...Sampson English 11 December 4th 2015 The Guilty Conscience of Lady Macbeth vs. the Narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” One in five people have mental health issues, but five in five people have mental health. William Shakespeare’s character Lady Macbeth from the play Macbeth and the narrator of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” both are examples of mental health issues. Lady Macbeth’s mental illness was brought on by the guilt she felt after committing a murder, but for the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart.” the mental illness was present before the murder. This showing that it was not a result of guilt. Before the murder of Duncan in the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth seemed happy and showed little to no signs of mental health issues. After the death of the king and guards, you can see the change in Lady Macbeth. She starts to sleep walk, she mumbles about feeling guilt and she no longer wants to be in the dark. In the play when murders happen it is always a dark stormy night, this is to set the mood of it being dark and scary. (Enter Lady Macbeth with a taper) DOCTOR. How came she by that light? GENTLEWOMEN. Why, it stood by her. She has light by her con- / tinually, tis’ her command. (5.1.133). Lady Macbeth doesn’t want to be in the dark anymore so she carries a candle with her everywhere she goes, even sleep walking. Another sign that the guilt of the murder sent Lady Macbeth into a mentally ill state would be her continuously...
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...Macbeth is presented as a suffering victim, who then plummets into a downward spiral where he becomes a symbol of evil. When we first encounter Macbeth, the witches have just foretold the three prophecies. Macbeth is enamored with the idea of becoming king one day. Looking for advice Macbeth confided in his wife, Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth’s immediate reaction is that she has always pinned for the throne and was going to find a way to obtain it. Ultimately Lady Macbeth conjured up the idea to kill King Duncan. She later presents her matoltocal plan to Macbeth. At first Macbeth is not willing to go through with her plan. He thinks it is unjust and that there are other ways to obtain the throne. However Lady Macbeth uses her power of persuasion and lores her husband into a trap. She does this by stating, “When you durst do it, then you were a man.”(Shakespeare 1.7.49) Lady Macbeth tries to take away Macbeth sexuality by saying in the quote that if he does not complete this deed he will be less of a man in her eyes. She continues to go into more depth and say that she will no longer love him either. Lady Macbeth picks apart Macbeth until there is nothing left. She took away Macbeth...
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...A guilty conscience never feels secure-Publilius Syrus In the play Macbeth By William Shakespeare the character Lady Macbeth forces her husband Macbeth to kill King Duncan. . Macbeth killed the king to gain the throne. However, after the murder Macbeth is unable to handle the guilt properly. Guilt is one of the key images which recur throughout the play. The guilt troubled Macbeth from the start and couldn't take it anymore. Where Lady Macbeth craved the darkness from the start, but towards the end she couldn't handle the guilt. Both their guilty consciences showed how they could not bare the crime, but could not get rid of truth. Shakespeare uses Water and Blood as symbols to convey his theme that those with guilty consciences seek atonement....
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...sleeping habits can tell a lot about one’s personality. The play Macbethby William Shakespeare describes a thane named Macbeth who is prophesized to become King. To achieve this title, he decides to kill the king, Duncan, while Duncan is sleeping. Following the murder, Macbeth is unable to sleep because of his guilt. Lady Macbeth, who assisted Macbeth with the murder, eventually also experiences sleep disorders. Sleep represents innocence in the play because innocent characters are associated with sleep, and guilty characters are characterized with lack of sleep. The witches’ discussion about punishing a sailor introduces the connection between guilt and sleeplessness. One of the witches comes across a sailor’s wife who...
