Jung Hwan Park
English2 SL
A Strong Will Deep Inside Your Heart
What would you do to become a king of your country? There are many ways, such as earning the king’s and the people’s trust to be appointed, etc… In the play Macbeth, a king’s loyal soldier chooses to kill the king. This is a story of Macbeth trying to overcome reality by using his immorality. William Shakespeare, the author of Macbeth, uses blood imagery, the witches, and sleep imagery to emphasize the guilty feelings of Macbeth, which helps the readers to realize that ambition can be a dangerous part of your life.
The image of “blood” shows the guilty feelings of Macbeth and the fact that with guilty feelings inside you, there will never be a ‘happily ever after’. “We still have judgement here; that we but teach bloody instruction, which, being taught, return to plague the inventor.” (I, vii, 9), shows the awareness of Macbeth of the guilt he has made will haunt him afterwards through his life. This actually foreshadows a part later in the play, when the ghost of Banquo appears in front of Macbeth, making him feel guiltier about what he has done. He sees thee still, “and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before. There’s no such thing: it is the bloody business informs thus to mine eyes.” (II, i, 45-49) Guilty feelings of Macbeth confuse him whether to kill the king or not. This is a turning point where Macbeth finally decides to break the natural order, and kill king Duncan, which foreshadows the bloody event that will eventually happen later on in his life. After killing king Duncan, Macbeth says “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clear from my hand?” (II, ii, 60-61). Macbeth feels guilty for killing King Duncan and worries about the guilty feelings that will be in his heart torturing him forever.