Guilt Quotes In Macbeth

386 Words1 Page

In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth hears a prophecy which makes him believe murdering the king is the only way to fulfil said prophecy, shortly after another prophecy causes him to think he is invincible, this inevitably leads to many bad choices that lead to his death. Shakespeare uses symbols such as a dagger, blood, and hallucinations to show that guilt can haunt a person forever when one abandons their morals.(TH) Shakespeare first shows this with the use of a dagger. Before actually going through with the murder of King Duncan, Macbeth sees, “...A dagger of the mind, a false creation...” (Shakespeare 2.1.38), because he already feels guilty for abandoning his morals and plotting to murder Duncan, who he used to be loyal to.(TS) Although Macbeth has killed many people in battle, this would be the first time he murders someone that is innocent, which is why he feels such overwhelming guilt. …show more content…

In reality the blood should have wash off of his hands relatively easily, but this blood also represents the guilt he feels, which will never go away.(TS) Macbeth knew that murdering Duncan was immoral, but with some persuasion from Lady Macbeth, he decided to go through with it. After having his best friend, Banquo, murdered, Macbeth attends a celebration of him becoming King. At this celebration, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo sitting at the table. Although the ghost looks like Banquo, it represents his guilt.(TS) He yells at the ghost to, “Take any shape but that,” (Shakespeare 3.4.102) of his best friend, because the guilt he feels makes his “firm nerves,” tremble (Shakespeare 3.4.102).

Show More
Related

  • Quotes Of Ambition In Macbeth

    504 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth’s greed and ambition for the throne inspires him to kill Duncan, thus creating a guilty conscience. “Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feel as to sight? Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” (II. i. 48-51). Macbeth’s guilty conscience appears when he sees a bloody dagger pointing towards Duncan’s room. Shakespeare intentionally describes the

    Read More

  • Quotes Of Paranoia And Guilt In Macbeth

    334 Words  | 1 Pages

    Thirdly, feelings of paranoia and guilt cause Macbeth characters to make damaging choices. When Macbeth asks the witches to reveal the truth of their prophecies to him, they summon horrible apparitions, each of which offers a prediction to allay Macbeth’s fears. First, a floating head warns him to beware Macduff. Macbeth says that he has already guessed as much. Later when Lennox enters and tells Macbeth that Macduff has fled to England. Macbeth in reply says, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise; / Seize upon Fife; give to th'edge o'th'sword / His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line.” (4.1.149-152). As Macbeth descends to madness he becomes obsessed with eliminating any threats to his power. Macbeth orders the murderers to kill Macduff's family and eliminate any threat to him. Ironically, this is the moment that Macbeth seals his own fate, by murdering Macduff's family he ensures Macduff's retaliation against him, which ultimately leads

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth Quote Analysis

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme of guilt is seen through both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. For example, after Macbeth kills Duncan he says, “ I am in blood/ stepp’d in so far, that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.” In this quote Macbeth reflects on the fact that he has now killed King Duncan and is now stuck because the guilt he feels had prevented him from moving forwards and he can no longer change what has happened in the past. At this point Macbeth realises that he made the decision to kill Duncan and now must live with the consequences. This quote expresses Macbeth’s guilty conscience and how he is beginning to feel both regret and remorse. Moreover, Lady Macbeth’s guilty conscience can be seen when she begins to hallucinate. During Lady Macbeth’s hallucinations, she begins to see spots of blood on her hands from Duncan’s bloody daggers and begins to yell, “Out, Damned spot! Out I say,” while frantically rubbing her hands clean. These hallucinations become a common occurrence throughout the play and can be seen as a motif for the guilt she now feels. This scene is important as the readers now see Lady Macbeth’s transformation from a dominant confident woman to a woman who is now being ripped apart by her guilty

    Read More

  • Macbeth Quotes Analysis

    225 Words  | 1 Pages

    “Sleep no more! Macbeth is murdering sleep!” This quote is about Macbeth being frightend. I believe that the king should give Macbeth a stress ball to help relieve stress and all of his anxieties. Maybe he will think twice about murdering more people and stop freaking out when and if he sees more ghosts. Lady Macbeth shall get a mirror to see how crazy she can be. It would be good for her to think twice about her actions and words. Fleance should get a medal because he was the only one to escape and not get murdered. His father did not do the same, but he spooked Macbeth. Both of these men are of a family that has done something great against Macbeth

    Read More

  • Bloody Word Journal Essay

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    The fact that the blood cannot be washed from his hands is interesting. The blood of Duncan and the murder will never leave him. The blood will be a constant reminder of the evils he has committed. Not even Neptune god of the oceans can wash it away. Macbeth at this point in the play is not able to deal with guilt and murder. The thought of turning the ocean red would mean that Macbeth’s guilt will be everlasting. The water cannot cleanse him of his actions, but Lady Macbeth still says to just wash it off. In the past quote said by Macbeth with blood the idea of guilt recurred.

