his motives, but his sense of horror may be genuine. ... They do not know that Macbeth is the murderer, but as they speak we can see the parallels to Macbeths unnatural acts. ... We are reminded that Macbeth wanted a very dark night for the murder, one in which he wouldnt have to look at what he was doing, and he got such a night. ... If things in nature stands for things in human life, King Duncan was the falcon, and Macbeth the owl. ... Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were King Duncans minions. ... At their ends, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are eaten up from inside, Macbeth by despair and Lady Macbeth by madness. ... [Scene Summary]
Macbeth and the unnatural
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, imagery plays a key role in the audience’s understanding of the theme of the play. ... With the sense of the supernatural and interference of the spirits, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are led to dangerous, tempting things. Macbeth’s character changes dramatically from the brave soldier to the evil king. Lady Macbeth’s character also changes from the loving wife and strong woman to the crazy, paranoid woman. ... Macbeth experiences his first strange encounter of the supernatural when he meets the three witches in Act 1, Scene 1. The witches greet Macbeth by saying “All hail, Macbeth! ... / All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor/ All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! ... The witches insinuate the idea of power, and by doing that, push Macbeth to the next level of greed and evil that did not exist prior to the supernatural encounter. The supernatural element also takes place when Lady Macbeth calls upon spirits to give her power to plot the murder of Duncan without any remorse or conscience. ... The murder of King Duncan initiates another of Macbeth’s encounters with the supernatural when he sees an apparition. On the night Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plan to kill Duncan, nature is acting very strangely. ... As Macbeth awaits the signal to make his way to Duncan’s chamber, he sees a floating dagger and proclaims, “Come, let me clutch thee. ... This confuses and frightens Macbeth that a bloody dagger is leading him to Duncan’s chamber. ... This apparition is actually leading Macbeth to evil. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth begins to fear his friend Banquo because of the witches’ prophecy that Banquo will “get kings” (2. ... Because of previous unnatural events, Macbeth feels fear and guilt that drive him to darker and more evil actions to cover his past misdeeds. ... At a banquet later, Macbeth encounters yet another unnatural image when he sees Banquo’s ghost. ... Macbeth’s wife, as well, has become paranoid. ... The existence of Banquo’s ghost tempts Macbeth to return to the three witches, desiring more information regarding his fortune. Macbeth says, “I will, to the weird sisters:/ More shall they speak, for now I am bent to know, / By the worst means, the worst” (3. ... They make three more prophecies and Macbeth is no longer fearful, but self-assured. ... From the very beginning of the play, supernatural and unnatural forces have inspired and encouraged Macbeth. They interfere with natural events and completely change the character of Macbeth and his wife. ... Shakespeare is successful in telling his audience that only evil will come when Macbeth or any other person tampers with natural forces for personal gain.
In different periods of time, the lives of humans and nature were thought to have a connection, and this is emphasized in William Shakespeares play Macbeth. ...
Darkness Imagery
In Macbeth darkness symbolizes many things. ... The dark side of Macbeth is reflected at night where his disordered state does not allow him to distinguish between reality and illusion.
References to Darkness
Act 1 Scene 4:
Macbeth: "Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires. ... "
Act 1 Scene 5:
Lady Macbeth: "Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of Hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor Heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry "Hold, hold! ... "
Act 3 Scene 2:
Macbeth: "Ere the bat hath flown His cloistered flight, ere to black Hecates summons The shard-bore beetle with drowsy hums Hath rung nights yawning peal, there shall be done A deed of dreadful note. ... "
Darkness in Macbeth
In Shakespeares play, Macbeth, darkness and night play a major role. ... Macbeth is overwhelmed by power and feels he is unstoppable. ... Macbeth fell into this category and sees he is not the same man he usually is during the day. Macbeth is at his best and his worse during this time period. ... The life of Macbeth and his wife revolved around darkness. Macbeth depends heavily on darkness. ... Macbeth uses this time to cover his evil actions and intentions. He and Lady Macbeth plot and plan their evil deeds at night so heaven can not see their doings. ... 5 48-51) The only way Lady Macbeth sees she can complete her deeds is with the help of hell and darkness. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth fell that if there were no darkness their plans would never arise. ... There are many examples of guilt and disorder in Shakespeares play, Macbeth. Macbeth and his wife are unable to sleep at night because of their felling of guilt. Macbeth says I have murdered sleep meaning he has killed the king during his sleep and he will sleep no longer. We find out Lady Macbeth kills her self because her overwhelmed felling of guilt. ... Macbeth feels there should be a destruction of all moral laws that prevent him from doing evil. ... 2 46- 52) Macbeth begins to believe he can hide his murders from daylight. Macbeth is in so much disorder that he is unable to recognize Banquos ghost. ... Macbeth plays a major role on the effect of his surroundings. ... Macbeth has such a great impact that if the chaos is not caused personally others would follow his example. It is unknown to Macbeth how great of an impact he has on his people. During the night Macbeth wreaks havoc and when morning arose Scotland mourns a loss of a king. ... 4 11-14) Macbeth, unable to sleep plans his evil intentions. Macbeth relies and depends on darkness. As the play progresses Macbeth began to see night as a friend or guide. Most of his actions are planned during this time, sometimes with the help of Lady Macbeth. The guilt he bares is so much that he and Lady Macbeth are unable to sleep. ...
