The Overall Theme Of Guilt In The Jacobean Era

For my creative piece, I have chosen to create a collage with significant quotations and certain drawings such as bloody hands or drawings that relate to the quotes. This depicts the confidence that starts tight in Lady Macbeth but later dies down into a pit of guilt. I have chosen to split the collage in half, with one side filled with quotations that show Lady Macbeth’s confidence and willingness, and the other half with quotes that imply Lady Macbeth’s dying guilt, for instance, quotes from Act 5 Scene 1. I have also used the colour red to symbolise all of the guilt from killing, as an expressive motif. The black half and the white half contrast the absolute difference between how Lady Macbeth changed. My overall theme of guilt not only

This is clearly illustrated in her prolonged soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 5. Her extreme willingness to kill King Duncan is apparent in the quote: “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst cruelty.” She is calling on ‘evil spirits’ to give her the courage and extensive masculine characteristics. Women in the Jacobean era were considered weak, contrasting what Lady Macbeth wants herself to become. The denoted meaning of the quote is that she wants the spirits to ‘unsex’ her and to fill her with cruelty. This quote connotes that Lady Macbeth wants her woman-like characteristics to be erased, and wants to be completely full of cruelty and evilness. Shakespeare uses an imperative statement “...Fill me…” along with “from crown to toe” which is regarded as the entirety of herself. The playwright also uses alliteration; “That Tend on mortal Thoughts…Top full”. This alliteration can emphasise the ambition of Lady Macbeth, repeating the ‘T’ sound over and over again. The long soliloquy portrays how Shakespeare wants the audience to feel intrigued, whilst also wanting to deliver the idea of Lady Macbeth’s overly confident mind, foreshadowing her

After killing the king in Act 2 Scene 2, Macbeth returns to Lady Macbeth, with bloody daggers in his hands. He is filled with guilt and regret, but Lady Macbeth does not fear anything. This is represented in the quote: “A little water clears us of this deed” Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to not worry at all. This quote denotes a bit of water will ‘clear’ them of the deed, but it may be contradictory, as this deed was a ‘bad’ deed. The connoted meaning is that everything will be settled easily, and a ‘bit’ of water will completely erase this act. The playwright uses the adjective ‘little’ to express the small amount. Also, Macbeth at first tries crookedly to keep the ways of faith even as he dwells on the prospect of damnation and feels the loss of grace: “Wherefore could not I pronounce ‘Amen’?” he asks. But Lady Macbeth refuses from the outset to consider the first author of her being, the last judge of her actions, and the life to come. Shakespeare wants the audience to understand that no bad deed can be erased quickly, and although at first not much guilt will be felt, it will eventually