In all of Shakespeare's plays he uses many forms of imagery. Imagery, the art of
making images, the products of imagination. In the play 'Macbeth' Shakespeare
applies the imagery of clothing, darkness and blood. (listed from least to
most), Each detail is his imagery, it seems to contain an important symbol of
the play. Symbols that the reader must understand if they are to interpret
either the passage or the play as a whole. Within the play 'Macbeth' the imagery
of clothing portrays that Macbeth is seeking to hide his "disgraceful
self" from his eyes and others. Shakespeare wants to keep alive the
ironical contrast between the wretched creature that Macbeth really is and the
disguises he assumes to conceal the fact. In opinion, the reader thinks of the
play honors as garments to be worn; likewise, Macbeth is constantly represented
symbolically as the wearer of robes not belonging to him. He is wearing an
undeserved dignity, which is a crucial point that Shakespeare has made. The
description of the purpose of clothing in Macbeth is the fact that these
garments are not his. Therefore, Macbeth is uncomfortable in them because he is
continually conscious of the fact that they do not belong to him. In the
following passage, the idea constantly recurs that Macbeth's new honors sit ill
upon him, like loose and badly fitting garments, belonging to someone else:
"New honours come upon him, Like our strange garments, cleave not to their
mould, But with the aid of use." (Act I, iii: 144) The second form used to
add to the atmosphere, the imagery of darkness. In a Shakespearean tragedy, we
have known him to create a special tone, or atmosphere to show the darkness in a
tragedy. In 'Macbeth', Shakespeare draws upon the design of the witches, the
guilt in Macbeth's soul, and the darkness of the night to establish the
atmosphere. All of the remarkable scenes take place at night or in some dark
spot; for instance, the vision of the dagger, the murder of Duncan, the Murder
of Banquo, and Lady Macbeth's sleep walking. Darkness is the time when the
traveler hastens to reach safety in his inn, when Banquo rides homeward to meet
his assassins; furthermore, it is the time when the wolf howls, the owl screams,
and when murder steals forth to his work. In 'Macbeth' darkness symbolizes many
things. First, and most important, it stands for the evil and death in the play.
The darkness could partially blind out all of the horrible things that occur in
the night. For, only in darkness can such evil deeds be done. Secondly, the
darkness shows one of Lady Macbeth's weaknesses: her fear of dark. In the play,
phrases of fear escape from lips even in her sleep. She believes darkness to be
the place of torment. Within the whole drama, the sun seems to shine only twice.
First, in the beautiful but ironical passage when Duncan sees the swallows
flirting round the castle of death. Another time, when at the close of the
avenging army gathers to rid the earth of its shame. Therefore, the reader can
conclude that Shakespeare portrays darkness to establish the evil parts of the
play; whereas, we employ daylight to define victory or goodness in the play. We
have known blood to all of us to represent life, death and often injury. Blood
is an essential part of life and without blood, we could not live. This is known
to everyone, and because of this, when Shakespeare uses the imagery of blood to
represent treason, guilt, murder and death. We have easily understood it and
fits in perfectly with the ideas we have of blood. Therefore, this essay weighs
blood to the most important imagery of Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth'. Shakespeare
mentions the word blood, or different forms of it often in the play. Forty-two
times to be exact (ironically, the word fear also is used the same amount), with
several other passages dealing with imagery. Perhaps the best way to describe
how the image of blood changes throughout the play, by following the character
changes in Macbeth. First, he is a brave honored soldier, but as the play
progresses, he becomes identified withe death and bloodshed, along with showing
his guilt in different forms. The first sinister reference to blood is one of
honor, showed in Act I scene ii. This occurs when Duncan sees the injured
sergeant and says "What bloody man is that?". This is symbolic of the
brave fighter who has been injured in a valiant battle for his country. In the
next passage, in which the sergeant says "Which smok'd with bloody
execution," he is referring to Macbeth's braveness in which he covers his
sword in the hot blood of the enemy. Act II, Scene ii. The symbol of blood now
changes to show a form of treachery and treason. Lady Macbeth starts this off
when she asks the spirits to "Make thick my blood." What she is saying
by this, is that she wants to make herself insensitive and remorseless for the
deeds that she is about to commit. Lady Macbeth knows that the evidence of blood
is a treacherous symbol, and knows it will deflect the guilt from her and
Macbeth to the servants when she says "Smear the sleepy grooms withe
blood.", and "If he do bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms
withal, for it must seem their guilt." Act V, Scene i - Lady Macbeth shows
the most vivid example of guilt with the use of the imagery of blood, in the
scene that she walks in her sleep. She says "Out damned spot! Out I say!
One: two: why then 'tis time to do't: hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a
soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it when none can call out power
to account? Yet who have thought the old man to have had so much blood in
him?" All these references in the quotation are to murder and both include
direct references to blood, again linking blood to treachery and murder. Yet,
this speech represents the fact that she cannot wipe the blood stains of Duncan
off her hand. It is ironic that she says this, because right after the murder,
when Macbeth was feeling guilty, she said, "A little water clears us of
this deed." When the doctor of the castle finds out about this
sleepwalking, he tells Macbeth, "As she is troubled with thick-coming
fantasies," meaning that Lady Macbeth is having dreams that deal with
blood. Macbeth knows deep in his mind she is having troubles with her guilt, but
does not say anything about it. Act V, Scene viii - just before the ending of
the play, Macbeth has Macduff at his mercy, and lets him go, because of his
guilt. He shows that he is guilty, when he says "But get thee back, my soul
is too much charg'd with blood of thine already." Of which, Macduff
Replies, "I have no words, my voice is in my sword, thou bloodier villain
than terms can give thee out." After the death of Macbeth at the hands of
Macduff, the imagery of blood swings back to what it was at the beginning of the
play. But, it is the honor of Malcolm this time. The death of Macbeth is honored
achievement that they congratulate Macduff for. So as we have seen the imagery
of blood change from honor to treachery, and then to guilt. After, it returns to
honor again after the villain that changed the imagery of blood from honor to
tyranny is killed. Due to these many changes, we have proved that the imagery of
blood has many different forms that we can attribute to it during the play.
Therefore, blood is the main imagery notion.