Macbeth's Guilt Essay

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.

Macbeth, in his despair, exclaims, "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?" (2.2). This statement highlights the inescapable nature of their guilt and the impossibility of erasing the consequences of their actions. The blood becomes a constant reminder of their treachery, haunting their thoughts and staining their souls.

Guilt is a feeling of remorse or unhappiness over an experience that has occurred. A person who is described and considered as “strong” can also be open to a feeling of guilt. “The Tragedy of Macbeth” shows how symbolism and characterization is illustrated by the characters personal conditions being described. Ultimately, Guilt has become the problem of their struggle. The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare reveals guilt leads to corruption.

A guilty conscience can cause one to have unexpected consequences. Unexpected consequences can remind one of their guilty conscience making their crime forever etched in their brain. Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, tells the tale of ambition of Macbeth and his wife. Macbeth wants to become king so he murders anyone in his way, which later on causes massive consequences. The motif of blood, in Macbeth, represents a guilty conscience and shows that the unexpected consequences of guilt weighs on one shoulders ultimately making them suffer.

Throughout the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare there are several mentions of blood. Blood serves a bigger purpose in the play than some may or may not, based on the first impression, recognize. The play focuses on a tragic hero who, encouraged by his wife, falls victim to being the cause of a series of unfortunate events. There is an abundance of bloodshed and in the end, it doesn’t end entirely as Macbeth planned. Our tragic hero faces guilt often, as he is the cause of many deaths in his pursuit of power.

Guilt can easily

It was clear Macbeth was showing such regret and was in disbelief with his actions, he even had forgotten to leave the murder weapon at the scene. Although his manipulative wife is trying to reassure him he recognizes right from wrong and knows what he did was foul. His foggy conscience gets the best of him as he begins to envision bloody daggers, these hallucinations make it hard for Macbeth to distinguish real from virtual. After committing treason Macbeth now has to live with all the guilt he carries with him. Later on this paranoid turns into a persistent urge to achieve his goals and no longer shows loyalty.

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).

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth uses the themes of ambition and guilt to convey the depth of human nature. Shakespeare shows that when ambition is left unchecked, it will lead to an inevitably tragic fate. Furthermore, guilt is used to teach the audience that we are unable to escape our wrong doings. Shakespeare being a Christian humanist his views are apparent throughout the play as they promote free will and christian beliefs, these beliefs along with Macbeth's ambition and guilt teach the audience much about human nature.

Macbeth indicates his guilt when he say’s "Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?”(2,2,61-62). He’s meaning if he would ever be able to forget about the deed that he has committed of killing the kind of Scotland Duncan. He also is saying that even the entire ocean could wash his hands clean of the blood. Macbeth feels that what he has done was wrong and shameful.

From Macbeth feeling “drowned in blood”, to Lady Macbeth not being able to wash her hands, shows how guilt will always come from making bad decisions. One wrong choice can ruin a person's life

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

Lady Macbeth then takes the daggers from him to finish the job, and Macbeth asks himself, "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" (2. 2. 57-60.). Macbeth believes if he were to wash his hands in the ocean, the blood would turn the water red rather than cleanse his hands of the blood. As seen in the scene, the sight of blood makes Macbeth more fearful of what he is done but, in contrast, Lady Macbeth believes "a little water clears us of this deed" (2. 2. 64.) and does not feel remorse.

Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” explores a man’s fall from morality through committing the act of regicide, as well as ideas of guilt, greed and corruption. A motif of blood is used throughout the play to aid Shakespeare’s character development of Macbeth and it also facilitates further exploration of the figurative moral compass and culpability. Blood is used as a symbol and physical manifestation of guilt within characters throughout the play. Firstly, Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to emphasise the moral deterioration of Macbeth 's character.

Lady Macbeth also has a part to play as she is the driving force, who plotted and urged Macbeth into committing the hideous act. Lady Macbeth attacked qualities of Macbeth’s manhood, telling him when he commits the murder then he “[is] a man”. Shakespeare suggests that Macbeth lacks the strength of character, but through manipulation of his ambitions, he gains the strength to carry out the act. Straight after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is shaken by what he has committed and says will all “great Neptune’s ocean, wash this blood/clean from my hands”, reveals that he is now regretting his decision and is making an attempt to get rid of the evidence. As a result, Macbeth is considerate about his