Examples Of Blood Phobia In Macbeth

The imagined blood haunts them both, following them until their death. Shakespeare uses the blood symbol to express Macbeth’s horror and guilt over his crime. Blood reveals Macbeth’s feelings about murder. Overall, the constant presence of blood in Macbeth repeatedly reminds us about how serious the consequences of the characters actions

He had just killed king Duncan and he says that he will never be able to wash all of the blood out of his hands. He feels so guilty that he thinks that what he did will never get better. He is seeing the consequence of listening to the witches. This is an example of guilt because at that point he would do anything to take it back. Another example of guilt is the hallucinations that Macbeth has after he kills someone.

The bloody hand on the Castle is also meant to be a stain on the reputation of the Macbeth and Lady Macbeth; a stain symbolizes their guilty consciences (especially Lady Macbeth’s). But this stain is not only viewed by others, but by the owners themselves. For Lady Macbeth, her guilt slowly begins to prevent her from continuing in the seat of power, as seen by her death a few scenes after the visions of the blood-soaked hands. Blood is also represent the consequences of overreaching ambition as well as evil plans. Both play a role in the degrading of the morality and reputations of the Macbeths.

Her guilt is dormant and expressed through these dreams. Lady Macbeth says “Here is the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten.”(v.I. 45-6). In this quote she is dreaming about the blood on her hands.

Due to the killings, her guilt began to change her as a person. With the appearance of blood, Lady Macbeth realizes what horror she has created. Blood haunts Lady Macbeth in the worst possible way. Lady Macbeth can not wash the blood from her hands, staining permanent guilt. “Out, damned spot!...

Lady Macbeth is not aware of these plans and finds out about them and is overwhelmed. In the banquet scene Macbeth is aware that Banquo was killed and soon sees an apparition of him. He starts to freak which gets people to think he is becoming insane. His wife to starts to think and realize that all of the violence and murders are getting to Macbeths head and make him feel insane and more powerful than ever. Lady Macbeth feels all the guilt that Macbeth feels throughout the play and is slowly going mad as

A Guilty Conscience: How Guilt Drives the Powerful to Insanity Guilt is the cause of the destruction of many, particularly in Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Macbeth. As Macbeth and Lady Macbeth continue to murder for the sake of power, they embark on opposite journeys but their guilt ultimately drives them both to insanity. Macbeth goes from being driven mad with guilt, to his instability causing him to murder recklessly. His wife goes from expressing no compassion or guilt to her guilt overcoming her and driving her to madness. After the Macbeth kills Duncan, he has committed his first real murder.

Duncan is murdered as he sleeps, while Lady Macbeth drugs the servants so they will sleep through the murder and the placement of the knives in their own hands. “Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep/In the affliction of these terrible dreams/That shake us nightly” (III.II.17-19). After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth begins to realize the remorse of their actions. “Me thought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more!/Macbeth does murder sleep”--- the innocent sleep,/Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care” (II.II.35-37). Macbeth then starts to feel guilty because of his alarming choices.

The more Macbeth kills, the more blood-thirsty he becomes. Lady Macbeth, who had the idea to kill, starts sleepwalking and imagining blood on her hands. She regrets her decisions immensely and kills herself due to the guilt. Macbeth, depressed about his wife’s death, fights in a battle and comes face to face with Macduff. Macduff assassinated Macbeth and Malcom is crowned the King of Scotland.

Continuing his brutal trend made him capable of killing without remorse. In contrast, Lady Macbeth becomes the frantic partner and eventually loses her sense of peace. One troubled night, Lady Macbeth sleepwalked and discussed the past events that were consuming her guilt-ridden conscious. The doctor listened in astonishment and stated “Foul whisp’rings are abroad. Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles.