For them the shedding of a king's blood would have been just about the worst crime that could be committed. This was especially true for the play's original audiences.
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Shakespeare's constant repetition of the word ' blood ' stresses to his audience or readers the full horror of what is happening. The word ' blood ' appears over 40 times in Macbeth – not to mention appearances by related words such as ' bloody ', ' bleeding ' and so on. Why does Shakespeare use the word ' blood ' so often in the play? Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and imagines she has blood on her hands. The Witches use blood as part of one of their spells. Macbeth realises that he has been responsible for so many acts of violence already that it's impossible to undo them and he may as well keep killing.
'I am in blood / Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er' Macbeth recalls an old saying that blood shed through violence seeks more blood in revenge, creating a cycle of bloodshed he feels trapped in the inevitability of this violence. 'It will have blood they say: blood will have blood. Macbeth alerts one of Banquo's murderers to the fact that he has his victim's blood on his face. Macbeth feels great guilt about murdering Duncan and realises he is never going to get rid of these feelings. 'Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Macbeth sees a vision of a blood-stained dagger before he murders Duncan. 'And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood ' Lady Macbeth calls on spirits to take away any feelings of pity she may have. The table shows some examples of the use of the key word blood : How?Īfter the first battle, the blood-stained Captain reports to King Duncan. For instance, Macbeth sees a vision of a bloodstained dagger before he kills Duncan and Lady Macbeth tries to wash away imaginary bloodstains during her guilt-ridden sleepwalking. The word 'blood' also appears a number of times as a symbol of the guilt that runs through the play. The play also finishes with real blood as Macbeth's severed head is displayed for all to see. Blood is evident when Duncan, Banquo and Lady Macduff are murdered and the Witches use animal blood as part of their potions. In one of the first scenes a blood-stained Captain reports on the battle to Duncan. The word 'blood' appears numerous times in the playīlood appears as a real substance all through the play.
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