Lady Macbeth's Guilt
Macbeth appears to be a typical crime story: the protagonist Macbeth plans and commits murders of noble people with Lady Macbeth and other followers to satisfy their own desires, and they are eventually punished for their unethical actions. However, unlike many other “criminals” who are punished by a just third party, both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are not only punished but also killed by their own consciousnesses. Even though their sense of morality is weak when they chase their desires, their consciousness never disappears in their mind. Their guilt that comes from their morality is so heavy that it erodes them gradually and eventually leads to their self-destruction. Lady Macbeth shows a strong desire of becoming queen even when she first
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Macbeth’s guilt shows immediately after he kills Duncan. He starts hearing sprits yelling that he is the killer, that he “shall sleep no more”(Shakespeare, 57). Believing that he will never get peace again, Macbeth says, “will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red”(Shakespeare, 77-81). He is so disturbed by his actions that Lady Macbeth has to finish his business and tell him what to do. When he recovers from his trauma, he orders others to murder Banquo to please Lady Macbeth. He appears calm until the moment he sees Banquo’s ghost covering in blood. His consciousness makes him feel extremely guilty, which drives him crazy. He cannot control himself anymore even he knows he is having a dinner with all the guests who have not found out his unethical actions …show more content…
When he learns that Lady Macbeth, whom he is willing to kill others for, suicide, he responds, “She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word”(Shakespeare, 20-21). He no longer holds hope nor has passion for life anymore, as he describes life as “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”(Shakespeare, 29-31). Later on, he tells Seyton, “[He] [has] lived long enough. [His] way of life is fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf.”(Shakespeare, 24-25). Comparing his life to a yellow leaf in autumn, he foresees his inevitable death in the future while he shows his indifferent attitude toward
Macbeth’s guilt shows immediately after he kills Duncan. He starts hearing sprits yelling that he is the killer, that he “shall sleep no more”(Shakespeare, 57). Believing that he will never get peace again, Macbeth says, “will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red”(Shakespeare, 77-81). He is so disturbed by his actions that Lady Macbeth has to finish his business and tell him what to do. When he recovers from his trauma, he orders others to murder Banquo to please Lady Macbeth. He appears calm until the moment he sees Banquo’s ghost covering in blood. His consciousness makes him feel extremely guilty, which drives him crazy. He cannot control himself anymore even he knows he is having a dinner with all the guests who have not found out his unethical actions …show more content…
When he learns that Lady Macbeth, whom he is willing to kill others for, suicide, he responds, “She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word”(Shakespeare, 20-21). He no longer holds hope nor has passion for life anymore, as he describes life as “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”(Shakespeare, 29-31). Later on, he tells Seyton, “[He] [has] lived long enough. [His] way of life is fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf.”(Shakespeare, 24-25). Comparing his life to a yellow leaf in autumn, he foresees his inevitable death in the future while he shows his indifferent attitude toward