    Read More

  • How Does Shakespeare Use Blood Motif In Macbeth

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    Blood was first, and most significally event in the scene where Macbeth kills Duncan, which was chaotic with blood everywhere. After Macbeth leaves Duncan’s body, the idea of guilt is expressed by Macbeth looking at Duncan’s blood, realising what atrocius actions he has undertaken. Leading him to state, “I am afraid to think of what I have done (2,2, 61)” describing Macbeth’s remorse and guilt. After, he recognizes what his actions have caused realises what the outcome will be if he were to be found guilty of murder. Meanwhile, further through the play Lady Macbeth’s guilt for her input in Duncan’s murder is conveyed through the motif of blood. Once ambition took over Lady Macbeth, she chooses to convince her husband to kill King Duncan. However as time passes Lady Macbeth regrets this decision and her invovement in Duncan’s murder. With, the vision of blood constantly staining her hands she is reminded of Duncan’s murder emphasing her guilt. Therefore, in order to remove the feeling of guilt she constantly cleans her hands to remove the blood stains whilst, heard stating “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” (5,1,30). As a result, of realising that the invisible blood stains can not be removed understands that her consccience can not be cleaned, leading her to insanity and then

    Read More

  • How Is Guilt Shown In Macbeth

    348 Words  | 1 Pages

    Guilt is defined as “having committed a specified or implied offense or crime.” In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, the theme of guilt is very prevalent because it is incorporated within many characters. The main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, are two people that show the heaviest amount of guilt throughout their quest to become king and queen of Scotland. Their power hungry personalities eventually drive them to a killing spree when they lose control of their decision-making abilities and cause them to exacerbate their wrongdoings. In the play, guilt drives the characters insane emotionally, physically and psychologically, which results in the inability to control themselves and their actions.

    Read More

  • Theme of Guilt in Macbeth

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the beginning of time, mankind has discovered a way to successfully or unsuccessfully reach his goals. In the play, Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates the struggles of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth as they try to achieve their goals through creating ambition and committing sin that neither of them were ready for. In the end, the true argument is whether or not they both thought out the plan to achieve their desires or if Lady Macbeth and Macbeth had just followed their instincts as unable rulers did. Throughout the play, the central theme shown is guilt because guilt is the result from both vaulting ambition and a continuing thirst for power.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Guilt In Macbeth

    249 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout the entirety of the play “Macbeth” written by Shakespeare, roles between a husband and wife reverse constantly making the two characters’ dynamic. It can be argued as to why Macbeth has break downs and why Lady Macbeth ended up lucid. Could it be guilt or could it be the knowledge that the prophecy will ultimately lead to the overthrow of Macbeth?

    Read More

  • Guilt In Macbeth

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, different characters deal with the guilt they feel in different ways. Lady Macbeth’s guilt pushes her into madness, and while Macbeth’s guilt does the same, it also pushes him to commit further atrocities. However, Macduff uses his guilt over his family’s death to avenge them. The difference in the way in which they deal with their guilt catalyze many deaths, including those of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Guilt and accountability therefore are key elements of Macbeth.

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth: The Power Of Guilt

    205 Words  | 1 Pages

    This shows the reader the overall theme of the play and Lady Macbeth’s character. She suffers from sleepwalking and talking in her sleep. Unintentionally, she relieves that she has done such a bad deed that her heart can no longer bear the stress that she has been doing stuff in her sleep. Lady Macbeth re-lives the moment when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are washing their hands covered in King Duncan’s blood. She worries about Macduff’s wife and if her hand would always be dirty. This shows that Lady Macbeth is worried and not the power-driven women anymore. She can no longer handle the stress of killing Duncan.The purpose of this quote is to show the theme of guilt. Shakespeare explains through these lines the power of guilt over the power of

    Read More

  • Guilt In Macbeth

    298 Words  | 1 Pages

    Whether you like it or not we all have done some things we are pretty guilty of. I'm sure reading that first sentence a thought already came to your head that you cringed at. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth deals with some pretty heavy guilt after her husband's killing of the King Duncan. Lady Macbeth feels so guilty she can't even sleep in the dark anymore out of fear of someone coming to get revenge on her. Every night she has a candle lit room when she goes to sleep and sleep washes her hands aggressively before she lays back down. Her gentlewoman finds her behaviors so strange and unusual so she goes on to call a doctor to see what's going on. “‘Out damned spot, out, I say! One. Two. Why then, ‘this time to do ‘t. Hell is murky.

    Read More

  • Guilt in Lady Macbeth by William Shakespeare

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 though in the back of my mind I know I need to stop running away with what I need to currently take care of. It’s a lot like in the tragedy play of Macbeth. There was so much pressure to always be something more. If a right hand man of the king wasn’t good enough, then he had to be king himself.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Guilt And Conscience Essay

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth presents many themes for analysis such as guilt and conscience. This theme was played out quite a few times throughout macbeth’s main characters, macbeth and lady macbeth. I think this theme had the most impact on the story line. It also affects the topics of Dramatic irony: The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect, and also character development of the two main characters. Guilt is an emotional experience that happens when a person thinks that they have disrupted their morals. Conscience is what distinguishes your morals, or right from wrong. it is often described as that which leads to feelings of guilt when a person does things that go against

    Read More

  • Guilt In Macbeth Analysis

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare was an English poet, and playwright during the Renaissance. Despite being a playwright in this fourteenth century era, Shakespeare has become famous in the modern due to fabulous works like Macbeth. Macbeth, which is based on a true event, is set in Scotland and England. It is one of the most famous pieces of English literature, and consists of a dramatic tragedy which includes the death of the noble King Duncan. It is extremely important as a reader of Macbeth to focus on the main characters and big picture, disregarding all the fluff. In Macbeth, William Shakespeare explains the theme of fate versus guilt, to develop characters while simultaneously strengthening the plot.

    Read More

More about Guilt Quotes In Macbeth

Open Document