The play “The Tragedy of Macbeth” by William Shakespeare is about how guilt weighs in on a person's conscious and reveals how if strong enough, guilt can make someone so paranoid that they cannot think straight. Macbeth’s guilt begins to rise after he kills King Duncan to gain power. Macbeth first shows his guilt when he says “ To Know my deed ‘twere best not know myself” (2.3 71). Macbeth is basically saying that in order for him to comprehend what he has done, he must lose his conscience. From this point in the story, Macbeth’s guilt avalanches into something huge that Macbeth didn’t expect. Shakespeare reveals Macbeth's guilt also, when Macbeth says “[to the Ghost]. Thou canst not say I did it. Never Shake Thy gory locks at me.” ( Shakespeare
His guilt is indestructible; nothing can quench it. In the quotation above, Macbeth desperately asks the doctor to remove the terrible psychic guilt that is destroying Lady Macbeth. He asks him if he cannot help a diseased and troubled mind, pleading with the doctor to just take one memory from her mind and destroy it with some “sweet oblivious antidote” (89). It is only later, to his dismay, that he discovers there is no fix to her guilt, no antidote, no medication. The doctor explains to Macbeth that a terrible memory cannot be vanquished from a person’s mind; a person must live with what he or she has done.
Murder brings much trauma unto the person who commits the gruesome crime. However, Lady Macbeth believes that their consciences will just be filled with confused thoughts as they try to convince themselves that they did a positive action by getting rid of the awful king. “ …What cannot you and I perform upon / Th’ unguarded Duncan, what not put upon / His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt/ Of our great quell?” (1.7.69-72).
Guilt Is Like Shackles William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth tells the tale of Macbeth, a scottish soldier who had been foreseen with the crown atop his head by three witches. The story is a gruesome tale of lies and bloodshed. As a result of the prophecy, Macbeth stays in power through greed, ambition, and violence. His wife, Lady Macbeth, first began his use of violence by plotting the murder of King Duncan.
My soul is too much charged With blood of thine already"(5.8.5-7). This illustrates that Macbeth as well is characterizing the power of guilt because when he gained all the power in cawdor he went around killing whoever he wanted to kill by saying he is charged with blood. Therefore, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s guilt of Lady Macbeth forcing Macbeth to kill Duncan and Macbeth after killing Duncan goes around killing who ever he wants, puts both of them in a phase of guilt at is demonstrated
Guilt plays a strong role in motivating Macbeth, and causes Lady Macbeth to be driven over the edge of her being insane leading to her death. Throughout the story, there are many different types of guilty feelings that play a role in Macbeth’s fatal decisions and bring Lady Macbeth to commit suicide. Although there are many instances that show the power guilt has played on the main characters, there are three examples
The witches, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and other characters seem to act one way, whether it be good or evil, but their intentions are usually impure and meant to harm others in order to benefit themselves. Macbeth’s guilt is caused by the foul play the witches involve themselves in. If not for their prophecy, Macbeth would have never known of his fate and would have gained the kingship without involving murder, leading to his guilty conscious. The use of Supernatural elements is added to the plot of the play in order to show readers what led to Macbeth’s downfall, and what contributed to his guilt. His guilt arose from the
5-7). In this instance, Macbeth shows that he can feel guilt, and he exhibits this by demonstrating that he does not desire to end the life of a man whose family was already victimized at his hands. Guilt is the one thing throughout the entire play that stops Macbeth dead in his tracks and causes him to take a moment to consider his present and future courses of action. Although Macbeth was lead to commit murder by the witches’ manipulative predictions of the future, he is the one who ultimately makes the choices that prove that he is in control of his actions, even when his actions cause him to be filled with
However, as the play progresses, the gradual diminishing of Lady Macbeth’s stone-like ruthlessness becomes visible as she deals with the guilt that stains her hands. As Lady Macbeth attempts to cleanse herself of the guilt she harbors in her mind, it becomes evident that guilt is a demon. A demon that if not dealt
Guilt has the potential to crumble even the most powerful of mortals. The Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth reveals the consequence of immoral action: guilt. William Shakespeare portrays the idea that the downfall of one may transpire as a result of this regret. Throughout the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are negatively affected as they are overwhelmed by the realization that they have violated their moral standards; this causes their guilt. The two attempt to conceal the remorse they experience, but despite this, their misdeeds take their toll.
In both Hamlet and Macbeth, Shakespeare unveils his theme of how a person’s conscience guides them by describing how guilt and self doubt cause protagonist
In Shakespeare's tragic tale, Macbeth, the main character, is a brave and powerful soldier who soon becomes fascinated by the witches prophecies, and is led into murdering several characters that cause him to be haunted with unrepairable guilt. He is never at ease, and is uncomfortable in his role as a criminal because of inability to bear with his guilty conscience and physiological consequences that make him believe he is going crazy. As he begins to see allusions and false creations, his guilt takes over his mind and transforms his loyal being into living in complete insanity. The thematic statement is that guilt leads to emotional instability and will always come back to haunt an individual. Shakespeare effectively portrays the theme of
In Act 2 Scene 1 of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare explores the psychology behind guilt and vulnerability, and how they play a role in Macbeth’s mental instability. Macbeth shows the impact of guilt and vulnerability through his hallucinations, affected sleep, and credulity in the higher power. In this soliloquy, Macbeth’s growing uncertainty with murdering Duncan is being expressed despite the earlier convincing of his wife, Lady Macbeth. While waiting for the dinner bell that will initiate this bloody expedition, he sees a dagger pointing towards Duncan’s chambers.
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
This is further emphasized by the contrast with Macbeth 's response to the guilt he was faced
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.