SLEEP
In "Macbeth," the symbol of sleep serves as a powerful tool for Shakespeare to explore
themes of guilt and conscience. Sleep is portrayed as a restorative process, “the innocent
sleep, / Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care.” The implication is that sleep offers
solace and is inherently peaceful, described as "the balm of hurt minds, great nature's
second course, / Chief nourisher in life's feast"
However, following the murder of King Duncan, Macbeth proclaims he has" murder'd
sleep," invoking the idea that he has destroyed the very essence of peace and innocence.
This declaration serves as a metaphor for his violent actions and the consequent disruption
of his conscience. Through this imagery, Shakespeare suggests that Macbeth has robbed
himself of the rejuvenating power sleep once provided him, condemning himself to a state
of wakeful torment. It is not just literal sleep he has killed, but all it represents—conscience,
serenity, and relief from the "labour's bath."
The absence of sleep becomes a symbol of Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s guilt and
paranoia. The recurring theme of insomnia in the play illustrates the characters ' inability to
escape their own conscience. Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking and obsessive hand-washing is a
physical manifestation of her psychological breakdown, revealing a subconscious grappling
with guilt. She exhibits an" accustomed action... to seem thus washing her hands all the
while sleepwalking, indicative of her subconscious mind trying to cleanse the guilt that has
infected her waking life.
By disrupting the natural cycle of sleep, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth unveil the natural
consequences of their heinous deeds, which haunt them. The traditional peace that sleep
should offer now evades them leaving the characters in a perpetual state of unrest. Thus,
sleep—or the lack thereof—becomes a symbol for the turmoil that unforgivable actions
bring upon the soul. It underscores the idea that there is no rest for the wicked, and the
sleepless nights suffered by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the natural result of their
unnatural actions.
In detail, Shakespeare uses sleep as a symbol to signify both the physical and moral
disruption caused by Macbeth's ascent to power. The loss of sleep is not only a consequence
of their
actions but a constant reminder of what they have done and what they have become. It
represents the erosion of the natural order, as well as the chaos unleashed.
BLOOD
In "Macbeth," blood is a multifaceted symbol, rich with meaning, serving as a constant
reminder of the consequences of ambitious violence and the moral implications of the
characters' actions. Shakespeare utilises the imagery of blood to
encapsulate guilt, aggression, and the disruption of the natural order.
Blood first underscores the valor and heroism associated with honorable battle. The
wounded sergeant describes Macbeth's bravery in war with a bloody imagery: "His
brandish'd steel, / Which smok'd with bloody execution" (Act 1, Scene 2). As the play
progresses, blood transforms into a symbol of the inner turmoil stemming from Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth’s heinous crimes. Just before he kills King Duncan, Macbeth is staring at
the "dagger of the mind," and as he does so, thick drops of blood appear on the blade and
hilt. He says to the “And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, / Which was not so
before." However, he's not so far gone that he doesn't know what's happening to him,
"There's no such thing: / It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes" Of
course the "bloody business" is the murder he's about to commit.
Macbeth's guilt-ridden soliloquy after Duncan's murder profoundly illustrates that "Will all
great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?" (Act 2, Scene 2). Macbeth
realises the inescapable stain of his sin, noting that his hands are forever marked with the
blood of the king, symbolising a guilt that is beyond redemption. Lady Macbeth, affected
similarly, is obsessed with the "damned spot" and laments that " all the perfumes of Arabia
will not sweeten this little hand" (Act 5, Scene 1). Her fixation on the smell of blood, "Here's
the smell of the blood still," which she can never wash away, vividly illustrates the
consuming nature of guilt that no physical cleansing can ameliorate. Her madness mirrors
Macbeth's own trajectory, as both become ensnared in blood's signification of remorse and
moral corruption. Moreover, blood also symbolises the breach in the natural order caused
by Macbeth's attack on of the throne and his subsequent tyrannical rule. Macduff
personifies the righteous retribution when he brings Macbeth's severed head to Malcolm
and proclaims, "The time is free," implying that the blood spilled by Macbeth has cued the
cleansing and restoration of Scotland's ruptured state (Act 5, Scene 9). Thus, blood finally
marks the end of tyranny and the healing of a nation scarred by violence.