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Guilt In Macbeth

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Macbeth: The man at Fault for his Crimes Murder is the killing of a human being without a lawful excuse and is often influenced by external or internal forces. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the ruthless series of murders committed by Macbeth stems from his external and internal influences. Firstly, naivety allows the character to be manipulated which then affects actions and decisions throughout the play which end up leading to their downfall. Secondly, ambition helps the character gain a desire for power and in the play where many of the murders are committed because of the character’s ambition. Thirdly, guilt causes one to see the consequences of their actions and soon regret what they have done. In the Shakespearean tragedy, …show more content…

In this example, Macbeth is with the three witches who give him his second apparition which reveals that Macbeth will not be killed by anyone born from a woman. Macbeth then confidently assumes, “Then live Macduff, what I need fear of thee?” (4.1.79). It is dramatically ironic that Macbeth comments “what do I need to fear of thee” because we know Macduff technically is not born from a woman, which makes him Macbeth’s biggest threat. Macbeth is naive though and doesn’t see Macduff as a threat. “Then live Macduff” subtly foreshadows Macduff killing Macbeth and also shows Macbeth’s confidence as he believes Macduff will not fight him. This shows Macbeth’s naivety to believe in the witches' prophecies makes him think he is invincible, which is why he murdered Duncan. Macbeth is not only naive to believe the witches, he shows his naivety right before committing the murder. After Banquo leaves Macbeth’s Castle, Macbeth soliloquies to himself before going to murder Duncan. Macbeth soliloquies "Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee!" (2.1.33-35). Macbeth’s apostrophe towards the dagger shows his eagerness to “clutch thee”. Shakespeare's use of violent imagery with the dagger represents the murder Macbeth is about to commit. Macbeth shows naivety as he is eager to commit the murder, yet does not see the consequences of what it can bring. Because of Macbeth’s naivety, it touches into his ambition which starts his murder

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In Document D, Macbeth states, "Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee? But yet I'll make assurance double sure, ... thou shalt not live…” In this quote, Macbeth is expressing his confidence that he does not need to fear Macduff, a Scottish nobleman who he suspects may be a threat to his reign. However, even though he believes he has no reason to fear Macduff, he wants to eliminate any potential threats to his rule.

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This is the point at which Lady Macbeth weaves her way into Macbeth’s mind, persuading him to murder Duncan, which she would not have done had she not known the prophecies of the witches. Not allowing the witches to get under his skin would have caused Macbeth to spare the life of Duncan, in return sparing his own life. When Macduff uncovers the secret behind who killed King Duncan he took a stand to avenge him. He immediately set out to murder Macbeth. Once he achieves his goal he places the head of Macbeth on a stake and praises his own victory.

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262 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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881 Words | 4 Pages

This manifestation of the dagger could be caused by Macbeth’s future guilt of killing the king because he has expressed thoughts to Lady Macbeth that Duncan was a good and innocent king. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth was paranoid and scared so he hurriedly went back to his room and had an illusion that he described as “With 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” (Shakespeare 2.2.78-81). After killing King Duncan, he returns to his room and hallucinates a much more large pool of blood on his hand than the sea. Blood is a symbol of the guilt that he is forever scarred on him so that’s why it was hard for him to wash it off because most of the blood was not

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703 Words | 3 Pages

"Is this a dagger which I see before me,/ The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee./ I have thee not, and yet I see thee still" (2.1. 33-35). The use of this soliloquy demonstrates the guilt that Macbeth is feeling before he has even committed the act.

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780 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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People make decisions based on personal values and social norms around them. When regretting a decision, one may feel guilt, sadness, and remorse. In the play, Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Macbeth, having a guilty conscience is a predominant theme. Macbeth early on feels guilty about killing king Ducan but his guilt reduces throughout the play as he goes on a murderous rampage. Although Macbeth is seen as a vicious tyrant, throughout the play the motif of blood shows his guilt and need for redemption as he makes choices that lead to his downfall.

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His guilt leads to his downfall as the guilt over his actions weighs heavily on him. Macbeth loses his sense of rationality and becomes increasingly erratic, ultimately succumbing to his guilt and dying in battle in a futile attempt to defend his kingdom. In conclusion, guilt is central to the downfall of the House of Macbeth. Shakespeare portrays the emotions of guilt and shame as powerful, compelling forces that have the potential to drive great men to ruin.

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Guilt is a feeling of deserving blame for an offense of some nature, causing one to feel self-conscious and doubtful of their own worth. A lack of guilt can cause a person to be overly confident and lack good judgment. In Shakespeare's Macbeth the theme of the characters guilt is successfully expressed through the imagery used to describe the actions and traits of the characters. This allows us to see how their guilt affects the different characters and the way they act. In the play, three types of imagery are used to express the theme of guilt.

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The play, Macbeth, shows the among between sanity and insanity and the struggle between reason and delusion. Throughout this whole play, Macbeth slips into a state of lunacy slowing turning into a psychopath. The basis of understanding the play is through the first murder, King Duncan. Macbeth’s other two assassinations are just used as efforts to secure his throne. He begins accepting the evil inside him and succumbing to the temptation to murder and insanity.

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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

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664 Words | 3 Pages

The first apparition the he sees is an armed head that proclaims, “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff” (61). Even though Macbeth does not believe that Macduff is capable of harming him, this prophecy comes true when he is killed by him at the conclusion of the work.

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840 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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208 Words | 1 Pages

In the drama “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” William Shakespeare reflects on guilt . More specifically, Shakespeare implies guilt and how repercussions of guilt can be detrimental towards an individual because it creates emotional instability and distorted judgement. Guilt is displayed many times throughout the play, but mostly through internal conflicts of Macbeth. For instance, Macbeth feels internal guilt when he murdered King Duncan. Macbeth says, “ I’ll go no more/

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426 Words | 2 Pages

Macbeth’s ambitions influence him to attain his desire for power. This ambition drives him to become reckless for the sake of reaching his goals. This recklessness leads to the murder of Duncan- the first in a line of murders Macbeth commits to reach his power. These murders represent Macbeth’s gradual loss of morality.

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