Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Character Analysis

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth develop as charters overtime in the story. From normal people who have good morals who have a friend who they could trust and were generally good people. Over the time in the story, things start to change in the personality on both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They start to become insane and do some very questionable thing, But how does it start and why did they do the things they do.

Guilt is shown throughout the story of Macbeth. Macbeth had to think a lot about the choice he making that decision and his thought are screwed by his guilty conscience. Macbeth guilt and ambition begins when he gets a prophecy from the Three Witch telling him that he would be king. The guilt and madness show at the beginning when he starts to kill people. He's guilty before when he decides to kill his best friend and after that, he's guilty because he's gone and killed his best friend and he's guilty of this crime. Another form of internal conflict is when Macbeth says, " I'm not gonna go anymore: I'm afraid to think what I've done. This shows that Macbeth regrets his decision after killing Duncan. He says he can not go back and he's afraid he's thinking about what he's done. This demonstrates that he feels guilty about what he did and can not go back in time. Another example of guilt in Macbeth is he start seeing things. “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” where he hallucinates a bloody dagger, one of many supernatural portents before and after he murders King Duncan. Macbeth is so consumed by guilt that he's not even sure what's real.

The main downfall of Macbeth is his great ambitions or lust for becoming king. It starts at the same time as when his guilt does when he meets the Three Witches. This prophecy changes the Macbeth from a normal person to Macbeth’s ambitions completely alter his morals and his social skills in a sense. Macbeth is filled with the knowledge of being king Because of Macbeth’s ambitions this will result in Macbeth committing murder while completely neglecting his morals. He even asks himself as to why he thinks that murder will be the answer to his desires to be king; “All causes shall give way. I am in blood Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er.”. his thought of murder is not intentional as he questions his own imagination, rather it is caused by his natural desires and ambition, which is not under his control. In pursuit of his desires, Macbeth is completely blinded by his lust for power and discounts his morals and former traits, which ultimately bring him to his ruin.

In conclusion, guilt is displayed through various representations in the play. The theme of guilt is expressed by Lady Macbeth, through blood imagery and Macbeth’s internal conflict. Guilt is a major factor in people’s lives and will continue to haunt the characters of Macbeth for a long time. Guilt can be a result of many things, as it is a feeling that remains forever. Usually, this feeling occurs when an offense, crime, violation or wrongful act is committed. It is the feeling of responsibility for this poor action that has been committed. Macbeth commits this poor action just to be happy, but in the end, he was only left with much remorse.

"What hands are here?... They pluck out my eyes" After all Macbeth has done he wants to be blind so he cannot see what he has done. He Just wants to undo anything and everything he has done to become king. In the start of the story he was normal but after every killing, Every assassination attempt, all advances toward him getting the crown. “I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself And falls on the other” Even Macbeth he admits that there's no good reason to kill Duncan. Macbeth just wants that power for himself. This is another example that he is slowly moving towards the line of insanity, it starts to affect him throughout the story after every single murder he was responsible for. As you read the story you see signs that some are changing in Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, they both start losing sleep, start imagining things, start thinking like hungry wolves looking for some food. The prophecy that gave them a glimpse of power ultimately brought them to ruin, and the guilt that their action ultimately brought them to ruin.

Cite this page