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...How does Shakespeare present Macbeth and his wife as they commit regicide? In this scene Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are committing regicide and attempting to frame it on Duncan’s chamberlains. Throughout the scene Shakespeare uses different techniques to convey and present to the audience the contrasting personalities of the two characters and the reactions as their guilty consciences take control. Shakespeare uses the idea of sleep to represent Macbeth’s guilty conscience. Macbeth describes sleep as being ‘sore labour’s bath’ this suggests that he sees sleep as being a cleanser of the soul after a hard day but feels guilty over the regicide and believes that only ‘The innocent sleep’. The use of a semantic field of food ‘second course…life’s feast’ also supports the idea of sleep being beautiful and soothing. A feeling that neither Lady Macbeth nor Macbeth are expected to feel and experience due to their crime. Soliloquies throughout the scene engage the audience and allow them to understand the emotions of the particular character. Defying the laws of physics, Lady Macbeth compares her feelings to the drunken chamberlains in ‘what hath quench’d them, hath given me fire.’ This implies that what has caused the chamberlains to be drunk has filled her with power. The contrasts of Macbeth’s feelings throughout the scene are also conveyed later on during his own soliloquy when he says ‘every noise appals me.’ His conscience is obviously weighing on his mind and is causing him to...
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...audience, but also each reader is able to relate to Poe’s character on at least one level. Similarly in Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are illustrated as paralleling one another’s feelings of guilt and anguish because of their mutual crimes. These emotions are seen through Shakespeare’s symbolism of blood, sleeplessness and darkness. Macbeth’s guilt is most notably seen by his references to the blood of those he killed. Shakespeare uses this symbol to illustrate how the conscience weighs on Macbeth’s thoughts. When Macbeth imagines to see blood covering his hands, he cries, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” (2.2.57-59). The immense guilt, already beginning to trouble Macbeth’s conscience, is set off by the enormity of the deed he has committed against King Duncan. He feels as though nothing can wash away this crime, and goes on to say that the blood on his hands would even turn all the oceans red. Also, during the battle as Macbeth sees Macduff coming towards him in his castle, Macbeth yells, “Get back thee. My soul is too much charged / With the blood of thine already” (5.7.5-6). Macbeth knows what will happen when they fight, and he does not want to deal with any more of the guilt. The blood of Macduff’s family is hanging on Macbeth’s conscience, and the thought of suffering even more makes Macbeth nervous. Shakespeare skillfully uses blood to make it the easiest symbol to recognize...
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...At the end of the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are described as ‘the dead butcher and his fiend like queen’, and this is all they are. Do you agree? The play “Macbeth” is based on the exploration of the two main protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, as they deceive and manipulate others to fulfill the witches’ prophecies. As a result of their heinous acts to achieve their desire for power and position, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are labeled by the people of Scotland, at the end of the play, as ‘the dead butcher and his fiend like queen’. The description of the Macbeths as the ‘butcher’ and ‘fiend’ coincide with their attitude, actions and character throughout the play. The prophecies the witches’ made highlights that Macbeth is responsible for his own demise as well as reveal his true corrupted character. Secondly, Lady Macbeth’s ‘fiend like’ profile is evident when she pressured Macbeth to commit murder instead of preventing him from doing so. Lastly, the Macbeths’ denial of fault, even though their actions manifests in their guilty conscience, shows that they are nothing more than ‘the dead butcher and [the] fiend like queen’. The prophecies the three witches’ made highlights that Macbeth is responsible for his own demise as well as it reveals his true corrupt character. The transformation of the Macbeths’ initial portrayal as valiant, strong, good natured and loyal characters into villainous and evil characters is a revelation of their true identities, it also...
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...In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth experiences a dramatic change in character, leading to her demise. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is a powerful woman. She is able to manipulate and convince her husband into committing murder for the crown. Throughout Acts I and II, Lady Macbeth’s strength and evil nature overpowers Macbeth. She takes control and plans Macbeth’s first murder. The murder of King Duncan reveals Lady Macbeth’s ruthlessness and persuasive skills. However, by Act III, Lady Macbeth’s entire character changes; she becomes depressed due to her husband’s lack of attention and newly found confidence. He no longer needs her to make his decisions. Guilt starts to consume her, and her mental state weakens. In...
