Guilt In Macbeth

Guilt is a major theme throughout the story of Macbeth and the play portrays Macbeth’s guilt in forms of hallucinations, paranoia, and more. Throughout the play, Shakespeare discusses two different points of view on guilt. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth go through immense guilt throughout the play in completely different ways. In Macbeth, the character Macbeth experiences his guilt in ways that were severe at the time and it is explained within three different scenes throughout the play.

Lady Macbeth’s signs of guilt first surface in Act 3 Scene 2, where her sanity begins to deteriorate. Thinking out loud she says, “Nought’s had, all’s spent, where our desire is got without content.” All the trouble they went through to get what they wanted was a waste because it cost them their peace of mind. Fear and anxiety are taking over Lady Macbeth to the point of bringing out the humility from deep within her as she refers to her husband as “my lord.” Earlier she spoke at Macbeth and challenged his manliness.

“Conscience betrays guilt” is a Latin Proverb that relates well with the story Macbeth by William Shakespeare. With its meaning being that your very conscience will never let you get over your guilt, it connects to the main character Macbeth, and his wife Lady Macbeth; who in their triumph for power never seem to get over their initial guilt, which results in them both going insane. Shakespeare’s intention in writing this play was to show how the natural order of things should be followed, and that if they were to be disturbed, it could very well destroy everything. In Macbeth, insanity is the result of a guilty conscience can be proved when Macbeth orders the killing of his friend Banquo and son Fleance, when Macbeth orders the killing of Macduff’s entire family, and when Lady Macbeth commits suicide.

To summarize it all, the multiple hallucinations that Macbeth had throughout the play were due to his guilt of killing many of his close friends. The more close friends that he killed, the more insane and paranoid he became. This shows that guilt is a deep scar within Macbeth so that’s why he went into a downward spiral. In conclusion, Macbeth’s guilt is the main reason for his downfall because guilt is the reason for the destruction of many characters in the play. From Macbeth’s point of view, we see that he starts off as a heroic person and ends up as a tyrant.

Macbeth continues to get flashbacks from the murder claiming, “Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red' Macbeth” (Act II, Sc. II). Macbeth Highlights in this part that all the oceans in the world wouldn't be capable of washing the blood from his hands saying he is guilty. Throughout the play, Macbeth continues to see recurring images which not only prove he regrets his actions but in some cases foreshadow the future.

In Act 2, scene 2, 18-19, it states, “(looking at his bloody hands) This is a sorry sight. That’s a stupid thing to say...” says Lady Macbeth. We can infer that Macbeth feels remorse and sorrow after seeing the sight of his hands covered with the blood of King Duncan, whom he has just murdered. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth finds it foolish to get all emotional about such a manly deed of courage.

I am afraid to think about what I have done; Look on't again I dare not” (Shakespeare 2.2.47-51a). Macbeth is so riddled with guilt about what he did; he cannot look back. Macbeth feels guilty for killing the king and is paranoid that someone will find out he killed Duncan. Macbeth starts hearing noises and voices that aren't there. He is so upset and afraid of what he has done to King Duncan that he cannot follow the plan.

In this scene, Lady Macbeth feels guilt for taking fate into her own hands and leading Macbeth down a path of evil. she wronged someone and now tried to atone for it. These quotes support that the characters of Macbeth experience guilt often. Another example that would help explain guilt is The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The

Macbeth feels regret and guilt after murdering King Duncan. He is beginning to understand the consequences of his actions and the disruption of the natural order that he has caused. Macbeth’s guilt shows that he still has some understanding of the natural order, but his ambition and desire for power are clouding his judgment. “I am in blood / Stepp’d in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.136-138).

Lastly, Macbeth is so far gone that he is incapable of being helped by anyone to calm him down or help him through his thought process. Lady Macbeth tries to help him but in a very ineffective way. We see this a lot with people who are trying to help others traumatized by guilt by telling them not to be emotional, and that they are being childish which only makes the situation worse. Guilt and trauma are things that each and every person can experience and it can have an impact on us all. As another psychologist once quoted, “Guilt increases empathy and the

The first act of cruelty that contributes to Macbeth’s downfall is the murder of Duncan. After contemplating the consequences associated with planning the murder, Macbeth kills Duncan, convinced that it is the only way he can become king. Following the murder, Macbeth becomes overwhelmed with shock and begins to experience auditory hallucinations. Upon experiencing shock, Macbeth is unaware that he brings back the daggers from the crime. Commanded by Lady Macbeth to return the daggers to the scene, he claims, “I am afraid to think what I have done.”

After killing Duncan, Macbeth’s mental state changes completely. The difference between the moment before the murder and the moment after is that Macbeth’s lack of determination. He feels personally responsible for the murder and wishes it never happened. Thus, he is afraid to look at the dead body and face what he has done (2.2.54-56). His regret of the murder shows the transformation of Macbeth’s attitude: he lets his remorse overpower him to the point of madness.

Macbeths guilty conscience makes him unable to play the ‘true’ role of a villain of the play. Macbeth begins to see ‘false creations’ before murdering Duncan; the image of a floating dagger taunts Macbeth’s senses. Macbeth is devoured in his anxiety he starts to hallucinate the crime before going through with it. Macbeth is unable to dispose thoughts of his guilt and doubt, which prevents him from being stuck at the point where it is too late to turn back, yet the fear of his nature prevents him from turning completely into a ruthless coldblooded

In the drama “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” William Shakespeare reflects on guilt . More specifically, Shakespeare implies guilt and how repercussions of guilt can be detrimental towards an individual because it creates emotional instability and distorted judgement. Guilt is displayed many times throughout the play, but mostly through internal conflicts of Macbeth. For instance, Macbeth feels internal guilt when he murdered King Duncan. Macbeth says, “ I’ll go no more/

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, guilt can punish people even if they are not caught, which is illustrated with the downfall of the Macbeths. Shortly after killing Banquo, Macbeth starts to hallucinate and says “Hence, horrible shadow! Unreal mockery, hence”(3.4.128-129). This quote shows that Macbeth feels guilt while he is imagining Banquo’s ghost.