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Macbeth Punishment Essay

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The Punishment of Macbeth Throughout the play of Macbeth, the reader can see a decay of morals in the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. As the characters grow more brutal, the need for a harsh punishment grows with them. Though they do receive retribution, Macbeth’s does not fit his crime. Because of Macbeth’s lack of remorse along with the amount of blood on his hands, he deserves a harsher punishment than Lady Macbeth, who only directly contributed to one murder. Macbeth’s character begins as an extremely respectable and an extraordinary soldier. All the men respected him and praised him, the Captain told King Duncan of his valor in battle:
“For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—disdaining fortune, with his …show more content…

Within one act of the play, Macbeth falls from being a respectable man to a murderer of three. Lady Macbeth seems confident that they will not be caught nor feel any guilt because they will be lavished as king and queen. At first, she stated that water would wash the blood off of their hands, yet her guilt over the murder of one man was enough to drive her to insanity. Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk and the doctor overhears her muttering to herself, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! What, will these hands ne'er be clean? (Act 5, Scene 1, Line 25, 31).” This quote shows that she never could escape the guilt of murdering sleep and it troubled her even during her slumber. After many sleepless nights, Lady Macbeth eventually commits suicide before the fall of Macbeth from power. Because of her tortuous last days and obvious regret, it is believed that Lady Macbeth was adequately punished for her actions. Macbeth is left alone after his wife’s stoic attitude disintegrates and she is swallowed by guilt. He no longer has his partner-in-crime or the brains of the operation, so he rushes into everything, not thinking of the repercussions. He is not longer revered by the community, Macduff even goes so far to state, “Not in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned in evils to top Macbeth (Act 4, Scene 3, Line 57-58).” Macbeth orders anyone he believes

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