Guilt/Macbeth Flashcards
Guilt
- Before the murder Macbeth was guiltless and happy, after he became guilt-ridden and tragically remorseful
- His guilt made him into a nihilistic figure, a character tormented by his conscience
- What might have been a historical or political play that follows the righteous uprising against a tyrannical king becomes a psychological tragedy because of how Shakespeare follows Macbeth’s mental state. Macbeth’s ambition propels him into unescapable regret, suggesting that the real punishment for regicide isn’t execution, but guilt.
- Even when no one suspects him of foul play, Macbeth is troubled and cannot enjoy the life he sacrificed his immortal soul for
-Shakespeare suggests that the
conscience, or inner voice of God, that we all have ensures that no crime or sin can go unpunished. He proposes that no one can cope with the guilt our conscience creates, nor can we live with the knowledge of our own evil
“Sound and fury”
Macbeth has been so fixated on his ambition and power that he has missed what really matters - or, in a more nihilistic interpretation, he never realised that nothing really matters. His ambition can’t live on past his death, and nor can his power. His crisis is caused by the undeniable truth of his own mortality, which nothing can contend with. For all his “sound and fury” - his violence and painful
guilt - he has accomplished nothing everlasting: it signifies “nothing”.
“Will all great // Neptune’s ocean wash this blood // Clean from my hand? // No, this my hand will rather // The multitudinous seas incarnadine”
“a dagger in the mind”
“I see thee still, // And, on thy blade and dudgeon, gouts of blood//Which was not so before”
Blood is another motif in Macbeth which vividly symbolises sin, and thus is intimately connected to guilt. In Act 2 Scene 2, Macbeth encounters his wife after murdering Duncan and asks her a rhetorical question: “Will all great // Neptune’s ocean wash this blood // Clean from my hand? // No, this my hand will rather // The multitudinous seas incarnadine”. In other words, the sin Macbeth committing by murdering Duncan is indelible; it will not wash away. In fact, he declares, in dramatic, Latinate language, it is more likely to spread, turning the oceans red. Macbeth predicts that his guilt will grow - a prediction which indeed plays out. Macbeth also hallucinates blood at various points in the play, imagining in Act 2 Scene 1 “a dagger in the mind”. Addressing this dagger directly, he says, “I see thee still, // And, on thy blade and dudgeon, gouts of blood // Which was not so before”. These vivid images would likely evoke visceral reactions from the audience and are visual representations of his guilt.
“To know my deed, ‘twere best not know my self,”
Guilt is presented as an intense fear of knowing yourself and facing what you have done. After killing Duncan, he claims, “To know my deed, ‘twere best not know my self,” (2.2) The perception of himself as an honourable hero has died along with Duncan. He would rather be unconscious or forget who he is than look at what he’s done.
“Alas, poor country, / Almost afraid to know itself. It cannot / Be called our mother, but our grave,” (4.3).
Macbeth’s regret is echoed later in the play, when Ross says of Scotland, “Alas, poor country, / Almost afraid to know itself. It cannot / Be called our mother, but our grave,” (4.3). Shakespeare shows how Macbeth’s guilt has clouded the country in uncertainty and weakness. Ross suggests Scotland is “almost afraid to know itself” because it cannot face what it has become. The same is true of Macbeth himself, meaning the king and his country are identical
“For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; / For them, the gracious Duncan have I murdered, / Put rancours in the vessel of my peace / Only for them,” (3.1)
“O, full of scorpions is my mind,” (3.2)
Paranoia is portrayed as a poison that is relentless and inescapable. Macbeth loses all his heroic qualities because of his fears, and he becomes murderous even as he descends into madness. He says, “For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; / For them, the gracious Duncan have I murdered, / Put rancours in the vessel of my peace / Only for them,” (3.1). Shakespeare shows that Macbeth’s ambition is punished, not rewarded. The metaphor “put rancours in the vessel of my peace” suggests his guilt and paranoia has polluted his soul. Similar imagery of corruption is used as the play continues: “O, full of scorpions is my mind,” (3.2), presenting his paranoia as infinite, small stings
“Stop up th’access and passage to remorse / That no compunctious visitings of nature / Shake my fell purpose nor keep peace between / Th’effect and it,” (1.5)
Guilt and regret are presented as obstacles to following ambition. These two feelings are linked to femininity and thus Lady Macbeth tries to rid herself of her conscience when she calls upon “spirits” to “unsex” her. She demands that they: “Stop up th’access and passage to remorse / That no compunctious visitings of nature / Shake my fell purpose nor keep peace between / Th’effect and it,” (1.5). This indicates that she is capable of feeling guilt, but wants to repress these feelings because she views them as weaknesses. The only way to overcome guilt is to not feel it, as Shakespeare implies guilt is too powerful to ignore
“What’s done, is done,” (3.2),
“What’s done cannot be undone,” (5.1).
Shakespeare demonstrates how guilt and regret can’t be escaped. Lady Macbeth tells her worried husband, “What’s done, is done,” (3.2), suggesting they can’t change their fate and will just have to live with the consequences. Shakespeare suggests that greed and ambition can’t predict the guilt that comes with making fantasies into reality. The line becomes a refrain for her, as later she mutters to herself in her sleep, “What’s done cannot be undone,” (5.1). The repetition makes it appear like she is trying to convince herself to let go and get the courage to face reality. The change from “is done” to “cannot be undone” gives the impression that her guilt and desperation have increased
“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,” (2.2).
In contrast, Macbeth is shocked by the blood on his hands, asking, “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,” (2.2). He knows their guilt goes beyond the literal “blood” on their “hand[s]”, and that nothing can remove the metaphorical “blood” on their souls. The reference to “Neptune”, a non-Christian god, could reflect how he has turned his back on God.
“Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?” (2.1).
Macbeth is faced with the reality of his guilt in the form of blood-soaked hallucinations. A dagger dripping with blood leads the way to Duncan’s sleeping form, a premonition of the violence and guilt to come, while Banquo’s ghost points his bloodied finger at Macbeth in an accusation of responsibility. Macbeth’s famous soliloquy opens, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?” (2.1). The question shows that Macbeth cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined, suggesting his guilt has already taken hold.
“Art thou but / A dagger of the mind, a false creation, / Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” (2.1)
Macbeth asks, “Art thou but / A dagger of the mind, a false creation, / Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” (2.1) , suggesting he is aware that he can’t trust e verything he sees. At the same time, though, he isn’t sure if the dagger is from his “mind” or not, implying he doesn’t know what his mind is capable of. It seems his inability to cope with guilt makes him hallucinate. The a djective “heat-oppressed” refers to the pressure guilt places on you. It connotes a fever, portraying guilt as a disease.
“Better be with the dead / Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, / Than on the torture of the mind to lie / In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave. / After life’s fitful fever, he sleeps well,” (3.2)
Macbeth’s insomnia takes its toll on him, so that he longs for some semblance of peace, even death. He says, “Better be with the dead / Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, / Than on the torture of the mind to lie / In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave. / After life’s fitful fever, he sleeps well,” (3.2), suggesting his attempts to feel content have only brought him more pain. Here Macbeth envies the “dead” and clearly mistakes death for a form of “sleep”, which implies murder and death has taken over his mindset.
