Macbeth - Guilt Flashcards
‘Will all great Neptune’s oceans wash this blood/Clean from my..
..hand? No: this my hand will rather/The multitudinous seas incarnadine.”
Analysis on “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No: this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine.”
expresses his profound guilt after the murder
blood is a stain that cannot be washed away, even by the vast ocean
lasting impact of his actions on his conscience
“Macbeth shall..
..sleep no more”
Analysis on “Macbeth shall sleep no more.”
guilt prevents him from sleeping
sleep = peace
inability to find peace after the murder
“I am in blood/..
..Stepp’d in so far”
Analysis on “I am in blood/ Stepp’d in so far”
After seeing Banquo’s ghost, Macbeth acknowledges the extent of his involvement in the murders
he is too far gone to return to his former self
“Is this a dagger which..
..I see before me,/The handle toward my hand”
Analysis on “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?”
hallucination of a bloody dagger before the murder foreshadows his guilt
foreshadows the psychological toll the deed will take on him
“Out, damned..
..spot! out, I say!”
Analysis on “Out, damned spot! out, I say!”
Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking and her desperate attempts to wash away the imaginary bloodstain on her hands reveal her intense guilt and mental breakdown
“All the perfumes of..
..Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”
Analysis on “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.”
no amount of perfume can cleanse her hands and her conscience of the blood
“A little water..
..clears us of this deed”
Analysis on “A little water clears us of this deed.”
Said in Act 1 just after Duncan’s murder
initially she believes that a simple wash can clear the blood and guilt away
What do these quotes demonstrate?
the characters’ guilt manifests in their actions, words, and psychological states
highlighting the destructive power of their choices
