Guilt is one of the most important thematic concerns of the play Macbeth. Macbeth, the play’s protagonist has a strong sense of good and bad but his unsettling ambition overpowers his conscience. His ambition is due to his lust for power for its own sake.
Macbeth loses the respect of his friends and countrymen, loses interest in life and is killed, while Lady Macbeth’s guilt causes her to commit suicide. In the play there are several motifs which illustrate the theme, including guilt blood.
William Shakespeares Macbeth is a story of greed, treason, and guilt. In the story, we see our protagonist, Macbeth, sink into a state of madness after killing the former king, Duncan. Madness and hallucinations are what drive the story for they become the antagonists of the story and bring about the end of Macbeth.
Macbeth speaks this line when Banquo’s ghost appears to him at the banquet. Macbeth’s vision of the ghost reveals his guilt over ordering the murder of Banquo and his young son. His sense of guilt is so powerful that he loses his sense of reality and cannot be sure whether he is having a vision or not.
Guilt in Macbeth: Someone famous once said, “Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death.” In the story of Macbeth this proves to be true as you examine the mental and physical effects Macbeth experienced as a result of guilt.
In act I, Macbeth was in a position of great power. He was the Thane of Glamis, soon became the Thane of Cawdor, and was in high standing with King Duncan. He was happy with his life and had no reason to fear betrayal. However, as soon as he had slain Duncan, Macbeth was overcome with guilt and fear. At every sound, Macbeth was startled.
Guilt and Madness in MacBeth Guilt can drive anyone mad if they let it. The story MacBeth is a perfect example of this. MacBeth and Lady MacBeth did many things in the play to have a mind full of guilt. MacBeth just handled it better than Lady MacBeth did; she let the guilt take her like a disease.