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Motif Of Eyes And Sight In Macbeth

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In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the motif of eyes and sight is used to convey that while one can hide their sins from others, they can never truly deceive themselves. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth receives a prophecy that he will be king. As the current King, King Duncan, is thanking Macbeth for his service, Macbeth begins to conspire against him, believing this is the only way for him to become King. As he thinks, he remarks: “The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be /Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see” (1.4.59-60). When Macbeth says: “the eye wink at the hand,” he is insinuating that a person can “wink” and close their eyes while doing something questionable, such as murder. However, right after, he contradicts himself by implying that guilt …show more content…

Even though no one will see him murder King Duncan, he will never be rid of the act because it will still be on his conscience. Later in the play, after Macbeth returns from killing King Duncan, Lady Macbeth commands him to bring the dagger he still had back to the murder scene to frame the gaurds. Macbeth responds, “I’ll go no more. / I am afraid to think what I have done. / Look on ’t again I dare not” (2.2.65-67). Macbeth says he is afraid to even think about what he has done by killing King Duncan, let alone go back to the muder scene. Macbeth attempts to deceive himself by putting his actions and sins out of his brain, but it does not work because the guilt and murder are still on his conscience. As Macbeth and Lady Macbeth discuss the situation with Banquo, Macbeth does not confide in Lady Macbeth but instead turns to the night. Macbeth exclaims, “Come, seeling night, / Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day / And with thy bloody and invisible hand / Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond / Which keeps me pale”

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Ha! They pluck out mine eyes” (IIii 24) Macbeth feels so guilty for murdering Duncan that at the sight of blood he feels like ripping his eyes out. Macbeth also feels guilt about murdering Banquo. When Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost he says “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake/

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In Act 2 Scene 2, Shakespeare explores what happens when the chain of being is disrupted and develops both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's characters' regression through the motif of bloody imagery. After Macbeth has killed Duncan, he comes back to his room and is already starting to go mad. In line 62, Macbeth says “they pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood.” This shows that Macbeth is already feeling very guilty and regrets committing regicide.

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In the play you are able to see that Macbeth has low moral standards. He chooses power and fame over honesty. This portrays how he has allowed his ambition to control him while ignoring the quality of being virtuous and ignoring his immense guilt in committing a murder. He attempted to hide his darkness from the world so that other people would continue to see him as a man that is worthy of honour.

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748 Words | 3 Pages

The eye winks at the hand; yet let that be which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. ”(Shakespeare 1.4. 51-54) This quote shows Macbeth does not want his evil desires to come through, but at the same time he wants the courage to be able to. This shows the sense of unease he is feeling, not knowing what to do. To add on, he let his worries get the best of him.

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1244 Words | 5 Pages

The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be. Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see (Shakespeare I.iiii.) ” These were the words once said by a man who was once deemed noble; he lost his way to the toxicity of greed and power. This man was a fictional character created by Shakespeare named Macbeth. These words meant

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579 Words | 3 Pages

His emotions are affected so much that he decides to “keep a servant fee’d” in Macbeth’s home (3.4,132). At this point, he is so paranoid and so filled with anger and suspicion that he spies on all his Lords. Lastly, after killing Duncan, Macbeth shows a great deal of grief and guilt. Immediately after Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to smear blood on the guards but he refuses, saying, “I’ll go no more. /

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The next quote is from Act 2, Scene 2, Line 71, “To know my deed, ‘twere best not know myself.” shows the reader how he would rather not let his mind fathom the fact that he killed someone. The second instance of his guilt was when he saw Banquo's ghost at the banquet in Act 3, Scene 4, and said “If charnel houses and our graves must send those that we bury back, our monuments shall be mawes of kites.” This hallucination causes Macbeth to become even more paranoid and leads to him lashing out at Lady Macbeth for not seeing the ghost. He says, “When now I think you can behold such sights, and keep the natural ruby of your cheeks, when mine is blanched with fear.”

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If the stars shine their light, his “black and deep desire” will be revealed to everyone. Because he knows that what he is about to do is immoral and no one should hear about it, Macbeth is compos mentis. “The eye wink at the hand” refer to Macbeth’s wanting to blind his eyes so that he will not have to see the actions he will be making. Macbeth have an emotional conflict because he knows he might regret his actions later on and he is afraid to see the outcome. Due to the concerns he is having, Macbeth is still sane because he thinks about it before committing the actions.

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(2.2.33-41). The motif of guilt is present because Macbeth is haunted by his murdering Duncan. He feels remorseful for committing such a crime and he tells himself that he will not be able to sleep anymore because of his guilt. This conveys the theme because with Macbeth not confessing to his crime, the guilt stays and leads to his downfall. When Macbeth hosts a dinner party at his castle, he sees Banquo’s ghost and he starts to talk to it.

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No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red” (2.2. 60-63). Macbeth its prey of his guilt, he expresses his concern by taking notice of the blood on his hands that are proof of his crime and of his extreme guilt towards what he has done. At first, while Macbeth feels terribly guilty, his wife seems to have a clear conscience, despite her criminal acts and thoughts.

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1043 Words | 5 Pages

The Motif of eyes deeply impacts many of the characters in the play, especially the highly ambitious Macbeth. As countless murders unfold and Macbeth’s mindset completely differs from its original state, it is clear that his ambition breeds corruption. Before Macbeth murders King Duncan, he goes somewhat manic. In Act 2, before committing the murder, Macbeth experiences some hallucinations; “I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible

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404 Words | 2 Pages

and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; thou hast no speculation in those eyes which thou dost glare with!" The paranoia caused by Banquo's ghost indicates the guilt Macbeth feels for betraying his friend and the fear of getting caught for his misdeeds. Greed occurs in the play via Act 2 Scene 1, where Macbeth follows the illusion of a dagger to King Duncan's chamber.

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975 Words | 4 Pages

Although Macbeth experiences guilt before he kills Duncan, he reaches an entire new level of paranoia and fear after he chooses to complete the plan. The Thane of Glamis has nightmares, hears voices, and refuses to talk or think about the deed. While Macbeth chooses to pin the blame on others and convinces himself that the death needed to occur, the murder was of no fault but his own. The death of King Duncan is the most prominent event in Macbeth that not only commences Macbeth’s mental deterioration, but also shows that he was not forced by anything or anybody to commit any sinful acts. Following the moment when he paints his hands with King Duncan’s scarlet blood, Macbeth slowly spirals toward the realm of

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824 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeths guilty conscience makes him unable to play the ‘true’ role of a villain of the play. Macbeth begins to see ‘false creations’ before murdering Duncan; the image of a floating dagger taunts Macbeth’s senses. Macbeth is devoured in his anxiety he starts to hallucinate the crime before going through with it. Macbeth is unable to dispose thoughts of his guilt and doubt, which prevents him from being stuck at the point where it is too late to turn back, yet the fear of his nature prevents him from turning completely into a ruthless coldblooded

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1008 Words | 5 Pages

As Macbeth prepares to kill Duncan, he realizes that “this blow/Might be the be-all and the end-all here”(1.7.4-5), meaning this might be the end if he gets caught. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth to “proceed no further in this business”(1.7.34), telling her to stop thinking about killing Duncan. Macbeth does not listen to his own advice and continues to think about murdering Duncan, which he achieves. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth looks towards Lady Macbeth as he says,”This is a sorry sight”(2.2.28), truly acknowledging his actions and feeling guilty for them. As Macbeth lets the murder sink in, he realizes that the blood will never be “

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