Tracing a Word in Macbeth (hand) 1. Sergeant: Which ne?er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,(1.2.22) - Which never shook hands, or said good bye.
- No comparison yet. ?Shook hands? is in reference to the peaceful gesture or greeting.
2. Duncan: Give me your hand, (1.6,29) - Give me your hand - Both of these are gestures of good will and friendliness.
Generally act one has displayed good will and kindness in the use of the word ?hand?.
3. Macbeth: The handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee. (2.1,34) - Is the handle facing my hand? Let me grab hold of it.
- This third use of hand is slightly different than the first two. In this passage, Macbeth speaks of a vision of a dagger he sees, he uses his hand to clarify where the dagger is pointed.
4. Macbeth: As they had seen me with these hangman?s hands.
Lady Macbeth by George Cattermole.
English: Poster of Thos. W. Keene in William Shake...
The sleepwalking Lady Macbeth(2.2,27) - As if they had discovered that I was a killer.
- This fourth passage takes on a much darker tone when Macbeth equates his hands to that of a hangman. He acknowledges that he has killed Duncan.
5. Lady Macbeth: And wash this filthy witness from your hand (2.2,48) - Wash this bloody evidence from your hand.
- Lady Macbeth observes Macbeth?s bloody hands and asks him to wash them off. This is referring specifically to Macbeth?s physical hand.
6. Macbeth: What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes! Will all great Neptune?s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitude seas incarnadine.
- I cannot believe what my hands look like, what will it take to wash this blood clean from my hand? Nothing, there is...