Guilt And Insanity In The Tragedy Of Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Our choices define us. Not only do our choices define us, but they also tell how strong our morals are. William Shakespeare applies imagery, personification, and the reader's senses to portray Macbeth’s tense and uneasy feelings in his soliloquy on the subject of killing Duncan in 2.1.44-77 in The Tragedy of Macbeth, as a demonstration that hallucinations may be an effect of his growing guilt and insanity. If someone chooses to do something they know they shouldn’t be, they may feel a sense of guilt. Macbeth speaks this famous soliloquy when his guilt and darkness take him over. His imagination brings forth the picture of a dagger in front of him, which symbolizes the murder. Macbeth has made his decision to kill the King and take the crown

Consequently, Macbeth hallucinates and this event represents his guilt before even committing the act. Macbeth is wracked with guilt over what he is about to do, and his mind races with thoughts of such evil action. Because of his own ambition, the decision to murder Duncan is supported by the prophecies of the Witches as well as the encouragement of his wife. He first sees a dagger hanging mid-air, “Is this a dagger which I see before me” (2.1.41) and with “gouts of blood” (2.1.54) dripping from it. Even though guilt and insanity are weighing him down, he still decides to kill Duncan and follows his

Using visual and tactile abilities, Macbeth questions “Is a dagger which I see before me, / the handle towards my hand? Come let me clutch thee” (2.1.44-46). The dagger has more than one symbolic representation within the speech. It could be argued that Macbeth is a moral man who is corrupted, or seen as the repetitive imagery of his conscience, eating away at him, or could be. The tense tone created by their auditory senses, the soundscape of the night begins with “the wolf, / Whose howl’s his watch”, the eerie sound of the wolf incorporated with the Religious imagery referenced by Jesus to his followers (2.1.65-66). Macbeth compares himself to both the wolf and Tarquin because of his “strides” (2.1.67) a clear literary allusion, in the sense that he was to abolish Duncan of his life but it could also signify his desire. Like Tarquin, Macbeth is preparing himself to attack and take from a virtuous person. When Macbeth does act, he begins to lose his own virtue. To further convey the five senses, as an auditory sense, “ the bell invites [Macbeth].” The bell indicates that it is time for Macbeth to commit Duncan’s murder. After the murder, Macbeth’s paranoia and guilt are signified through sound. The tragedy of Macbeth's downfall was caused by his guilt, which is seen through Shakespeare's use of imagery, personification, and