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Why Is Guilt Important In Macbeth

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The belief that people know the difference between right and wrong is often incorrect and most must face the feeling of guilt in order to know they did something wrong. Elin Hilderbrand once said, “Guilt and no guilt: these were the worst things”. This statement also applies to the novel Macbeth, where characters make ruthless decisions and their recovery from what they have done plays on who they are as a person. Some use guilt to learn from their mistakes and grow while others do not feel remorseful and this causes their ruthless actions to become habitual. In the tragedy Macbeth, Shakespeare uses blood to prove guilt manipulates ones decisions and actions through the emotional control it has over one and overtime saves individuals from …show more content…

She believes by doing this the guilt will go away and all will return to normal. Because of the guilt they feel towards the murder, their actions of wanting to get rid of the blood are so intense because of the influence of this guilt.
Guilt serves as a powerful guiding tool for Lady Macbeth and causes her character to change for the better when she starts to realize her own mistakes. Her once ruthless and influential drive to kill dims after she is struck with guilt from the murders she sets up. She even shows signs of regret which is proven by her own actions described by the Gentlewoman(she takes care of Lady Macbeth when she sleepwalks), “It is an accustomed action with her to seem thus washing her hands. I have known her to continue in this a quarter of an hour”(Shakespeare V.i.2). The word “accustomed” proves that the washing of her hands is a normal action for her. She continuously tries to part herself from this guilt by eliminating the factor that connects the two, which is blood. By awakening in her sleep and having her subconscious perform this action shows she knows what she has done and is realizing how

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