Macbeth Guilt Essay

The definition of guilt is having a feeling of worry or unhappiness because of something done wrong or without good intentions. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare portrays guilt as a complex emotion. Shakespeare uses the feeling of guilt as an excuse for the character's actions and to improve the plot. In Macbeth, multiple characters display signs of guilt. However, no two people have the same conscience, they all cope in different ways, and in certain instances, their guilt is the final push toward doing something insane.

First of all, in Macbeth, it is evident that no two people have the same conscience. Human beings have different scales and perceptions regarding what is right and wrong. One person may be able to justify a certain

Personality plays a huge factor in how individuals deal with guilt. Some people are naturally more resilient to stress whereas others may feel threatened and struggle to cope. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth react in two contrasting ways when Macbeth becomes king and they grow more distant as the guilt drives them apart. Macbeth will do anything to protect his crown even if his actions are irrational; whereas Lady Macbeth still has her wits about her. For this reason, Macbeth doesn’t outright tell Lady Macbeth that he is going to kill Banquo. However, Lady Macbeth is smart enough to devise the general idea of his plan and tells him, “You must leave this” (3.2.39). Lady Macbeth is communicating that she believes it is not a good idea for Macbeth to go through with it as he is not in the right mindset. She does not know the plan at this point but she knows that Macbeth has had trouble dealing with the guilt so far unlike her. The inability to cope is a very present theme in Macbeth and contributes to many interesting situations in the

Feeling guilty can lead to many other mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, delusion, paranoia, and madness. In Macbeth’s case, he is driven into paranoia by guilt. He believes everyone is looking to steal his crown. Whereas in the case of Lady Macbeth, her guilt was all-consuming and drove her to madness. Lady Macbeth’s guilt-driven madness is obvious closer to the end of the play when she imagines she has an unremovable bloodstain on her hands. During her delusion, she says, “What, will these hands ne’er be clean?” (5.1.39) and then later says, “Here’s the smell of blood still. All the / perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little / hand” (5.145-47). Lady Macbeth is unable to let go of her guilt and take responsibility for her actions. She decides she is unable to continue living as such and decides to take her own life. In the end, Lady Macbeth was driven to madness through guilt, and it was all she thought