Preview

The Metaphor Of Guilt In Macbeth's 'Mind'

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
343 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Metaphor Of Guilt In Macbeth's 'Mind'
Although an idea to hurt others may seem like a logical and good idea at first, it may turn out to do harm to the attacker alongside the victim. For example, Macbeth cannot think straight, “full of scorpions is [his] mind” (Shakespeare, 3.2.38). He uses the metaphor of scorpions of King Duncan’s murder, constantly stinging his thoughts and poisoning his mind with thoughts of more killing. After the king’s death, Macbeth feels guilt for what he has done, first being unable to keep his crime out of mind in case someone were to discover he is the culprit. Not only him, but his accomplice and wife starts to realize what she has done and it entered her subconscious sleepwalking and talking. Trying to wash the metaphorical and hallucinated blood

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Guilt in Macbeth

    • 845 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Shakespeare is a well-known playwright that addresses the human emotions and motivations like ambition, greed, power, wealth, jealousy and love. In this play, Shakespeare has created many motivations that manifest in the characters. Macbeth, while being the cruel and somewhat weak-minded overlord/thane, still is humane enough to feel guilt. He isn’t immune to the after effects of his actions. Shakespeare uses many techniques to show this particular motivation/emotion.…

    • 845 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How guilt changes you? The book Macbeth, is a tragic play, writing by William Shakespeare. In the book Macbeth is named after the main character. Macbeth attempts to murder the king after sudden appearance of three witches with help of his loving wife. Macbeth and his wife relationship changes through the book because of the pureness is gone and evilness have taken over their life and their souls.…

    • 68 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Duncan's Guilt In Macbeth

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The guilt that Macbeth feels is real from the start. It can be evaluated throughout the play with how he acts and some things he says. When Macbeth had killed Duncan, the guilt is obvious as soon after committing the bad deed. Macbeth’s guilt is evident that when a servant had said “God bless us,” Macbeth couldn’t “say “Amen”” (2.2.28). He isn't able to bring himself to say it due to him knowing that he had just killed a man for his own selfish gain. Macbeth knows that what he did was a horrible deed and now he is acknowledging his consequences which include guilt. Following Duncan’s death, Macbeth is never himself again, which could be because of the guilt. Macbeth believes that he is “in blood stepped in so far, should [he] wade no more,…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Metaphors In Macbeth

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Page

    1. Raven Raven is the symbol of death. It relates to the play because this relates to King Duncan’s murder. Raven was used during Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s conversation. 2.…

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most people in their life will face guilt after doing something, whether it is leaving a knife out for your little brother to reach or killing someone. In the play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, Macbeth faces the guilt of something very bad, killing Duncan. Macbeth says, “I am afraid to think what I have done. Look on ‘t again I dare not.” (Shakespeare 2.2, 66-67).…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth filled with morality and respect, is very loyal to king Duncan. When Macbeth is first introduced, his bravery on the battlefield leads Duncan into crowning him with the formal tittle of Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth could not imagine committing treason of any kind because of his profound regard for the king. The encounter and the prophecies of the three witches triggered Macbeth’s ambitious nature. They appear to him with visions into his future saying, “ All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.52) From this point on, Macbeth begins to think about his desire to be king,…

