Macbeth Images of blood and water occur frequently throughout William Shakespeares Macbeth, the significance of which should not be overlooked. Shakespeare uses these images to portray the horror of the central action, Duncan’s murder. The vibrant images of blood and water also symbolize the unending guilt of the two protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The blood and water represents their inability to erase the memory of Duncan’s murder and the impossibility of ridding their conscience of the unscrupulous deed they committed. The blood of King Duncan becomes too powerful for any amount of water to rinse it clean from Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s hands. It overpowers their ability to