Macbeth Symbolism
...can. It also shows his fear about killing Duncan, because his mind is playing tricks on him. He is developing a guilty conscience although he has not yet committed the murder. Another use of blood as a symbol occurs during the feast at Macbeth’s castle after he has been crowned king and had Banquo killed. Macbeth imagines the bloody ghost of Banquo sitting in his spot at the table. He says, "Never shake thy gory locks at me." (Act III, Scene IV, 64-65) This describes the blood on the ghost. Lady Macbeth also mentions the "air-drawn dagger" that Macbeth saw before killing Duncan. Macbeth’s fear and guilty conscience from his killings is rising steadily. While he is killing for his own purposes, he does not realize how much it is hurting him mentally. His images of bloody ghosts and knives are evidence of this, as Macbeth is unable to keep a clear mind. This is also foreshadowing that all of Macbeth’s killings will eventually cause great mental problems for Macbeth. Another scene where Shakespeare uses blood as a symbol occurs in the scene where Macbeth visits the witches for a second time, and receives new predictions. One prediction shows a bloody child. The witches tell Macbeth that a man born from a woman cannot harm him. He is tricked, however, as Macduff, who was born prematurely, ends up killing Macbeth. The bloody child is Macduff, right after a Caesarian birth. The bloody child is not Macbeth’s imagination, but it foreshadows that somehow Macbeth does not understand the visions as well. Macbeth than has a false sense of security, and will most likely be killed. There are also quotes referring to blood as a symbol. One quote in Act III, Scene IV, 152-153, Macbeth says, "It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood. This is said right after Macbeth’s feast ...