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Bud Oksnee

Mrs. Palmer

British Literature, P. 7

3 November 2016

Macbeths Guilt of Blood

Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, took place in Scotland in 1606. The major

characters in the story are Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, King Duncan, Macduff, and the

three witches. Macbeth is a hero loved by King Duncan who becomes greedy and wants the

crown for himself. There are three scenes where blood symbolizes guilt; after Duncan's murder,

with the ghost of Banquo, and with lady Macbeths sleepwalking.

One of the ways blood shows guilt in Macbeth is when he kills the king. After Macbeth

kills the king, while he is sleeping, he comes out of his room still with the murder weapon and

blood on his hands. He is feeling guilty right away and his wife tells him he is a fool and is

supposed to plant the knife on the guards. He looks at his hands and wondered if he will ever get

the blood off his hands: Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?

(II.II.59-60). Macbeth is asking if all the oceans in the world can wash away his sins.

Another way blood shows guilt is when they are all gathering for dinner and Banquo's

ghost appears. Macbeth just killed Banquo because he found out that he was going to be the heir

to the throne: Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me ( III.IV.51-52).

Macbeth is sitting at dinner when all of the sudden Banquo's ghost appears at the table. The
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ghost of Banquo at the table is dripping with blood and Macbeth asks who else can see Banquo?

This spooks Macbeth and a shock of guilt goes throughout Macbeth's bones.

Lady Macbeth did not murder the king or Banquo, but he still has the guilt of being apart

of the murder itself: Here's the smell of the blood still. All perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten

this little had (V.I.51-52). The guilt of having all this blood on lady Macbeths hands is because

of the murders. She did not kill the people, but first she was the one who convinced Macbeth to

kill the king to be the king. After he did that she was in shock. She could not believe he would

do it and could not bare the guilt. She kept having nightmares about smelling the blood. She

could smell the blood and then she was filled with guilt.

Three times in the story blood symbolizes guilt first when Duncan was killed, then with

the ghost of Banquo, and last with lady Macbeths sleepwalking. Throughout the story we see

that the guilt of blood cannot be ignored. When Macbeth murders the king for the first time it

changed him into someone else. He changed from a noble man to a greedy killer.