Duncan's Guilt In Macbeth

In the event that guilt sneaks up on a person it often expresses itself in the form of restless nights and haunting dreams. As the play commences, Macbeth is swept up in haunting dreams and restlessness sleep,his guilt and uncertainty is starting to catch up with him but he does not know that guilt is what is the thing haunting him. Macbeth has a weight on him “A heavy summons lies like lead upon me,”.(2.1.7) his guilt about killing Duncan is starting to affect his sleep”And yet I would not sleep”(2.1.9) and his subconscious dreams.He is not thinking straight because he is not sleeping. So during Act 2 Macbeth thinks that the daggers made him kill Duncan”Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead Are but as pictures. ’Tis the eye of

Prior to Act 5 where we see Lady Macbeth dealing with her guilt in a more observable way by sleep walking and talking we see Macbeth in act 4 saying that he is going to push away his fear and try to continue his life despite and guilty feelings“That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies and sleep in spite of thunder”(4.1.84-85). In his case during this part of Act 4 he is talking about when he killed Duncan and when he decides to kill Macduff. Meanwhile in Act 5 we see Lady Macbeth unknowingly dealing with her guilt by sleepwalking and sleep talking which is worrying everyone because they don't know why“A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the benefit of sleep and do the effects of watching”(5.1.10-12). At this point unlike her husband she can not cope with it and move on and the only way she can think to deal with it is to kill herself and so she does.These two quotes help to prove they they have feelings of guilt and they are trying to cope with them. It is easier for Macbeth and harder on his wife. Both quotes are revolved around sleep and the theme the power of guilt.In conculsion unlike the pervous acts where they were just restless and they could not understand why, they can now put a word to why and that word is