In the majority of cases, stylistic studies of imagery in a play seem to concentrate on the analysis of the text per se. Yet performances of one certain play admittedly incorporate multimodal elements which, acting in the same way as linguistic elements, can condition our interpretation(s) of the original text. Adopting a multimodal approach, this paper examines the dramatic text, including its stage directions and verbal representation of blood, in Shakespeare's Macbeth. It also explores the verbal and presentational aspects of blood imagery in Roman Polanski’s adaptation of the same work. Polanski’s highly acclaimed adaptation, directed in 1971, employs both verbal and visual elements to do justice to one of the bloodiest of Shakespeare’s tragedies. In an attempt to show how these direct references and presentational manifestations of blood have contributed to both the play and this adaptation, a multimodal stylistic analysis is carried out regarding the emphasis on multifarious representation of blood imagery.

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