The Guilt of Macbeth and Lady MacbethGuilt is a very strong and uncomfortable feeling that often results from our own actions. This strong emotion is one of the thematic ideas of William Shakespeare, “Macbeth”. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth feel guilty, but react in different ways. Guilt hardens Macbeth, but drives Lady Macbeth to suicide. As Macbeth strives to succeed, guilt overcomes Macbeth where he can no longer think clearly. Initially, Macbeth planned to kill Duncan, but that wasn't enough, he also had to kill Banquo and Macduff's family. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth had to enlist the help of the strange sister to desex her so that she would have no real feelings towards anything, as if she were a man. However, the real culpability for the murder may lie with either Lady Macbeth or Macbeth. Perhaps one of the strongest obvious pieces of evidence demonstrating guilt is how it affects Lady Macbeth, how she could no longer stand it, and this was the reason. of his death. Lady Macbeth realizes that nothing will ever get rid of the smell of blood and the guilt caused by all the murders Macbeth committed. “There’s the smell of blood again. All the perfumes of Arabia will not soften this little hand. O, O, O!'', (V, I, 53-55) It is also shown here that she feels responsible for every person killed by her husband. The guilt of Duncan's murder can be firmly placed on Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth wants Duncan's murder for her own benefit. In the current situation, she craves power. The strange sisters predicted that Macbeth would be king. This means that the obvious outcome would be for Lady Macbeth to become queen. Instead of waiting for Duncan to die naturally or be killed by someone else, she imposes the task on Macbeth....... middle of paper ...... and her children are murdered. As Macduff reaches England, he hears the news, sorrows and swears revenge on Macbeth. Although the tragic hero Macbeth physically committed the crime, it was Lady Macbeth who pushed him to the limits of his rational thinking and essentially mocked him to diminish his esteem. With Macbeth's defenses weakened, it was easy for Lady Macbeth to influence Duncan's murder and find an excuse as to why she couldn't do it herself. The quotes and explanations used throughout this essay prove that guilt plays a large role in Macbeth's motivation. Feelings of guilt were highlighted through the character's actions and responses, until the very fateful ending where they wish none of this had happened. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth. Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.