Macbeth speaks this line when he encounters his wife right after murdering Duncan. He refers to both the literal blood on his hand but also to his sense of guilt. His language implies that the consequences of his action will not be easily hidden, even though his wife implies that blood can be simply washed away.
He will forever be a changed man as a result of what he has done. Interestingly, later in the play, Lady Macbeth will also hallucinate that she has blood on her hands and is unable to get them clean, symbolizing her sense of guilt.
His sense of guilt is so powerful that he loses his sense of reality and cannot be sure whether he is having a vision or not. He speaks these lines in order to try and reassure himself that Banquo is truly dead. In doing so, Macbeth reveals that his tormented consciousness is leading him to start losing his grip on sanity. To bed, to bed. Come, come, come, come, give me your hand. To bed, to bed, to bed. Lady Macbeth speaks these lines after she has gone mad.
For example, Lady Macbeth feels guilty from the trauma of killing Duncan in addition to others in order for pushing her husband to gain power. As any person would be, Macbeth is very shaken by his wrong act. Killing a man, not to mention a beloved king is a sin and Macbeth knows it very well! He truly believes he has murdered all innocence, and only worse things will follow. It would then appear to the audience that Macbeth is unaware of the consequences of their capture.
In this scene we learn a lot about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's character and their relationship as husband and wife.
Already we can see that Duncan's murder has had a negative effect on them especially on Lady Macbeth. She insults Macbeth and loses all respect for him.
The consequences of their act also affects them in the long run; Lady Macbeth becomes mentally unstable which influences her death and Macbeth becomes so eager to keep his title that it leads him to the murder of his bests friend; Banquo.
After he kills the King and Banquo separately he is distraught with shame and guilt, while Lady Macbeth holds herself together and covers for his strange behavior. In Act V, we see Lady Macbeth falling apart, a downfall we later learn leads her to suicide. Macbeth, on the other hand, has forgotten his guilt, and is even willing to fight in the face of certain death when he learns of Macduff's unmotherly birth.
While both characters may be viewed as foul, the theme still applies. One would expect, stereotypically, that Macbeth would be the one trying to convince his queasy wife that killing the King would be a blessing. The audience feels pity, likely to start when the tragic hero begins his downfall. Lady Macbeth has been a negative influence on him, giving him ambition to kill King Duncan.
Macbeth is evidently scared for what he had done and deeply regrets it, creating pity within the audience. Next, fear joins the audience during the scenes which involves Macbeth and the murderers. They are significant because they provoke Macbeth to do evil and cruel things. Ambition takes control of him earlier in the play when the witches tell him he is going to be king.
After he already has done the deed, killed Duncan, he is remorseful for his actions. After the murder of Duncan MacBeth becomes real jittery and nervous. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Lee Jamieson. Theater Expert. Lee Jamieson, M.
He previously served as a theater studies lecturer at Stratford-upon Avon College in the United Kingdom. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Jamieson, Lee. The Theme of Guilt in "Macbeth". What Is a Soliloquy? Literary Definition and Examples. Quotes From Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'.
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