Macbeth Guilt Essay - 1135 Words

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the plot evolves in great accordance to the guilt that the individual characters feel. The guilt starts with the planning and execution of the murder of King Duncan. To this event Lady Macbeth and Macbeth react in different ways. They both become guilty in some way or another but the guilt they feel is comprised of different reasons. It is due to their differences in character that they react in the ways they do. While it might not seem like both of them become guilty after this event, when explored their actions show clearly the guilt they feel. When Macbeth and Lady Macbeth decide to kill Duncan they both have different reactions. Lady Macbeth is making her conscious more manly and†¦show more content†¦Macbeth starts off as a â€Å"brave† man who is physically capable of a lot, but is mentally very weak. Whereas Lady Macbeth is limited physically by her sex, but believes that she is mentally stronger than Macbeth. As the play pans out we are able to make our own judgment on each characters strengths and weaknesses. In the â€Å"unsex me† scene Lady Macbeth tells us that she wants to be changed from being a weak woman so that she can replace Macbeth who is mentally weak with her own mental strength in order to successfully become the king. After the killing of Duncan Lady Macbeth accidently hints that she was unable to kill Duncan herself and at this point shows her first signs of mental weakness. After this point they basically change places, Lady Macbeth becomes and insignificant and weak character i n the play, who spirals downwards into insanity. She grows so ill that the doctor says there s nothing he can do to help her. The disease, he says, is beyond his practice, and what Lady Macbeth needs is the divine (a priest or, God), not a physician. On the other hand Macbeth steps up and plans for himself to murder many more people as his mental strength has significantly grown. Lady Macbeth’s transformation from that of a powerful and unnaturally masculine figure into an enfeebled woman reestablishes a sense of natural gender order in the play. In other words, Lady Macbeth is put in her place,Show MoreRelated Guilt in Macbeth Essay1708 Words   |  7 PagesGuilt in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a large burden of guilt carried by Lady Macbeth and Macbeth in Shakespeares tragedy Macbeth. Lets look at this situation closely in the following essay.    Fanny Kemble in Lady Macbeth asserts that Lady Macbeth was unconscious of her guilt, which nevertheless killed her:    A very able article, published some years ago in the National Review, on the character of Lady Macbeth, insists much upon an opinion that she died of remorse, as some palliationRead More The Guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Essay814 Words   |  4 PagesThe Guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Guilt is a very strong and uncomfortable feeling that often results from one’s own actions. This strong emotion is one of the theme ideas in William Shakespeare, â€Å"Macbeth†. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth feel guilt, but they react in different ways. Guilt hardens Macbeth, but cause Lady Macbeth to commit suicide. As Macbeth shrives to success guilt overcome’s Macbeth where he can no longer think straight. Initially Macbeth planned was to kill Duncan but itRead More The Guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Essay1709 Words   |  7 PagesShakespearean tragedy Macbeth scarcely feel guilt - with two exceptions: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In this essay lets consider their guilt-problem. In his book, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, H. S. Wilson comments regarding the guilt of the protagonist: It is a subtler thing which constitutes the chief fascination that the play exercises upon us - this fear Macbeth feels, a fear not fully defined, for him or for us, a terrible anxiety that is a sense of guilt without becoming (recognizablyRead MoreGuilt In Macbeth Essay1003 Words   |  5 PagesGuilt: For the Better or Worse? Guilt may be a lesson to learn or detrimental it depends on how one manages it. Additionally, one may interpret it as being necessary to flourish or a hindrance in one’s path. Individuals, in reality, novels, and plays may at some point feel this emotion, and when they encounter it, it may affect them positively or negatively. In the play Macbeth and the novel A Separate Peace, various characters begin to feel guilty for the actions they have committed beforehandRead MoreEssay about Guilt in Shakespeares Macbeth1711 Words   |  7 PagesGuilt in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a large burden of guilt carried by Lady Macbeth and Macbeth in Shakespeares tragedy Macbeth. Lets look at this situation closely in the following essay.    Fanny Kemble in Lady Macbeth asserts that Lady Macbeth was unconscious of her guilt, which nevertheless killed her:    A very able article, published some years ago in the National Review, on the character of Lady Macbeth, insists much upon an opinion that she died of remorse, as some palliationRead MoreMacbeth: The Effects of Guilt Essay940 Words   |  4 Pages Macbeth, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare and edited by Maynard Mack and Robert Boynton, displays the many ways in which guilt manifests itself and the effects it has on its victims. Throughout the play, characters including Lady Macbeth are deeply affected by guilt in ways they had never expected. Macbeth takes its audience on a journey through the process in which guilty gradually eats away at Lady Macbeth and forces her to do what she thinks is best. Though Lady Macbeth may haveRead More The Guilt of Lady Macbeth Essay1008 Words   |  5 PagesThe Guilt of Lady Macbeth      Ã‚   Shakespeares Macbeth holds many hidden themes within its already exuberant plot.   The first of these surrounds the murder of Duncan and the role that both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth himself played.   However, the true guilt of the murder can fall on either character.   Although Macbeth physically committed the crime, it was Lady Macbeth that pushed him to his limits of rational thought and essentially made fun of him to lower his esteem.   With MacbethsRead MoreThe Guilt Between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth Essay1039 Words   |  5 PagesYou can control guilt or guilt will drive you into madness. In the novel, Macbeth, guilt has taken over two of the main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, but each one responds to it in a different way. Their similarities and differences are quite obvious and both are driven to their actions by this feeling. It will eventually cause both of them a breakdown, affecting their behaviors and resulting them into going through a psych ological incapacity. Lady Macbeth is a vicious and overly ambitiousRead MoreGuilt in Lady Macbeth by William Shakespeare Essay544 Words   |  3 PagesNarrative Connection Essay Future Goal It can be hard to know what one wants to do when they’re older. There are certain things to consider, like a level of interest in the topic, how much information one would already know, how much that will be needed to know, and to take in if this is what one would want to do in their future life. I know for me when I have to think about future plans it can really worry me. I tend to get stressed out, scared, and wanting to avoid the topic entirely, even thoughRead More Guilt and Conscience in Shakespeare’s Macbeth Essay1304 Words   |  6 PagesIn Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the theme of guilt and conscience is one of many explored throughout the play. Macbeth, is a well respected Scottish noble who in the beginning of the play is a man everyone looks up to; however as the play progresses he makes a number of bad decisions. Eventually, as a result of his actions he suffers guilt and this plays heavily upon his character until his personality is completely destroyed. Shakespeare uses a range of techniques in order to develop this theme such as