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...William Shakespeare once said, “Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind.” He is not just talking to people who have committed murder or illegal crimes, but to everyone. Most people have felt guilty before. It is an important emotion for people to feel so we know when our actions are wrong. But when we ignore our feelings of guilt, it can lead to the destruction of our conscience. In his play Macbeth, Shakespeare incorporates his idea of guilt into images for the audience. Blood and water are two symbols in Macbeth that function as keys to unlock the hidden message of the effects of guilt. Blood is used to remind Macbeth and Lady Macbeth of their violent actions, while water represents a way to cleanse their minds of the remorse they feel. Shakespeare’s use of blood and water are a chilling reminder of the power that guilt may have on people or how a person might overcome guilt, but become emotionally dead. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are two characters that are responsible for the bloody actions that occur in Macbeth. Blood is a reoccurring image that travels with the characters, not only on their hands, but in their minds. Wherever violence takes place in the play, blood is shown on the characters immediately after the crime. When Macbeth is involved in one of these crimes and kills Duncan, he soon regrets what he has done. But the blood on his hands shows the evidence of the act and that it can’t be undone. Lady Macbeth suggests to get rid of the evidence by putting the blood...
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...gift that keeps on giving.”The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare suggests that Guilt will always catch up with you. No matter what you do or try to do, guilt is inevitable. Queen Mary was mean to her sister, but also jealous of her. The guilt and pressure overtook Queen Mary the 1st. She was under a lot of pressure to have a son during her reign. News spread that she was having a child and everyone hoped it was a boy. It turns out that she wasn’t pregnant at all. She was so keen on having a child she had a phantom pregnancy. Mary showed signs of being pregnant but was not actually pregnant with a child. Queen Mary the first was mean to her sister princess Elizabeth. She went to the extent of arresting her on charges that weren't true just to make sure Elizabeth did not pose a threat to her throne. Mary can relate...
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...blamed on only one. If one goes in, the other one will follow, whether it’s good or bad. In the play Macbeth, Macbeth is supported by his wife, Lady Macbeth to kill the king, Duncan and grab the royalty for themselves. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have many similar and different characteristics. This couple ate both egotistical, see things from face-value, and very power-hungry. While they are both very manipulative, Macbeth is easier to manipulate. Lady Macbeth is eventually guilt-ridden, while guilt never affects Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is also fine with only killing Duncan, whereas Macbeth murders everyone who he feels will take his royalty from him. The witches tell Macbeth the first three prophecies; Thane of Glams, Thane of Cawdor, and The future King. He is confused at first, but then called the witches to come back, and tell him more, this is his ego growing. He wanted to know, “to be King stands not within the prospect of belief, no more than to be Cawdor”. When news came that the Thane of Cawdor is now Macbeth, fuels the fire, his ego starts to build even more. “Glams and Thane of Cawdor! The greatest is behind,” Macbeth says aside. Once he is king, to be sure he hangs on to his power, Macbeth visits the witches again for a second time, asks for prophecies. One of the four apparitions was that, “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” This apparition also contributes to Macbeth being egotistical, because it...
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...famous quote in Macbeth this is, and one of many that proves guilt a significant theme in the story. As it was guilt that softened Macbeth’s ambition and callousness, and guilt that urged Macbeth to commit continuous murders. It was also guilt who drove Lady Macbeth to insanity. As mentioned above, guilt plays a significant role, and can also be referred to as the “master mind” behind the tragedy of Macbeth. It softened Macbeth’s ambition in the beginning as he was reluctant to kill Duncan for the crown. However, with much persuading done by Lady Macbeth the murder was committed by the hands of Macbeth. After his first murder, Macbeth’s mind was obviously engulfed by guilt. He claims his hands which are covered in blood can dye all the oceans red instead of the oceans washing away the red pigment dying his hands. He also says, “Still it cried, “sleep no more!” to all the house: “Glamis hath murder’d sleep: and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more.” This shows that Macbeth is guilty about killing Duncan since he is hearing voices accuse him of Duncan’s death and that he and his home will suffer. While Macbeth is in an unstable state of mind, Lady Macbeth on the other hand is calm and comforts Macbeth telling him he must not think too much or he will go mad. Guilt haunts Macbeth throughout the play and can be shown in Act 3 where Macbeth claims to see the ghost of Banquo after he has ordered murderers to kill him. Guilt caused Macbeth to be unable to...
