Universitatea București

Facultatea de Limbi și Literaturi Străine

Filologie Engleză A / Germană B
Luchianciuc Daniela grupa 3

“Blood and the Crown”

William Shakespeare is one of the most noted literary writer of all time. Almost all of his works have
transcended over time. He and his writings are so famous that his literary works have always been used as
examples or references in schools, colleges or universities.
Macbeth is a short play written by William Shakespeare in the early 1600s. It is set in medieval Scotland
and tells the story of Macbeth, a nobleman who is loyal to the King, but is misdirected by the witches' pro-
phecies and by his own and Lady Macbeth's ambition. The play depicts his bloody rise to power and tragic
downfall. Blood itself — the color, the smell, and importance — is vital to life. Blood is a symbol that appears
throughout the play and is present during many important scenes. Shakespeare uses the image of blood to
illustrate changes in Macbeth's character throughout the play,it repeatedly reminds the audience about how
serious the consequences of the characters actions are. It’s rather important either imagined blood,which
represents guilt for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
At the beginning of the play, blood is used to represent Macbeth's loyalty and honor as a
soldier. Macbeth is first introduced to the audience by a wounded captain, who describes him as a heroic
soldier, fighting without mercy to protect King Duncan.As he says” brave Macbeth/Which smoked with bloody
execution/Like valor's minion, carved out his passage”. The scene of decapitating Macdonwald,shows
Macbeth's courage as a warrior,as a hero. At this point of the play, blood symbolizes honor and loyalty as well
as bravery, victory and the good.

Step by step Macbeth's character changes and so does the image of blood. He decides to murder Duncan
and usurp the throne. He hallucinates "a dagger of the mind” before committing the murder. He says to the
knife, "I see thee still, / And, on thy blade and dudgeon, gouts of blood, / Which was not so before" . This scene
is the turning point of the play, which shows the beginning of Macbeth's character transformation from a
courageous and honorable man to a treacherous, evil and merciless tyrant. The image of blood symbolizes
treason, ambition and murder, contrasting what it meant earlier in the play. After Macbeth murders Duncan,he
tries to wash Duncan's blood, and his own guilt, off his hands,but he cannot do this” Will all great Neptune's
ocean wash this blood/Clean from my hand? No…”The blood haunts both characters,Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth, following them until their death.

However, he does not stop at one murder, tries to solidify his position as a king. At the beginning the
three witches give Macbeth a prophesy about his future. They tell Macbeth that he will be king Mabeth begins
to have second thoughts of him getting the crown. “If chance will have me king/why, chance may crown
me/without my stir.” The crown can also represent his feeling towards this situation, he wants to be king but is
unsure how to get it.
 The anather symbol in this literary work, which constantly appears in a lot of scene is "The crown". In
Shakespeare’s time, this symbol is associated with God’s power, but the most known meaning is that crown
strongly symbolise royalty, natural order,authority. From another point of view, the crown tells how the power
goes from being in good hands then to bad hands then back to being in good hands.
The symbol of "The crown" substitutes the king.As Malcolm says “The king-becoming graces / [are]
justice, verity, temp’rance, stableness, / Bounty, perseverance, mercy, [and] lowliness”.The model King,which
was,from my point of view,Duncan, offers the kingdom an embodiment of order and justice.During his
suveranity,loyal people are rewarded according to their merits, as when Duncan makes Macbeth "Thane of
Cawdor" after Macbeth’s victory over the invaders.
His Successor,Macbeth brings only chaos to Scotland—symbolized in the bad weather and bizarre
supernatural events.As he was the embodiment of tyranny, he must be overcome by Malcolm so that Scotland
can have a true king once more. The symbol of "Fruitless crown" in mencionate by Macbeth "They hailed him
father to a lineof kings/Apon by head they placed a fruitless crown/And put a barren sceptre in my
grippe/Thence to be wrench’d with an unlineal hand/No son of mine succeeding". Althought Macbeth gains
power when he takes the throne,he loses more. He loses his peace,compassion,the sense of right and wrong.
From this moment he became angry that he has been given an "Fruitless crown", and the "Barren sceptre",and
has compromised his eternal destiny for another man’s descendent.