Symbolism in MacBeth Symbolism plays an important role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Throughout the play there are several major symbols used repeatedly to emphasize this theme. The contrast between light and darkness represents good and evil, blood represents guilt, murder, and pain, and the archetypal pattern of purification using water represents the removal of guilt, purification, and peace . Symbolism is used repeatedly to emphasize the theme of the corruption of power. Blood is an important image and manifests itself through Macbeth. The murders committed by Macbeth are represented by the blood, the guilt that accompanied the murders, and the pain it brought him during his downfall. The soldier describes the violence and bloodshed, in the war between Scotland and Norway, "Except they meant to bathe in stinking wounds." (p. 3) warns of the violent nature of the work full of murder, guilt and pain. The blood in the murder of King Duncan also plays an important role because it represents Macbeth's guilt and his shame for killing King Duncan. Macbeth looks at his blood-stained hands and remarks "How they had seen me with these executioner's hands." (pg. 27) This reveals his guilt and shame because he compares his hands to those of an executioner. After the murder, Macbeth refuses to return to King Duncan's bedchamber to spread blood on the sleeping guards, because he is afraid that the blood will incriminate him further. Lady Macbeth smearing blood on the guards represents their attempt to shift their blame onto the guard. "I will make the faces of the bride and groom gild with it, for it must seem their fault" (p. 28) but this proves ineffective because Macbeth ends... half the paper... there was a dark setting involving events used supernatural, while the bright setting was used for the last battle, when Macbeth was killed at the end to show the restoration of peace and honesty. Therefore, the symbolism of light and darkness representing good and evil in the play emphasizes the theme of the corruption of power. Through repetition and imagery symbolism is used to emphasize the theme. It is used to emphasize the theme of corruption of power due to Macbeth's actions. The blood which represents guilt, bloody murder and pain, the contrast between light and darkness which represents good and evil and the classic model of purification through the use of water which represents the removal of guilt, purification and peace are the main symbols used repeatedly to emphasize this theme. These symbols portray the theme effectively to allow the audience to grasp and engage with the show.