Darkness Imagery
In Macbeth darkness symbolizes many things. ... The dark side of Macbeth is reflected at night where his disordered state does not allow him to distinguish between reality and illusion.
References to Darkness
Act 1 Scene 4:
Macbeth: "Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires. ... "
Act 1 Scene 5:
Lady Macbeth: "Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of Hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor Heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry "Hold, hold! ... "
Act 3 Scene 2:
Macbeth: "Ere the bat hath flown His cloistered flight, ere to black Hecates summons The shard-bore beetle with drowsy hums Hath rung nights yawning peal, there shall be done A deed of dreadful note. ... "
Blood Imagery in Macbeth
Throughout history, war and bloodshed have played an important role in many cultures. ... In Macbeth, blood plays an important role both physically and symbolically from the beginning to the end, portraying images of a variety of contrasting themes. Of all the images and symbols used in Macbeth, the recurring image of blood is by far the most important, and the only symbol mentioned so frequently from the beginning to the end of the play. Through Shakespeare’s vibrant imagery, the symbolic meaning of blood develops throughout the play, symbolising victory and triumph at the beginning of the play, guilt and remorse in the middle, and then triumph again at the climax, where the positive image of blood symbolises the defeat of Macbeth and the good that prevails.
At the beginning of the play, blood is used to symbolise the triumph and success of Macbeth and the Scottish army. ... Later the captain replies:
For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--
Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valor’s minion carved out his passage (I, ii, 16-19)
In this description of the battle, Macbeth once again associates blood with victory and bravery. Blood continues to be a positive symbol through most of Act 1, while Macbeth still maintains a good relationship with Duncan. ... As Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plan and carry out their plot to overthrow Duncan, the symbol of blood changes drastically. Lady Macbeth first mentions the negative side of blood when she says:
…Make thick my blood
Stop up th’access and passage to remorse
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose… (I, v, 43-46)
In this passage, she calls upon evil spirits to make her insensitive to the deeds she is about to commit. ... In a similar context, Macbeth mentions blood during his realistic vision of the floating dagger:
…I see thee still,
And on thy blade and dungeon gouts of blood,
Which was not so before. ...
It is the bloody business which informs
Thus to mine eyes… (II, i, 46-50)
In this scene, blood is mentioned again in the context of Duncan’s murder and continues to symbolize the treachery of the murder Macbeth is about to commit. ... The theme of guilt, symbolised by blood, is vital to the events of the play leading to the downfall of Macbeth and his wife. The first time blood is mentioned in direct relation to guilt, is just after the murder of Duncan, when Lady Macbeth exits the stage with the daggers. In a soliloquy, Macbeth says:
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incardadine
Making the green one red (II, ii, 64-67)
This vivid image of blood represents Macbeth’s enormous guilt, and reinforces the concept that he regrets murdering Duncan, and worries about the future. In his previous conversation with his wife, Macbeth appears to be shaken up by the murder, speaks of his imaginary conversations with sleeping Malcolm and Donalbain, as well as the images of sleeplessness he fears. ... Lady Macbeth also changes her views regarding blood when she says:
Out this damned spot! ... (V, i, 44-49)
In the first line, Lady Macbeth reveals that she is desperately trying to rid her self of the guilt she has from murdering Duncan. ... Over the course of the play Lady Macbeth’s feelings change and she begins to suffer from the same guilt that has troubled Macbeth since the murder. Lady Macbeth’s guilt continues to escalate, and in the end, she suffers more from guilt than Macbeth, eventually committing suicide as a result. ... At the end of the play, Macbeth is clearly seen as the antagonist rather than the protagonist, and it is his shed blood that is to be celebrated by Scotland. Macbeth believes he is invincible because of the witches prophesy and has hope of winning the battle until it is revealed that: “Macduff, was from his mother’s womb/Untimely ripped” (V, vii, 15-16). From this point on, the audience and Macbeth himself knows his defeat is inevitable. Fittingly, Macbeth is overthrown in the same fashion he came to power; through a bloody murder. When Macduff enters the scene following the murder he announces Macbeth’s death proudly, and gladly proclaims Malcolm to be king. In this final scene, Malcolm condemns Macbeth and his wife using words such as butcher, tyrant, fiendlike queen, cursed ministers, and violent hands. This short speech sums up the changing symbol blood represents, associating it with both the treachery of Macbeth, and his own profound victory and prevalence over evil, once again symbolising the positive side of blood. ... Blood has been vital in developing the character of Macbeth, and enhancing the audience’s understanding of his inner turmoil. ... This unavoidable guilt leads Macbeth and his wife to their bloody demise, allowing goodness to prevail in the final scenes where blood again is a symbol of honour. ...
