Theme Of Guilt And Regret In Macbeth

If one knew how their fate would appoint, no matter how virtuous or how severe, they would undertake and fulfill any task for their own fate to stay accurate or to adjust it to their necessity. Wouldn’t anyone? In the tragedy Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, a Scottish general named Macbeth executes sinful tasks for his prophecy, which was told to him by three witches, to happen as how he heard it from them. By doing so, it prohibits him to be in high spirits as he thought he would be. Guilt and regret are important themes in the play as it weakens Macbeth’s aspiration for success and also weakens his vulgarity. Guilt and regret are balanced with his atrocity which results in the audience being able to judge him as a good person despite his cruelty. Although, he is …show more content…
“One cried, ‘God bless us!’ and ‘Amen,’ the other, as they had seen me with these hangman’s hands. List’ning their fear, I could not say ‘Amen,’ when they did say ‘God bless us” (2.2.30-33).. He is so clouded with guilt that he cannot even bring to himself to say ‘Amen’, and his dreams of becoming heir to the throne slowly dies into despair due to regret and guilt. Due to the fact that he murdered an innocent person just so that his prophecy will become true makes him realize that he will suffer from agonizing pain. “Methought, I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep,” the innocent sleep, Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care, The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath, Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast-” (2.2.39-44). Macbeth is saying that he has murdered sleep and that he will not be able to sleep innocently anymore. He describes sleep as a pain reliever; that it soothes all worries and gives rest to the fatigued laborer and hurt