Why Is Guilt Important In Macbeth

Guilty as Charged – A Macbeth essay All actions must have consequences. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth’s vaulting ambition spikes after hearing a prophecy that he would become king from three witches. This leads him to plot the King’s murder with his wife, Lady Macbeth. After he kills the king, guilt plagues Macbeth and his wife as they suffer to live with the dark act of regicide. In Macbeth, guilt is the product of unchecked ambition which results in dire psychological repercussions, from the reactions of the murder of king Duncan, the visit of an old friend’s ghost, and his final soliloquies. First, guilt plays a role in Macbeth from the actions of Duncan’s murder. Due to his vaulting ambition, Macbeth murders Duncan despite knowing that it is not the right thing to do. After the murder occurs, Macbeth finds Lady Macbeth it seems as though

The imaginary voices he hears are an echo of his thoughts, and how he thinks that he will never not only sleep again, but rest his mind and soul, and be at peace. The voices that say that Macbeth has murdered sleep prove to be true: In act 5, scene 1, Lady Macbeth shows her guilt through her sleepwalking, while a doctor and a gentlewoman speak about her. They reveal that she has been sleepwalking for days. This proves that guilt plays a role in Macbeth by affecting the characters sleep. The phrase “Sleep it off” means that by sleeping, one’s troubles will become better, but this is the opposite for Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. They both endure the consequences of not sleeping well: their souls never get to rest, their guilt will stay with them. The dire repercussions of killing Duncan affect their minds: Macbeth hallucinates, and Lady Macbeth is driven to madness even in her sleep. Next, while Macbeth continues to ramble about these voices, and he speaks about the blood on his