The Theme Of Guilt In Macbeth - 1871 Words

At a point in someone’s lifetime guilt will push them over the edge and drive them crazy. It could just be a mild deed like lying to you parents about sneaking out at night or an extreme deed like robbing or even murdering a person. In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth is driven to insanity because of all the guilt that he holds. Macbeth is not the only character in the play who goes insane because of guilt that they carry. In fact there are so many characters who have guilt that it is a main theme in the play. Shakespeare uses many different strategies to portray this theme like imagery, symbolism, motifs, and irony. Although some may argue that symbolism is the most prominent strategy†¦show more content†¦iv. 136-140). From this quote it can be inferred that Macbeth is concerned for himself because of all of the crimes that he is committed and is scared that people are coming after him. He has already stepped in the river of blood but cannot go back because he is already too deep and plans to continue farther. Holding the guilt of killing the most beloved King and the thought that people are coming after him, drives Macbeth to making poor decisions to protect himself and the use of blood helps the reader to see how insane Macbeth really is. Macbeth is not the only character in the play who goes insane because of guilt, his wife Lady Macbeth too goes insane with holding the guilt of ruining lives of innocent people. At one point she feels so guilty she begins to have hallucinations and even starts sleepwalking and talking. During the night when she was sleepwalking she tried to remove the blood that has stained her hands and becomes extremely paranoid that the blood is not coming off. It can be inferred that even though Lady Macbeth only helped to plan the murders she never actually kill someone, but she still carries the guilt as if she did. Shakespeare is trying to showcase with the motif of blood that no matter what type of crime is committed there is still guilt andShow MoreRelatedThemes Of Guilt In Macbeth711 Words   |  3 PagesMacbeth is a story written by Shakespear filled with many different themes. These themes are statements about life and human nature. Some of the most important themes are guilt, things are not what they seem, fate versus free will, and nature versus the unnatural. All of these themes were important to us and the story. The first theme of guilt is a message that says that you should not commit wrong doing and suffer the consequences. In Macbeth guilt is shown in many different ways but one of theRead MoreTheme Of Guilt In Macbeth901 Words   |  4 PagesMacbeth is a beautiful literary work, with many ups and downs of each and every character. The two principal themes throughout Macbeth are the struggle for power and the resulting waves of guilt that overcome the characters, most prominently Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The reader experiences the guilt that starts to overcome the characters and their plunge into madness. In Macbeth, Shakespeare brilliantly displays the inner workings of a guilty person’s mind; and uses both themes to heighten the chaosRead MoreThe Theme Of Guilt In Macbeth1150 Words   |  5 PagesGuilt is the gut punching feeling inside in which you feel you could’ve done something to prevent an action that has gone wrong. We feel so powerless to stop it and eats us on the inside until we finally do the right thing. The play Macbeth, reveals how in the end your guilt will overpower your conscience and will eventually lead you to your greatest downfall. The theme of guilt as revealed in Macbeth, continues to relate to modern society. The guilt in Macbeth compares to many situations with societyRead MoreLiterary Devices In Macbeth1308 Words   |  6 Pagesliterary devices is theme; theme is a specific idea or lesson that an author is trying to get across.   Just a few examples are, ambition, guilt, things may not always be what they seem, or even nature verses the unnatural.   In fact, these are common themes used by one of the greatest play writes of all time, Shakespeare.   All throughout arguably his most renowned play, Macbeth, we see Shakespeare use each of the four previously listed themes.  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of, if not the most common theme that is shown throughoutRead MoreTheme Of Ambition In Macbeth917 Words   |  4 PagesMacbeth Essay In the play Macbeth, there are several different themes used by the author (Shakespeare). Some of the themes that are used in the play are ambition, guilt, things are not what they seem, and natural vs unnatural. Every theme used in the play is very important to the story. Ambition is one of the themes that is used in the play that are very important to the story. Most of the characters are shown to have ambition towards something at some point or another throughout Macbeth. OneRead MoreSymbolism that Represents the Theme of Corruption in Shakespeares MacBeth1043 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism in MacBeth Symbolism plays an important role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power in William Shakespeares Macbeth. Throughout the play there are several main symbols repeatedly used to emphasize this theme. The contrast of light and dark representing good and evil, blood representing guilt, murder, and pain, and the archetypal pattern of purification by using water represents removal of guilt, cleansing and peace. Symbolism is used repeatedly to emphasize the theme of corruptionRead MoreEssay on The Sense of Evil Conveyed in Shakespeares Macbeth798 Words   |  4 Pagesvariety of themes in order to convey the sense of evil. These themes are omnipresent, and well implemented into the text, as they allow the reader to visually imagine the different occurrences, and how they might lead to a sense of evil throughout. The themes included consist of appearance and reality, guilt, ambition, violence and tyranny and order and disorder. Several quotes are weaved into the text in order to e xpress more clearly the theme Shakespeare is attempting to convey. The themes all comeRead More Symbolism In Macbeth1097 Words   |  5 PagesIn William Shakespeares Macbeth, symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the play there are several main symbols repeatedly used to emphasize this theme. The contrast of light and dark representing good and evil, blood representing guilt, murder, and pain, and the archetypal pattern of purification by using water represents removal of guilt, cleansing and peace. Symbolism is used repeatedly to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. TheRead MoreMacbeth Theme Essay1329 Words   |  6 PagesThe play, Macbeth, Macbeth and his wife kill the king of Scotland so Macbeth can become king. As a result, of the witches since they told him about the prophecy and how he would become king. He eventually does more evil things which fills Lady Macbeth with guilt. She ends up killing herself and Macbeth ends up dying. In the play, there are numerous of themes that you can see and examples that you can find. There are five themes that we have discussed in class which are ambition, guilt, things areRead MoreThe Destruction of Guilt in Macbeth by William Shakespeare1168 Words   |  5 PagesDestruction of Guilt In William Shakespeares play Macbeth he uses many forms of imagery, he uses this imagery to outline major themes in the book. The imagery used in the play Macbeth makes the audience immediately captivated and helps the audience connect to the characters in the play. Two major themes will be outlined in this essay and those themes will be supported and outlined by three motifs: ambition/greed, fate and hallucinations. A profound theme throughout the book Macbeth is the underlying