The symbol of blood in Macbeth I am going to prove that in the play Macbeth, a symbol of blood is portrayed often(and with different meanings), and that it is a symbol that is developed until it is the dominating theme of the play towards the end of it. ...
Images of Blood in Macbeth
Blood is known to all of us to represent life, death and often injury. ... The first reference to blood is in Act 2, Scene 1, when Macbeth sees the dagger floating in the air le . ... The first sinister reference to blood is in Act 2, Scene 1, when Macbeth sees the dagger floating in the air
leading him to Duncans room and he sees "on the blade and dudgeon gouts of blood", indicating that the knife has been visciously and violently stabbed into someone. The next reference, in Scene 2, is when Lady Macbeth smears the blood from the dagger on the faces and hands of the sleeping servants "Ill guild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt". ... In Act 5, Scene 1 - the sleepwalking scene, while Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking, there are constant references to the evil deeds that Macbeth and herslef have committed, most of which include references to blood. ...
Images of blood and water occur frequently throughout William Shakespeares Macbeth, the significance of which should not be overlooked. ... The vibrant images of blood and water also symbolize the unending guilt of the two protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. ... The blood of King Duncan becomes too powerful for any amount of water to rinse it clean from Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s hands. ...
Duncans blood on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s hands is symbolic of the evil crime that they had committed. ... ” (II, iii, 61) Illustrates how no amount of water could clean Macbeth’s guilty conscience. ... Immediately after murdering Duncan, Macbeth’s guilt is brought on much like a large gaping gash while Lady Macbeth’s guilt is more like a small cut that in time festers into a massive lesion. ...
“ It will have blood they say; blood will have blood”, (III,iv,122) Macbeth says this knowing that the murder he committed must be avenged. ... The same symbol of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s malicious actions not being washed away is brought out very clearly again in (V, ii, 17). ...
Macbeth Essay I am going to prove that in the play Macbeth, a symbol of blood is portrayed often(and with different meanings), and that it is a symbol that is developed until it is the dominating theme of the play towards the end of it. ... Perhaps the best way to show how the symbol of blood changes throughout the play, is to follow the character changes in Macbeth. ... Lady Macbeth starts this off when she asks the spirits to make thick my blood,. ... Lady Macbeth knows that the evidence of blood is a treacherous symbol, and knows it will deflect the guilt from her and Macbeth to the servants when she says smear the sleepy grooms with blood. ... When Macbeth is speaking about Malcolm and Donalbain, he refers to them as bloody cousins A final way, and perhaps the most vivid use of the symbol blood, is of the theme of guilt. First Macbeth hints at his guilt when he says Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? ... Then the ghost of Banquo, all gory, and bloody comes to haunt Macbeth at the banquet. ... Macbeth shows a bit of his guilt when he says It is the bloody business which informs thus, he could not get the courage to say murder after he had killed Duncan, so he says this instead. Lady Macbeth shows the most vivid example of guilt using the symbol of blood in the scene in which she walks in her sleep. ... It is ironic, that she says this, because right after the murder, when Macbeth was feeling guilty, she said A little water clears us of this deed. When the doctor of the castle finds out about this sleepwalking, he tells Macbeth As she is troubled with thick-coming fantasies,. What this means, is that Lady Macbeth is having fantasies or dreams that deal with blood. Macbeth knows in his mind that she is having troubles with her guilt, but does not say anything about it. Just before the ending of the play, Macbeth has Macduff at his mercy, and lets him go, because of his guilt. ... After the death of Macbeth at the hands of Macduff, the symbolic theme of blood swings back to what it was at the beginning of the play. ... The death of Macbeth is honoured feat that Macduff is congratulated for. ...
Here, Macbeth is speaking to Lady Macbeth about Banquos ghost. ... Macbeth doesnt want Banquo to be in any part of his life, thats why why he killed him. ... The use of these fierce creatures compared to Banquo shows that Macbeth may be regretting the murder of Banquo. ...
Here, the soldier is speaking of Macbeth and Banquo. Just as an eagle easily defeats the sparrow or the lion easily defeats the hare, Macbeth and Banquo defeat their opponents. This shows how fierce Macbeth and Banquo really are. ... He doesnt want anything to do with medical science because the doctor just said that he cannot cure Lady Macbeth, because, shes not physically sick, but instead, menatally ill. Shakespeare refers to throwing physic to the dogs because wants to evoke a sense of frustration from Macbeth over the condition of Lady Macbeth. ... Macbeth realizes that he is trapped, but feels that if he fights it out to the end of the course he might triumph. ... This makes the audience feel for Macbeth because just as anyone hates to see an animal trapped, they feel this for Macbeth. ...
Other Animal References
Act ONE Scene THREE:
Lady Macbeth: "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan"
Lady Macbeth: "Look like the innocent flower but the serpent undert"
Banquo: "but this bird hath made his pendent bed and procreant cradle"
Lady Macbeth: "Idare not wait upon i would, like the poor cat i the adage?"
Act TWO Scene TWO:
Lady Macbeth: "it was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman"
Lady Macbeth: "I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry"
Scene THREE:
Lennox: "the obscure bird clamored the livelong night"
Scene FOUR:
Old Man: "a falcon towering in her pride of place was a mousing owl hawked and killed"
Act THREE Scene ONE:
Macbeth: "as hounds and greyhounds mogrels spaniels cures shoughs water rugs and demiwolves are clept all by the name of dogs"
Scene TWO:
Macbeth: "we have scotched the snake, not killed it"; Macbeth: "oh, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!"
Macbeth: "ere the bat hath flown his cloistered flight ere to black Hecates summons the shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums"
Macbeth: "light thickens, and the crow makes wing to the rooky wood"
Scene FOUR:
Macbeth: "there the grown serpent lies"
Macbeth: "approach thou like the rugged Russian bear, the armed rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger"
Act FOUR, Scene ONE:
Third apparition: "be lion-mettled, proud and take no care"
Scene TWOLady Macduff: "for the poor wren, the most diminutive of birds, will flight, her young ones in her nest, against the owl"
Son: "As birds do mother"
Lady Macduff: "what with worms and flies"
Scene THREE:
Malcom: "to offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb to appease an angry god"
Macduff: "There cannot be that vulture in you to devour so many as will to greatness themselves finding it so inclined"
Ross: "were, on the quarry of these murded deer, to add the death of you"
Macduff: "what, all my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop?"
Act FIVE Scene THREE:
Macbeth: "where gotst thou that goose look?"
Macbeth: "throw physic to the dogs, Ill none of it"
Scene SEVEN:
Macbeth: "But bearlike I must fight the course"
Imagery in Macbeth
Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare mentions the word blood, or different forms of it forty-two different times. ... Lady Macbeth starts this off when she asks the spirits to "Make thick my blood. ... Lady Macbeth knows that the evidence of blood is a treacherous symbol, and knows it will deflect the guilt from her and Macbeth to the servants when she says "Smear the sleepy grooms withe blood. ... "
Act V, Scene i - Lady Macbeth shows the most vivid example of guilt with the use of the imagery of blood, in the scene that she walks in her sleep. ... It is ironic that she says this, because right after the murder, when Macbeth was feeling guilty, she said, "A little water clears us of this deed." When the doctor of the castle finds out about this sleepwalking, he tells Macbeth, "As she is troubled with thick-coming fantasies," meaning that Lady Macbeth is having dreams that deal with blood. Macbeth knows deep in his mind she is having troubles with her guilt, but does not say anything about it. Act V, Scene viii - just before the ending of the play, Macbeth has Macduff at his mercy, and lets him go, because of his guilt. ... "
After the death of Macbeth at the hands of Macduff, the imagery of blood swings back to what it was at the beginning of the play. ... The death of Macbeth is honored achievement that they congratulate Macduff for. ... "
Act 1 Scene 7:
Macbeth: "When we have marked with blood those sleepy two. ... "
Act 2 Scene 1
Macbeth: "And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before."
Act 2 Scene 2:
Lady Macbeth: "Go carry them, and smear The sleepy grooms with blood."
Macbeth: "Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? ... "
Macbeth: "His silver skin laced with his golden blood. ... "
Act 3 Scene 3:
Macbeth: "And with thy bloody and invisible hand.
Approximate Word count = 21300
Approximate Pages = 85.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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