Preview

Macbeth Speech

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
606 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Macbeth Speech
Guilt is an emotional experience that occurs when an individual realises that they have violated a moral standard.
The power of guilt is seen throughout Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth. The protagonist of the play, Macbeth, violates natural order in "murdering king Duncan". This acts as a catalyst for Macbeth to undergo his journey of guilt, then restoration due to his unlawful and shameful deeds.
After the murder of Duncan, when Macbeth returns to his room to join his wife. As any person would be, Macbeth is very shaken by his evil act. Killing a man, not to mention a beloved king is a sin and defies Macbeth's morale. He truly believes that he has murdered all innocence, and only worse things will follow. Throughout the scene there are several quotes that show this; " Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more," and " Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" revealing how Macbeth is being overwhelmed as a consequence of his actions due to the power of guilt. He describes this by saying that if he tried to wash his hands in the river, it would turn into the colour of the blood itself. Lady Macbeth attempts to make him overcome his guilty conscience, " A little water clears us of this deed, how easy it is then!" However guilt just does not go away, exploration of the self must occur first.
Macbeth disregards guilt and conspires Banquo's death. Even though Banquo was Macbeth's closest friend, the attempted murder of Banquo and Fleance stepped him closer to his demise. Feeling threatened by Banquo's knowledge of the witches' prophecies "thou shalt get kings", Macbeth had decided to terminate him "to be thus is". Guilt seems to play a motivating role when he says, "Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill" What he is referring to, is his guilt; if you do something bad once, it will bother you. If you do it again, it will bother you less. If you keep doing it, it will eventually

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Further in the play, the audience learns of her sleepwalking patterns. In this state, she reveals the murder to the Doctor. Lady Macbeth is seen trying to wash her hands over and over again, though no amount of cleanliness can rid her of this ‘damned spot’: “What, will these hands ne'er be clean?” This is ironic as Lady Macbeth herself was the one who persuaded Macbeth into killing Duncan. We see Lady Macbeth start to crumble in the second half of the play, and finally her guilt becomes overpowering as she commits suicide at the end of the play. This is how Shakespeare uses the motif of blood to portray the theme of guilt in the…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Macbeth Monologue

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Macbeth Monologue MACBETH: 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.…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “To be thus is nothing, but to be safety thus – our fears in Banquo stick deep.” Macbeth does not say in his soliloquy why he fears Banquo; because Banquo heard the witches’ prophecy and probably suspected Macbeth of the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth feels that Banquo is naturally superior to him, and being near Banquo makes him feel ashamed. Immediately after the murder of King Duncan and his ascent to the throne, Macbeth arranges for the murder of Banquo. He would rather see “the frame of things disjoin, both the worlds suffer,” than continue to “eat our meal in fear and sleep in affliction of these terrible dreams that shake us nightly.” Also, Macbeth has reason to fear Banquo as according to the witches’ prophecy, Banquo would not be king, but his children and their children would be kings, and he does not want a meaningless crown on his head that Banquo’s children would just steal off him.…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “There's but one down, the son fled.” (III.III.23) Macbeth wants to protect his reputation, and through the fear of guarding his ambition he overlooks Banquo's loyalty and thinks that by killing Banquo, his ambition won’t be at risk. “Tis better thee without, than thee with.” (III.IV.14) Macbeth would’ve been highly alarmed if Banquo was still alive, after killing Banquo he is relieved. He’s so relieved that he explains to the first murderer, blood is better on his face than to be running in Banquo's bloodstream. Alongside that, we all fear something and somehow it can drive one’s conscience, pride or ego any direction depending on the choices one has…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ha they pluck out mine eyes, with all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” (Page 59). Immediate guilt washed over Macbeth, causing him to cry out. At first, Macbeth tries to rationalize his actions and suppress his guilt. But doing so makes him extremely paranoid and makes him resort to insane acts of violence and self-destructive behavior.…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lady Macbeth Monologue

