GUILT

• MACBETH “Will all great neptune’s oceans washt his blood/clean from my hand? No”


  -”Neptunes ocean”- refers to vast sea, symbolizing the enormity of cleansing power macbeth wishes for

  -Asks whether entire ocean can wash away the blood (guilt) from his hands- clearly showing he feels deeply tainted by what hes done

  -He says no- instead, his guilt is so over that his bloody hands would turn the green seas red “making the green one red”, corrupting even nature itself

  -Vivid metaphor for moral pollution- macbeth realises that no amount of water/time can cleanse his conscience

  -Blood on hands is literal + symbolic- shows his physical crime + represents his internal torment

  -Macbeth doesnt fear being caught, knows hes lost innocence- where guilt begins to erode his sense of self
• LADY MACBETH “Out, dames spot! Out I say”


  -tries to wash imaginary blood from hands while sleepwalking revealing that her guilt has consumed her subconscious

  -“spot” - duncans blood, symbolising the murder shes helped orchestrate.

  -Blood isnt actually there but she feels it eternally stained

  -“damned”- powerful, suggest not just a stain but spiritual condemnation, she feels cursed/ irredeemable

  -Obsession with cleaning mirrors macbeths guilt, but hers is driving her to madness

  -Earlier, dismissed guilt, now we see how reality contradicts her earlier confidence
• WITCHES “Fair is foul and foul is fair”


  -sets tone for play and introduces theme of moral confusion

  -blurs line between right + wrong, encouraging characters (M and LM) to justify their evil actions-ultimately leads to overwhelming guilt

  -Witches dont feel guilt, but create the environment where guilt thrives by tempting others to act immorally under the illusion of greatness

  -central to understand how guilt entered play: through witches manipulation + false appearance or whats fair (good) being actually foul (evil)
• MACDUFF “Did heaven look on/ and would not take their part?”


  -grieves deeply here, questioning why heaven allowed such a terrible crime to occur

  -words reflect emotional guilt- feels responsible for not being there to protect his family

  -though macbeth commited the murder, macduffs line shows how guitl can affect the innocent, especially when they feel their actions/ inactions caused suffering to others

  -no guilt from wrongdoing (macbeth) but survivors guilt- powerful emotional response to tragedy
• MALCOLM “Be this the whetstone of your sword: let grief.. convert to anger.”


  -Encourages macduff not to be consumed by guilt/sorrow, but to channel emotional pain to action

  -Recognises the destructive power of grief+ guilt, tries to help him by turning it into something constructive

  -shows his leadership+ emotional intelligence, acknowledging weight of guilt + grief even if he doesnt directing experience it himself

  -plays a role in helping other cope with their guilt

  -his words highlight how guilt + grief can either paralyze or empower, depending on how theyre handled
• DUNCAN “He was a gentleman on whom I built … an absolute trust.


  -speaks about former thane of cawdor who betrayed gum, foreshadows macbeths betrayal as well

  -suggest duncan feels a sort of regret/ sorrow- not guilt for wrongdoing, but for misplacing his trust

  -his failure to see through others appearances leads to his downfall, + indirectly fuels macbeths later guilt, as macbeth kills a man who deeply trusted and honoured him

  -His goodness + trust makes macbeths guilt even more profound

  -macbeths internal tourment later stems in part from how innocent + undeserving Duncan was