Macbeth Guilt Essay

As Macbeth prepares to kill Duncan, he realizes that “this blow/Might be the be-all and the end-all here”(1.7.4-5), meaning this might be the end if he gets caught. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth to “proceed no further in this business”(1.7.34), telling her to stop thinking about killing Duncan. Macbeth does not listen to his own advice and continues to think about murdering Duncan, which he achieves. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth looks towards Lady Macbeth as he says,”This is a sorry sight”(2.2.28), truly acknowledging his actions and feeling guilty for them. As Macbeth lets the murder sink in, he realizes that the blood will never be “

The concept of guilt is a significant theme throughout Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, and plays a crucial role in the downfall of the House of Macbeth. Guilt is a complex emotion that can eat away at the human psyche, leading to feelings of anxiety, shame, and regret. In Macbeth, guilt plays a central role in fueling the protagonist's ambition, leading ultimately to his tragic demise. The character arc of Macbeth begins with his inherent ambition and desire for power.

He is not only burdened by the physical act of murder but also by the moral and emotional weight of his actions. In the immediate aftermath, he expresses remorse, wishing he could undo his actions and wake Duncan from eternal slumber, declaring “Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!” (Act 2, Scene 2, p 83); however, Macbeth's guilt drives him to commit further atrocities, desperate to conceal his past crimes, thrusting him deeper into a descent of madness. The interplay between his overwhelming remorse and his internal struggle with guilt serves as a driving force, propelling him along a path of

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.

Macbeth feels some regret and guilt for what he did, as shown by Lady Macbeth saying “My hands are your color, but I shame/ To wear a heart so white” (II.2.82-83). Macbeth is so distraught over what he has just done that Lady Macbeth reprimands him for being so cowardly. All that changes, however, after Duncan’s body is found. Macbeth decides to act on impulse and kills the guards that he and Lady Macbeth were planning to frame for Duncan’s murder.

“Ribner then examines duncan’s murder, arguing that this specific act of evil corrupts all levels of creation, contaminating the family, the state, and the physical universe.” The quote said that it corrupts all levels of creation which includes peoples innocence and maybe Lady Macbeth had her innocence finally sealed off for good after Duncan had finally died, and maybe this is why she feels guilt for an act she did not physically commit. She did have a part in goading him into the murder so she could bear the title of the queen so maybe she is just as physically guilty as he. “ The guilt is thus more equally divided than we should suppose when we hear people pitying ‘the noble nature of Macbeth,’ bewildered and goaded on to crime, solely or chiefly by the instigation of his wife. ”

The tragedy of Macbeth arguably has some of the most complex and interesting characters, and it is certain that this is because Shakespeare wanted to show the effects of guilt and the toll it takes on different people. However, it is unequivocal that Lady Macbeth is beyond the idea of complexity and by far the most interesting in my opinion. He carefully crafted the ‘power couple’ of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as constructs for the idea of guilt, but while Macbeth is drowning in this feeling from the offset, his wife is fueling with ambition as she knows 'what's done is done" and cannot be undone’ as she moves on with her life. What is most interesting is the fact that Lady Macbeth flips her whole mentality as she slowly fades from an ambitious

Lady Macbeth's remorse appears nonexistent when she convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan. She also requests spirits to ‘un-sex’ her so all the weaknesses she had of being a female can vanish from her, forming her to be stronger. She quotes “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here. Fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood, stop up th’access and passage to remorse, that no compunctious visitings of nature shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between rh’effect and it.”

At first, rather than putting all the blame on Macbeth she is proud of her involvement in the murder stating: “My hands are of your colour but I shame to wear a heart so white.” Initially this villainizes her as she is in control rather than being an obedient wife going against Jacobean stereotypes

Subsequently, her husband's cruelty and her own guilt recoil on her, sending her into a madness from which she never recovers. Though Macbeth would listen to his wife and commit to the crime of Duncan’s murder, he knew once the act was finished and he became king, revenge would soon come upon him. He states this by saying in Act 1 Scene 7, “To our own lips. He’s here in double trust:” the murder would be the be-all and end-all of the whole affair, and I would gladly put my soul and the afterlife at risk to do it. But for crimes like these there are still punishments in this world.

As the blood of Duncan stains his hand, Macbeth says, “I am afraid to think what I have done” (2.2. 65). Macbeth is shocked at what he has done and the blood on his hand represents the guilt he feels. The guilt for the murder he has committed and his bravery create a righteous Macbeth. However, contrastingly, Lady Macbeth is shown as a sinister figure as she hatches a nefarious plot to murder King Duncan. She uses blood to, “ gild the faces of the grooms withal, / For it must seem their guilt” (2.2. 72-73).

The first murder of King Duncan only sealed Macbeth’s paranoia and served as a foundation for the murders of Banquo and Macduff’s family. After the first murder, Macbeth feels a colossal amount of guilt and shame. After the murder of Banquo, he feels that it is not enough since Fleance escaped, developing his guilt and shame of harming others into a fear for his own safety; a devastating degradation. However, during the assassination of Macduff’s family, Macbeth gives the command immediately without thought and without a trace of remorse after doing so. This thereby concludes his psychological downfall as he no longer feels guilty, ashamed, or fears

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.

Macbeth’s state of mind changes dramatically throughout the play. This is revealed through his soliloquy. In his soliloquy, He shows his intention he would like to achieve but its construction shows Macbeth’s mind still very much in confusion. However, most of the time Macbeth shows three different fears considering the consequences of killing king Duncan. At the beginning of Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth is in turmoil about killing Duncan.

After Macbeth kills Duncan, he is overwhelmed with guilt. When Lady Macbeth wants him to return to Duncan’s chamber, Macbeth refuses for he is “afraid