The Personification Of Guilt In Shakespeare's Macbeth

Erik Arias

Dr. Gillen

November 9, 2014

ENGL 4400

The Personification of Guilt

In Macbeth, the theme of "great power comes great guilt" becomes substantially evident. In this play ambition collaborates with unnatural forces to commit wicked deeds which creates profound guilt, fear, and more treacherous deeds. What is really interesting is that the main characters in Macbeth, Macbeth himself and lady Macbeth, handle their criminal offenses correspondingly, but respond together to their mental burden.

During the play, Macbeth can be seen imagining figures, ghosts, etc. from the formation of guilt from his conscious, but what Macbeth does is misinterprets these conjurations. Instead of realizing that his guilt is speaking to him, Macbeth fears

Some of the most evident sources of guilt is the downfall of lady Macbeth. In Act five scene one, we have lady Macbeth enter the stage, but not as the assertive woman from the beginning of the play. Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk and her health slowly begins to diminish. Ironically just as she was telling her husband to wash the guilt out earlier in the play, she begins to "wash her arms" and says "Out damned spot! Out, I say!" As well as "Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?" (Act 5, Scene 1, Line 30-34). I personally believe that the blood she mentions is a reference to her guilt and shame and she feels that the only way to rid her of this is to "wash" and "rub" it away. She is also referring to King Duncan as the old man, the one person who has troubled her mine. "The thane of fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne 'er be clean?" (). After continually rubbing her arm, lady Macbeth cries "Hear 's the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." (). Lady Macbeth finally realizes that she cannot relinquish her guilt associated with the murders. I believe that she feels truly responsible for the murders committed by Macbeth and a couple scenes later she relinquishes her own life. This action could be interpreted as the breaking point of lady Macbeth from all of the stowed guilt and