Effective use of blood images in MacbethThe gratuitous use of blood is the basis of most murder scenes. Perhaps this technique was first developed by Shakespeare for his play Macbeth. The blood imagery used in Macbeth adds to the horror of the play. There are several examples of this throughout the play. The first notable example occurs in the second scene after Duncan's murder, when Macbeth attempts to wash the blood from his hands. The second example occurs in the third scene, when Macbeth refers to the king's bloody wounds. The third and final event involving images of blood takes place in scene four while Ross is talking to Macduff about the murder. Overall, all of these blatant examples of blood imagery help to increase the gruesome atmosphere of the piece. In the second scene, after Duncan's murder, Macbeth tries to wash the blood from his hands: "Will all the ocean of great Neptune wash this blood from my hand?" » This adds much to the atmosphere of the piece as it implies that it would take Neptune's entire ocean to wash away the substantial amount ...