How Is Macbeth A Villain

In The Tragedy of Macbeth, there is much speculation about Macbeth being the villain in his story. Righteously, he is a victim of his circumstances due to the prevalent theme of guilt being a manipulative and destructive emotion throughout the play proven through motifs of visions and hallucinations, blood, and lack of sleep. However, Macbeth by William Shakespeare is arguably one of the most spectacular plays of a tragic hero from the Elizabethan Era of literature. Due to the revival of Latin and Greek dramas in the 1600s, playhouses quickly populated London, prompting the actor Shakespeare to write Macbeth. In the play, Shakespeare writes a twist on the events of a Scottish king from the 11th century and incorporates many thematics into it.

For instance, after killing Duncan, Macbeth says, “Will 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” (II.2.60-3). His distraught reaction to the murder and his thinking that nothing will clear his conscience or his hand proves his guilt and remorse for killing Duncan making him a victim, not a villain. Another way the motif of blood represents contrition occurs when Macbeth says, “I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (III.4.142–4). Hence, by using the words blood and tentative language Macbeth recognizes that he is far into his wrongdoings. His recognition is a redeemable quality most villains do not possess, and it shows that he is just trying to make the best of his situation to prevent anything worse from happening. Thus showing that he isn’t an absolute villain and feels some remorse for his wrongdoings. To conclude, Shakespeare including the motif of blood signifies impactful guilt in Macbeth and it shows that Macbeth was not a villain due to his remorse and conflicting

For example, Macbeth tells his wife, “Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent sleep,” (II.2.35-6) The further notion that guilt is an overwhelming emotion as it argues that Macbeth isn’t a villain because he feels guilt for his actions that night of supposed sleep. And by feeling guilty for his actions, he does not have the same mental capacity as a true villain. Similarly, Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth, “You lack the season of all natures, sleep” (III.4.147) in response to the fit he throws in front of his dinner guests after Banquo’s death. Accordingly, it signifies that Macbeth feels so guilty over his actions that he is losing sleep over it, showing his true emotions on how he feels about everything which opposes the emotions of a traditional villain and objects that Macbeth is entirely one. From another perspective, his lack of sleep could have driven Macbeth into insanity and caused him to commit acts that he would never have if he were lucid instead of sleep deprived. So by guilt being an overpowering emotion Macbeth couldn’t get proper sleep inadvertently causing many of his wrongdoings. Thus, Macbeth cannot be a villain as his lack of sleep throughout the story proves his immense guilt over his actions and how his guilt ruined