Quotes, Symbolism and Themes
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say! … Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.”
Identify the speaker and the context in the play.
Explain what the "blood", "perfume" and "smell" symbolize
Write a complete theme statement revealed by this quotation.
Answers will vary but should be close to below:
Identify the speaker and context:
--Lady Macbeth during the sleepwalking scene in Act V, Scene 1, as she relives Duncan’s murder and the crimes that followed.
Symbolism: (answers should be similar or close to the below):
--The “spot” / blood symbolizes guilt.
--The imagined smell represents the inescapable psychological consequences of sin and the inescapable guilt Lady Macbeth feels.
--The perfumes of Arabia symbolize the futility of trying to cover up moral corruption.
Sample Theme Statements:
--Shakespeare suggests that guilt from immoral actions cannot be concealed or erased, and it ultimately destroys the human mind.
--Through Lady Macbeth’s imagined bloodstain, Shakespeare reveals that suppressed guilt festers internally and leads to psychological self-destruction.