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...manipulative wife, a pushover husband, and a treacherous plan to be king into the mix, it can lead to divorce…or in this case, death. In the play Macbeth, gender roles and relations are a prominent theme throughout the play. This recurring thematic element is especially illustrated in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's actions as individuals as well as a couple. Their perception of gender specific roles for male and females, as well as their personal adaptation to unforeseen situations in the play, caused them to reexamine the preconceived notions of acceptable male - female relations and ultimately led to their demise both as individuals and as a couple. During the opening acts of the play, specifically acts I and II, Macbeth’s persona could be described as timid and humble; on the other hand, his counterpart -Lady Macbeth, had ruthless, devious, and manipulative character traits. From the beginning, Lady Macbeth was undoubtedly not a typical wife. She broke the status quo of the stereotypical 11th century wife of the soon-to-be Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. She did not stay in her castle and perform mundane wifely duties; on the contrary, she was a go-getter, and her robust nature often made her seem more manly than her husband. In fact, she wanted to become a man, so she could do the things her timid husband would not. She knows Macbeth is ambitious, but fears he is too “full o th’ milk of human kindness” to take the necessary steps to make himself king. “...come you spirits...
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...As a criminal mind did Macbeth possess the means to carry out murder? The witches’ prophesy provides the trigger to Macbeth’s criminal mind. They unleash the means that gives Macbeth thought to killing Duncan to become king. He states “I am settled, and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show. False face must hide what the false heart doth know” (1.7.79-83). In his heart Macbeth knows that he is capable of killing Duncan to satisfy his ambitions. Empowered by his murder of Duncan Macbeth soon realizes that he can eliminate Banquo and Fleance too. His character is devolving with each act of violence. He has killed three why not two more? The motivation of a criminal often responds negatively to stressors in their environment. Where the witches were Macbeth’s trigger he experienced stress from Lady Macbeth and his guilty conscience. When Lady Macbeth learns of the witches’ prophesies she pushes Macbeth into murdering Duncan. She insults his manhood by saying “but screw your courage to the sticking-place and we’ll not fail” (1.7.60-61). So Macbeth kills Duncan. He then kills Duncan’s guards to throw suspicion away from him. However, Macbeth’s guilty conscience starts to weigh upon him. He states after Duncan’s murder “methought I heard a voice cry “sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep” (2.2.33-34). The stress of having blood on his hands and lack of sleep due to guilt leads Macbeth to start to feel more...
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...Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth is a story of power and destruction. The two main characters, Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, are driven by ambition to commit evil actions. Lady Macbeth, a more ambitious person than her husband plots to have her husband murder the king of Scotland so that he can take the throne. Macbeth commits more murders to protect his throne, all the while becoming sick with guilt and paranoia. The guilt that engulfs him and his wife lead to their eventual madness. Blood appears everywhere throughout the work and symbolizes many things. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare creates a sinister mood with blood imagery, which creates suspense and helps to resolve the story. Shakespeare uses blood imagery in Act One of Macbeth to create suspense. The opening battle of the story, between Scotland and the Norwegian invaders uses blood imagery to symbolize honor and bravery. Blood symbolizes bravery because the blood spilled is the blood of traitors and not noble men. The sergeant praises Macbeth for the murder of a traitor, as the king praises the sergeant for his bravery on the battle field. "So well thy words become thee as thy wounds, They smack of honor both." As Macbeth and his wife plot the murder of Duncan, they plan to smear the blood of the king on his chamberlains. They hope the blood will make the chamberlains appear guilty. Macbeth knows, though, that he cannot hide his guilt from himself. He calls the plans"bloody instructions, which...
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