Essay: Themes in Macbeth – blood, water, death, violence

In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the tragic hero named Macbeth learns about his fate from the Three Witches. Once he learns that he is to become the king of Scotland, he begins a killing spree. He first kills the King and then kills two servants that he framed for the murder of the King. He then kills his friend, Banquo, another Thane’s family and more. He goes on a rampage to keep the throne and to put down his enemies. Shakespeare wrote a story which illustrates that devastation follows once ambition violates morality.
In the beginning, Macbeth is characterized as a great soldier. He has ambitions but they are not unruly. Explicitly stated, he is appreciated by everyone and explained by Captain that “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name,” (I.ii.17-18). Macbeth is respected by his peers. He fought well of the battlefield and because of his bravery he even received a new title. Shakespeare clearly wants to show that Macbeth is loved and respected by everyone especially the King because the King of Scotland decides to kill the Thane of Cawdor and “with his former title greet Macbeth,” (I.ii.65). Brave and ruthless, Macbeth earns his title serving his country well. He has honor in the first two scenes of the story. He then goes to see the witches for the first time which sets him on a path for destruction.
When the readers first meet the witches, they are presented in a storm. In the first scene of the first act, they contemplate when they will meet again asking “In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” (I.i.2). Pathetic fallacy, the paralleling of events in the story with the weather, in the beginning, foreshadows and sets the tone of the rest of the play. They meet again at nightfall in the open fields. Pathetic fallacy is also represented when the Captain announces that “As whence the sun ‘gins his reflection/ Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break, /So from that spring whence comfort seemed to come /Discomfort swells,” (I.ii.25-8). This is the foreshadowing by use of pathetic fallacy to emphasize the fact that, just because they have one this battle, there is still a lot more to come later. Thunder begins to sound when the witches meet up with Macbeth and give him his fate, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii.2). The storm is beginning to brew with the thunder rolling in. The stories storm is beginning to roll in as Macbeth hears his prophecy and is now wanting the crown. After the death of King Duncan, Lennox describes the night as “unruly./Where we lay,/Our chimneys were blown down and, as they say,/Lamentings heard I’ the’ air, strange screams of death/…Some say the Earth/Was feverous and did shake,” (2.3.28-36). The storm is mirroring the events of the play. Like it uprooted the houses, Macbeth uprooted the monarchy of Scotland to become a sinful tyrant.
Blood and water symbolize important ideas such as guilt and treason and the removal of guilt on Macbeth’s journey into devastation. Blood in Macbeth symbolizes the guilt of Macbeth and his wife. Lady Macbeth upon hearing the news of her husband’s fate begins to think of murder and begs to “Make thick my blood,/ Stop up the’ access and passage to remorse,” (I.v. 43-4). Lady Macbeth knows that murder is wrong but her need to be Queen and to have power is stronger than her moral restraints. The ambition of Macbeth and his wife cloud their judgment which sets forth everything negative that happens in the rest of the play. Macbeth says while washing his hands, “What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine own eyes!/ Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash the blood/ Clean from my hand?” (II.ii.58-60). The washing the blood off of his hands shows his guilt and how he is trying to justify his reasoning. He has now killed three people in cold blood and the list will just keep growing because he just washes the blood off and thinks he is clean. When Macduff goes to kill Macbeth he declares “My voice is in my sword. Thou bloodier villain/Than terms can give thee out!” (V.viii.7-8). The blood covers him metaphorically speaking. He is only seen as a ‘bloody villain.’ Everyone else can see the blood that surrounds him and they are burning with hatred. The blood represents all his wrongdoings and the water is the thing that washes it away each time.
Death and violence are prevalent in the story but mostly, the death of children. The symbolism in Macbeth, associated with the death of the children, is the death of family lines and what that means for Macbeth. Clearly, Macbeth is angry that Banquo’s “children shall be kings,” (I.iii.89). Macbeth is angry that the prophecy states that his line will end at him and that no one else of his kin will be King. He goes on to hire someone to kill Banquo and his son but Banquo’s son escapes. He goes on to kills Macduff’s son and wife by employing the murderer’s again who call the son “What, you egg?/Young fry of treachery!” (IV.ii.88-9). Simply stated, Macbeth has gone too far. He has now ordered children dead. Egg, as stated, is a means to show that he is young and innocent. Macbeth has lost his mind ordering kids dead just so he can keep the throne. His ambition is killing family and leaving the remaining members devastated. Another aspect of the family lines ending is the fact that “The son of Duncan—/From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth” (III.vi). Macbeth has earned the title of King which ended the monarchical rule of Duncan’s family until he gains it back later on. Duncan flees Scotland becomes he knows someone will probably kill him next. If he had become King, it can be rightly assumed that Macbeth would have killed him as well. This would be another example of the devastation Macbeth is bringing by killing the family’s lines.
