Guilt In Macbeth

How big of a toll can guilt take on somebody's life? Well, playwrighter William Shakespeare answers this question in one of his most famous plays ¨Macbeth.¨ This play was written in 1623 telling the story of a brave General who receives a prediction from a trio of witches that he will be crowned as King. Led by ambition and greed, and his wife Lady Macbeth, he commits malicious acts, as in murdering King Duncan, his cousin, his best friend Banquo, and later on Macduffs Family. Macbeth, because of all his wrongdoings, becomes a murderer and leader, but at what cost? After all the murders he committed, Macbeth and his wife were plagued with guilt, conscious actions and inner feelings throughout the play, eventually leading to their downfalls.

In the beginning of the play, Macbeth felt guilt and remorse for what he had done to his cousin, King Duncan. We see this in Act 2, scene 2, when Macbeth quotes,¨ill go no more; I am afraid to think what I have done; look on I dare not.¨ In this dialogue he says to Lady Macbeth that he won't commit anymore murders and fears for his life. As the play goes on, though, we see a completely different person as his mindset drastically shifts. Shakespeare shows how a person's actions affect their personlity by having selfish desires turning them into a person only driven by power and ambition. Guilt can lead to fear, and fear can lead to anger. All of this guilt, fear, and anger Macbeth had inside caused him to make irrational decisions as he wasn´t afraid of violence or committing hurtful actions anymore. This is evident in the play in Act 4, scene 2, lines 166-169, when Macbeth says,¨The castle of Macduff I will surprise, Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line. No boosting like a fool; this deed i’ll do before this purpose cool. but no more sights!-Where are these gentlemen? Come bring me where they are.” In the quote above, Macbeth is numb to any remorse, guilt, or regret all feels is anger and power. Macbeth's ambition led to him not only going

Shakespeare displayed this when Lady Macbeth’s personality completely shifts from heartless to feeling remorse and guilt. Her guilty conscience is shown throughout the entire last scene of the story when she has completely lost her sense of reality. Lady Macbeth was discussing her feelings about how she clearly felt guilty about taking part in these crimes and fully admitted to knowing of them while she rambled in her disheveled state, imagining the fateful night Duncan was killed. In Act 5, scene 1, Lady Macbeth quotes,” out, damned spot; out, I say. One, two, why, then ‘tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.¨ This happens when Lady Macbeth sleepwalks through Macbeth’s castle on the eve of his battle against Macduff and Malcolm. She is undone by guilt and has lost her mind. Similar to Macbeth's guilt-induced hallucinations, Lady Macbeth saw things that weren't there. This is an example of dramatic irony, and it includes Lady Macbeth's obsession with washing her hands because of her guilty conscience. The smell of blood still lingered no matter what she did, as she was guilty for being associated with all the murders. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth thought they had the most