Alcohol and Water as Opposing Symbols in Act II

While reading Act II I was watching out for motifs and themes involving food and drink and found interesting symbolism with alcohol and water. In scene three, starting at line 27, the porter explains that “[alcohol provokes lechery], and unprovokes: it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance.” Alcohol causes people to do things they would otherwise not do and causes them to make mistakes. I found that throughout the act alcohol seems to be present whenever people make large mistakes. At the beginning of scene two (line 1) Macbeth says “That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold”. They were able to distract the guards by getting them drunk, and he claims that it is also alcohol which gave him the boldness to take Duncan’s life. But soon after having done the deed, Macbeth finds that he has made a mistake, and so seeks, in a metaphorical and literal since, water to wash the blood from his hands. Thus, alcohol and water are opposing symbols: while alcohol strips them of their inhibitions and causes us to act boldly yet foolishly, water cleanses them of their sin and sobers them up.