Foil character help illustrate different themes in stories. In Macbeth, Banquo and Macbeth are foils of each other. Once Banquo learns his sons and grandchildren will be Kings, he does not do anything about it (I.iii). He simply lets fate take his course. He is proud and boasts it to Macbeth a few times but he does not act unethically because of his ambition. On the other hand, Macbeth, when he learns he will be king and the Banquo’s sons and grandchildren, will succeed him, he does everything in his power to not let that happen (I.iii). Macbeth kills his best friend Banquo, many noble children, and even orders Banquo’s son dead, although he escapes. He has overstepped the line of morality. Another foil of Macbeth is Macduff. While similar in names the characters are the complete opposite. Macbeth is a cold-blooded killer and orders men to kill instead of him (III.i). He does not do his own dirty work and does dishonorable killings. Macduff before battle says “Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself;/Within my sword’s length set him. If he ‘scape,/Heaven forgive him too!” (V.ii.230-6). Macduff wants to avenge his family. He wants to kill Macbeth himself, unlike Macbeth who sent others to do his killing for him. He is an honorable man while Macbeth is not.
In Shakespeare’s plays, soliloquy plays a major role in developing characters and showing their innermost thoughts. Macbeth, before the killing of Duncan, has a moment with himself about the killing and the way that he is going to do it (II.i). Soliloquies are important in plays to show what a character is really feeling. With no insight into their brain, this is the only way for the audience to see Macbeth’s inner thoughts. We see in this one that he is struggling to come to terms with what he is doing and is starting to go a bit insane with the hallucination of the knife. We also can see the inner thoughts of Lady Macbeth when she is speaking about “Stop up the’ access and passage to remorse” (I.v. 43-4). She doesn’t want to feel the remorse she will feel after she asks her husband to slay the king. She wants the crown given to him so she gets rid of the sad feeling and helps her husband get in the right mindset to kill the king. Macbeth’s ambition has led not only to the countries devastation but to him and his wife’s as well. After he learns his wife killed herself, Macbeth discusses his wife’s death and how she was weak and going to die anyway but ends sadly saying, “It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing” (V.v.21-3). Not only has his hope for glory and victory been ruined, but his wife’s life is now over because of their greed. Their ambition was ruined so many people in the novel but mostly it has just ruined them completely. The soliloquies show the inner thoughts of the Macbeths and show that their havoc has ruined them as well.
In Shakespeare’s time, ambition was prevalent in King James I. He wrote: “work centered around his political ambitions: the consolidation of absolute power in the monarchy and the union of the two kingdoms, England and Scotland, under the name of Great Britain” (Macbeth in). This is clearly reflected in Macbeth because of Macbeth’s political ambitions, and Duncan’s ability to bring England to Scotland to win back the Scottish crown for himself. James was the King of England at the time of Shakespeare. He obviously played a very influential role on Shakespeare’s playwriting. This era was one of “relative stability that was sandwiched between decades of uncertainty and turmoil” (Macbeth in). With Queen Elizabeth and King James, the political life was quite stable after so much turmoil before. Macbeth, however, is the complete opposite of this political stability. The inspiration for this could have been the threat of rebellion and religious differences. Macbeth was a reflection of James in many ways like his “fear of assassination and there were numerous attempts on his life” (Macbeth in). He also believed in witchcraft and many other things. The book was an ode to James, as a reach to appease James. The play was to honor Scotland, James’s homeland where he once was King James VI of Scotland (B). Shakespeare wanted to continue to write plays for the monarchy like he did for Queen Elizabeth. This was his way of getting James to let him do plays. James was supposedly related to Banquo (B). This would have given James a personal connection to the story. He would have felt honored by the way Banquo was portrayed, as an honorable man. Ambition being the main theme in the story was historically significant to Shakespeare. The very important and “historical period of Macbeth‘s rule was politically controversial in Scotland as were the reigns of John or of Henry IV in England” which happened before Shakespeare was filled with “discussion about legitimate sovereignty, tyranny, usurpation, and deposition” (Sarkar). The ambitious nature is what everyone in Shakespeare’s time had been afraid of after the past power struggles. This power struggle also happened in Scotland. The power struggles are clearly influenced by the 17th century England and the 11th century Scotland.
In conclusion, Macbeth teaches how overstepping the line of morality just to reach the goals of ambition causes turmoil and destruction. Getting things done by doing illegal things is not the way to run Many people in today’s world have experienced the exact same problem from Richard Nixon, Patti and Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, etc.(How). Macbeth with all of his ambition turned Scotland into a tumultuous place. He killed so many family and friends and ruined so many lives because of his terrible behavior. Ambition and immorality do not mix.