Blood Motif in Macbeth ShakespeareIn William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the blood motif plays an important factor in the structure of the theme. One motif is a methodical approach to discovering the true meaning of the work. Macbeth, the main character of the play, thinks that he can unfairly advance to the title of king without any change in his honesty. The blood on Macbeth's hands illustrates the guilt he must carry with him after plotting against King Duncan and coveting his crown. Shakespeare used the image of blood to represent the central idea of ​​Macbeth, the murder of King Duncan. The crime is prefigured in the second scene of the first act. The king shouts, “What damned man is that?” (I,ii,1) Refers to a soldier returning from battle. The soldier then explains to Macbeth's King Duncan about heroism in battle. Macbeth is assumed to be bloody just like the soldier. The soldier describes Macbeth in action "Disdaining fortune, with his steel brandished, / That smoked with bloody execution." (I,ii,17-18) This verse connects Macbeth to the killing and alludes to the future. The evil act of killing the king becomes too much of a burden for the Macbeths. The blood represents their crime and they cannot escape the sin of their actions. Macbeth realizes that in time he will get what he deserves. Since he cannot rid himself of his guilt by washing away the blood, his fate may be sealed. They try to use water to get revenge, but Macbeth says that all the ocean water couldn't cleanse his hands. Imagine that the blood of the murder turns the ocean red. LadyMacbeth differs from her husband in this respect. He believes that his conscience will be cleansed the moment his hands are physically cleansed. She tells her husband to have the same beliefs as she or he would be driven to madness. Ironically, Lady Macbeth is the one who is driven to the brink of madness as she commits suicide at the end of the play. The image and smell of blood symbolize the infinite guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The blood on their hands represents the inability to erase the murder from their memories. While sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth aggravated herself with her own hands. She was seen muttering: “Get the damn seat! Get out, I say!” (V,I,39) This shows that his bad deed is still on his conscience.