    • 275 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    We are first presented with a disturbed mind in Act 1 Scene 3, where Macbeth’s first words echo the witches - “fair is foul and foul is fair”. If we look closely at this it tells us that things are not always what they seem which can really indicate a disturbed mind because somebody could be disturbed and we couldn’t know because we as people cannot look into somebody’s mind. Another example is when Banquo makes a note on Macbeth’s reaction to the three witches – “he seems rapt with awe” this suggests that Macbeth was in a trance like state which really indicates a disturbed mind because his mind is not where it should be. It also makes us question whether the witches have awakened a hope that Macbeth had always had? Macbeth also shows a very hostile and aggressive response to the witches – “Speak, I charge you” this indicates a disturbed mind because it is in contrast to Banquo who is very calm about the witches.…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Macbeth three witches prophesied that Macbeth would be king. Doing what anyone else would do, he told his wife and she brewed up this plan to murder the king. The king would be staying at the Macbeth’s castle, Inverness for a party. At first Macbeth was against the plan but Lady Macbeth was not backing down and talked him into it. “Macbeth talks himself into a kind of thoughtful stupor as he tries to work out the situation for himself. In the following scene, Lady Macbeth will emerge and drive the hesitant Macbeth to act; she is the will propelling his achievements. Once Lady Macbeth hears of the witches’ prophecy, Duncan’s life is doomed.”( Shakespeare A 1, 1–4) Her plan was well thought out and she could not wait. He patience overpowered her excitement though as she waited for him to fall fast asleep. Soon after he was asleep she had drugged the guards and Shoved Macbeth in towards the kings resting area. Macbeth was…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Guilt is a very strong, uncomfortable feeling that is often a result of one’s own actions. In the play, Macbeth, the author William Shakespeare uses character development to demonstrate how guilt can be self-destructive and ultimately lead to a negative impact on an individual’s mental stability. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Macduff all suffer from a guilty conscience which affects them in different ways but ultimately causes them to behave irrationally. A person’s guilt and disgrace has the power to drive them to insanity and sometimes self-destruction.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Guilt In Macbeth

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the Shakespearean "play Macbeth," all of the senses of the word "hand" come into play; and signify the magnitude and horror of actions by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in three specific scenes evoking the theme of guilt, hands also represent your heart 's intentions and finally aide in evoking a moral message for the readers while intensifying the plot with foreshadowing future events. Throughout, the entire play, the word play on hands at times changes into many different human experiences.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Role Of Guilt In Macbeth

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages

    At the beginning of “Macbeth”, Macbeth is a true soldier who has no guilt within himself and he is proud of killing people fighting in battles. Once he has murdered King Duncan, his is haunted with guilt, he cannot sleep, enter a room and he is full with agony. This leads him to further consequences. But surly, no one can murder some without pay the consequences.…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Role Of Evil In Macbeth

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A mere thought can be a dangerous thing capable of bringing many lives and nations into ruin. When the seed of doubt is planted; it slowly manifests, eating away at one's reasoning eventually blinding them to all logic. If not recognised and treated as what it is it could destroy your life but it will inevitably change you whether for better or worse. William Shakespeare illustrated this in his play Macbeth. Some may say that the weird sisters within the play are responsible for the actions of Macbeth and that his wife, Lady Macbeth, acted as a catalyst to persuade and manipulate Macbeth to commit regicide, but truly all they did was simply put thoughts into his head. They set the play in motion but Macbeth is fully responsible for his own…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    An all too common emotion, guilt is not widely thought of as an emotion that stands out from the rest. People deal with it all the time and it becomes overshadowed due to its frequency. Contrary to what most think, guilt is a compound emotion. There are too many factors involved with guilt for one to fully understand the emotion. Guilt can greatly influence one’s life, as it should. Without guilt, there would no reason to not make horrible moral decisions. One could live as they pleased and not feel an ounce of remorse. Guilt is like an all-seeing watchdog inside an individual’s mind, pointing them towards the right path. Although, this watchdog is not always followed, or listened to. Instead, it barks constantly at it’s master, until they…

    • 1875 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a character that is portrayed as evil is Lady Macbeth. Because of her controlling nature and immense want for masculinity most readers see her as evil. She is not evil because she does not commit murders herself and she also displays feelings of remorse and guilt towards the end of the play. Lady Macbeth is not truly evil because the evil she portrays is a facade; initially Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits because she wants to be evil then guilt causes her to kill herself.…

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Act III, Scene II of Macbeth (no quotations, italics), Shakespeare compares certain dangers that still need to be eliminated; in this case, Banquo and Fleance, to a “scorched snake”. This is a suitable comparison because a snake and a threat both portray danger and uncertainty. By specifically mentioning a “scorched snake”, we are able to conclude that Macbeth’s killing spree will continue throughout the play since he will never feel like he has gotten rid of his troubles. This comparison causes the audience to consider Macbeth’s current problematic state of mind caused by guilt and a troubled conscience, and additionally it foreshadows future deaths in the play. As readers, we understand that all of this is happening because of the prophecies stated by the witches when they met Macbeth. Since he was told he would be king, he currently sees Banquo and Fleance as possible threats, so he must get rid of them.…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays