Guilt In Macbeth

The human conscience, which is an aptitude or judgement in mental system is the ability to rationalize between right and wrong, and the ability to feel guilt for actions one has done. The ability to feel guilt and to possess a conscience is what makes us all human, however in William Shakespeare's Macbeth we encounter both creatures that are not human, the three witches, and also a woman who aspired to rid herself of her conscience but in the end was driven to madness, and eventually death, by guilt. Macbeth, a valiant and brave warrior, who was hounded by a prophecy given to him by 3 witches who prophesized that he would be king, would with his power hungry wife,Lady Macbeth, plot and murder their king, Duncan. The two would go through

Lady Macbeth, who while plotting the death of Duncan beckoned and begged darkness to surround while they were committing these deed, however the murder left her guilt ridden and made her begin to sleepwalk constantly, like she is under a spell, with a candle by her side. “[Enter Lady Macbeth, with a taper] / How come she by that light? / Why, it stood by her: she has light by her continually; `tis her command.” (5.1.17-19). This scene shows the drastic change in Lady Macbeth’s character and how now she is afraid of the darkness because of what it he turned her into. The darkness which is implied has the power to kill and which she beckoned for is now the thing that Lady Macbeth fears the most. In this same scene we see that Lady Macbeth has become delusional and is constantly rubbing her hands to rid them of Duncan's “blood” left after the murder. “What is it she does now? / It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus washing her hands: I have known her to continue in this a quarter of an hour.”(5.1.23-26). There is obviously so blood as is implied by the doctor and gentlewomen who are observing her, but she continues to make the motion because even though her hands are physically clean, they are mentally tarnished forever with the innocent blood of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s conscious is rebelling against her and her mind is

out , I say!--One: two: why, then, `tis time to do't--Hell is murky!--.”(5.1.30-31) This scene is reminiscent to the one where after they had murdered Duncan, Lady Macbeth claimed that a little water would clear them of the deed, remarking to the blood on Macbeth and her hands, but now we can see that nothing is able to clear them of this deed and that the “blood” will stay there forever. She believe that physical actions can clear their psychological demons but in reality they are not able to conceal their conscience and it is coming through. At the exact time Lady Macbeth is amazed by the amount of “blood” on her hands, she can't actually conceptualize what they have done because she remarks “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.”(5.1.33-34). This can be connected back to act 2 scene 2 where she remarks that she herself would have been able to go through with the murder of Duncan had not resembled her father. This connection shows how Lady Macbeth could never actually go through with murder and that she needed Macbeth for it to actually happen. She must have a conscience but she just represses and that can be seen with the way she makes a personal connection to Duncan by claiming he reminds her of her own