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Guilt In Macbeth

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Noah Kuli Seifert English 10 9 March 2023 My Macbeth Essay In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, many characters have various motivations. The play centers around Macbeth, the main character, and his desire to become king and secure his lineage, no matter the costs or evilness. While he has many emotions throughout the play, the major emotions that Macbeth demonstrates are fear, ambition, and guilt. These drive the character and the play to its inevitable end. Macbeth undergoes many changes during this play while displaying emotions like fear, ambition, and guilt. First, in Act 1, Macbeth is conflicted between his fear of hell and damnation and his ambition to become king. He gives a speech in act 7 where this plays out, “We still have judgment here — that we but teach bloody instructions, which, being taught, return to plague the inventor. This even-handed justice commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice to our own …show more content…

Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to put the murder weapons back. “Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there. Go, carry them and smear the sleepy grooms with blood. I'll go no more. 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. Macbeth is upset about what he did and cannot look back at the sight he created. Lady Macbeth has to go put the daggers back for him. Macbeth shows this final emotion of guilt through not being able to follow the plan he made with his wife and cannot go back into the room to see the bodies and plant the knife.

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