    • 2212 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Mama and her sister hugged for the longest time and then Auntie hugged Erich who tried to squirm out of it. Then she went on to grab Irmgard in a tight embrace and finally Aunt Hilde put her strong farming arms around me. "I will miss you all so much. You have such joy in life, little Liesbeth."…

    • 2212 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Ruthless Quotes

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth is paranoid of losing his position, he wants to keep it to himself as well as to his descendants. As the three witches described Banquo: “Lesser than Macbeth and greater, not so happy yet much happier, thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.”, implying that Banquo is the root of many kings, Banquo and his son is a threat to Macbeth’s crown(1.3.68-70). Macbeth plans an assassination of Banquo and Fleance while they are on a ride before the dinner at Macbeth’s castle(3.1.129-144). Banquo is murdered and Fleance flees(3.3.29-30). Banquo’s ghost shows up at the dinner and scares Macbeth. Even though Macbeth doesn’t regret killing Banquo, he is still conscious of his terrible actions and the guilt of bringing Banquo to the end of his life. Macbeth at this point has become ruthless enough to murder his close…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a play that mainly focuses on one common theme: insanity. Macbeth becomes plagued by guilt as his desire for power pushes him to attain his goals by any means necessary, including murder. He kills Duncan in cold blood, has Banquo killed by three murderers, and finally, he has Macduff’s family killed. After each of these events, Macbeth’s sanity takes a hit and he begins to hallucinate and act irrationally. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s sanity dissipates and his guilt increases as he continues to betray his own moral boundaries by committing acts of treason and dishonour.…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Blood In Macbeth Essay

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to, “unbend your noble strength to think / So brainsickly of things,” commanding him to ignore his cowardice and misgivings. Lady Macbeth assumes that the crimes Macbeth commits will be forgivable; however, Macbeth understands the graveness of his actions when he asks, “Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?”, and responds by saying: “No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one red” (2.2.45-46,78-81). Macbeth knows that he will be haunted by the murder of Duncan for the rest of his life, that it is not something that can just be brushed off, and immediately regrets his actions, stating, “Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!” (2.4.75). Again, Shakespeare displays Macbeth’s guilt and pairs his guilt with the symbol of blood. As the list of those dead at the hands of Macbeth expands, so does Macbeth’s guilt, and the references to blood and…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Guilt In Macbeth

    • 847 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Macbeth first feels guilt after feeling Duncan, like any human being would feel after killing another human being. After the murder Macbeth finds Lady Macbeth in the hallway and confesses his fears…

    • 847 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Motif Of Power In Macbeth

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages

    After the murder, Macbeth questions himself, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” but he quickly answers himself by saying, “No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine. Making the green one red”, and reveals the guilt he feels (2.2.57-60). The blood symbolizes the stain on his conscience. Shakespeare demonstrates that even if the individual gains the power, they will not be entirely happy with the path they have chosen. Lady Macbeth personifies this with her ill-contentedness over her decisions. She says, “Nought's had, all's spent, where our desire is got without content; 'tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy”, and explains that what she has obtained has not brought her any peace (3.2.5-7). Shakespeare reveals that even when a person obtains the power they strived for, it does not guarantee them the happiness they expected to come with the power. He says that the acts committed to obtain power will continue to follow the person and cause them to feel the…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Blanches downfall

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “washing away the guilt” in a Lady Macbeth fashion. The guilt is therefore a reoccurring…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory 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

    Today is going to be a great day for the history of Scotland. After much tragedy, caused by the greed of the worst kind of men, order will finally be reestablished with the coronation of our new king: Macbeth. I, Ross, and all of the other noblemen of Scotland were invited to his castle for supper as part of the coronation tradition. I have concerns, however, about this whole ordeal, and that concern is shared amongst a handful of the other noblemen. Macbeth is certainly a worthy warrior, and his status in combat is proven and legendary. His capability to lead an empire, though, is not something that will have me rest easy. There is a reason that the warriors and kings are often different people. I hope Macbeth is an exception to this.…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Play, Shakespeare uses imagery to display Macbeths feeling of guilt and possible regret. A great example of this imagery is after Macbeth kills Duncan and…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics