Guilt is one of the hardest emotions to control. It implants itself in one’s mind and is almost impossible to get rid of. Shakespeare’s Macbeth as well as Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart demonstrate how murder can lead to unexpected guilt. The main characters from both pieces commit murder and feel guilt for killing their victims, and also feel nervous about getting caught so much that they spell their own doom. Guilt is a very hard feeling to get rid of. Both Macbeth and The Tell-Tale Heart demonstrate how people live with guilt. After Macbeth murders Duncan, he feels like he made a big mistake. “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.” (II, ii,ll 60-63) This quote reveals how Macbeth feels guilt about killing Duncan. He feels as if he will never get the blood, which is his guilt, off of his hands. Macbeth utters this quote out of sheer remorse for murdering Duncan because he believes that he was a good king and did not deserve to die. In addition, Macbeth feels like the dried blood stained on his hands is similar to the guilt fallen on him by Duncan’s murder, it is very difficult to get rid of, and will leave its mark if he tries to find someone to talk about it with to relieve his remorse. He must bottle up his guilt and only speak of it with Lady Macbeth who shows him no sympathy. In addition to feeling guilt, Macbeth is so nervous after he commits murder, that he ultimately spells his own doom by giving himself away. “O, yet I do repent me of my fury, that I did kill them.” (II, iii,ll116-117). Once it is found that Duncan is murdered, Macbeth says that he killed his guards because he was so angry with them. What really happened was Lady Macbeth killed them after Macbeth killed Duncan so that the evidence could not be traced back to Macbeth. Macbeth gives himself away by saying that he killed the guards, as there was
Guilt is one of the hardest emotions to control. It implants itself in one’s mind and is almost impossible to get rid of. Shakespeare’s Macbeth as well as Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart demonstrate how murder can lead to unexpected guilt. The main characters from both pieces commit murder and feel guilt for killing their victims, and also feel nervous about getting caught so much that they spell their own doom. Guilt is a very hard feeling to get rid of. Both Macbeth and The Tell-Tale Heart demonstrate how people live with guilt. After Macbeth murders Duncan, he feels like he made a big mistake. “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.” (II, ii,ll 60-63) This quote reveals how Macbeth feels guilt about killing Duncan. He feels as if he will never get the blood, which is his guilt, off of his hands. Macbeth utters this quote out of sheer remorse for murdering Duncan because he believes that he was a good king and did not deserve to die. In addition, Macbeth feels like the dried blood stained on his hands is similar to the guilt fallen on him by Duncan’s murder, it is very difficult to get rid of, and will leave its mark if he tries to find someone to talk about it with to relieve his remorse. He must bottle up his guilt and only speak of it with Lady Macbeth who shows him no sympathy. In addition to feeling guilt, Macbeth is so nervous after he commits murder, that he ultimately spells his own doom by giving himself away. “O, yet I do repent me of my fury, that I did kill them.” (II, iii,ll116-117). Once it is found that Duncan is murdered, Macbeth says that he killed his guards because he was so angry with them. What really happened was Lady Macbeth killed them after Macbeth killed Duncan so that the evidence could not be traced back to Macbeth. Macbeth gives himself away by saying that he killed the guards, as there was