Guilt and Justice

• In Act 3 Scene 2, Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene shows her guilt about Duncan’s murder and her mental state deteriorating as she becomes more paranoid and delusional
• Guilt P.E.

  (character of LM) (context = regicide)

  • presents the idea that one cannot escape their guilt.
  • In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth insists that she will not feel guilt and often ridicules Macbeth for feeling so, however, by the end, LM discovers that she cannot escape her own guilt and presumably takes her own life.
• Guilt E.A. (character of LM) (context = regicide)

  • Quote before - "A little water clears us of this deed." (act 2 scene 2 line 70) - expresses her belief that washing their hands with water will remove the blood and in turn the guilt (the motifs of water and blood serve as a reminder that a person cannot escape their guilt)
  • Quote after - whilst 'washing' invisible blood from her hands she says "Out, damned spot. Out, I say!" (Act 5 scene 1 line 30). Despite her hands being physically clean, they are figuratively stained with her guilt.
• Guilt context

  • Shakespeare wanted to demonstrate that evil actions have repercussions as well as the consequences of regicide
  • He shows that guilt is a feeling we cannot escape from and it is powerful enough to kill us.