Macbeth

Have you ever read a book or play that was boring or lacked some certain interesting aspect to it? Well, the play, Macbeth is definitely the opposite of that. Shakespeare uses motifs in the plot to liven up the plot and help the reader better understand the material. Shakespeare uses blood, violence, and guilt to develop the theme of Macbeth.

Blood is shown repeatedly throughout the play. It is used in many of the main characters to portray the other two themes, violence and guilt. For instance, in the beginning, King Duncan asks a sergeant, "What bloody man is that?" (1.2.1.) while his troops are in battle. This reveals that blood is used to exaggerate violence. After Macbeth kills the king he says, "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?" (2.2.18.) Macbeth's bloody hands were a sign of his guilt for the murder. Blood plays extremely important part in the theme of the play. In addition to this motif, it is also vital to note that violence is used as a reoccurring motif.

The characters use violence in numerous ways. The captain tells of the traitor being killed in battle in the opening scenes. He says, "he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops."(1.2.2.) This shows the reader the type of society of the era. The characters used violence to attempt to solve their problems or for revenge. In addition to violence, guilt is shown throughout the story.

Lady Macbeth and Macbeth feel guilt in many different situations that occur. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth begin to grieve after King Duncan's murder. However, Lady Macbeth goes into a state of depression.

These motifs continue to occur in the play. They help the reader understand the story. All of these motifs are used to develop the theme. They should help the reader understand the plot of the story. Each of them is used to unify the work.