Guilt Theme
In ‘Macbeth’, the protagonists’ guilt is presented as an inescapable, isolating and corrosive
force, experienced as a result of disrupting the natural order and defying God’s will. Through
the downfall of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare warns contemporary Jacobean
audiences that the sacrilegious crime of regicide will inevitably lead to retribution and
destruction.
Shakespeare presents guilt as retribution for Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s brutal murder of
King Duncan, which disrupts the natural order and violates the divine right of kings, in order
to warn Jacobean audiences of the terrible consequences of sacrilegious regicide.
● “A falcon tow’ring in her pride of place was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed”
○ Parallel with D’s murder, D= majestic, noble and M = inferior, unworthy,
overreaching, usurped position of his rightful superior
○ Inversion of the natural food chain implies that the act of regicide has
disrupted the natural order by allowing a subordinate creature, a “mousing
owl” to displace its superior “falcon” in a position of power. This mirrors the
way in which Macbeth has usurped the position of his rightful king, Duncan,
and implies that the murder not only disrupts the divine right of kings, but the
natural order itself
● “Silver skin laced with his golden blood”
○ Verb of decoration, use of precious metal, gold
○ Semantic field of luxury emphasises Duncan’s royalty, nobility, elevates his
holiness, beauty + fragility of Duncan, unreal, holy, angelic. Royalty of Duncan
as rightful king, disruption of divine right of kings. Also, elevation of Duncan to
holy figure, his murder is sacrilegious, against God and against moral
awareness and against human nature.
● “His virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued against the deep damnation” of
his murder
○ Simile, “trumpet-tongued” = metaphor, terrified of his evil deed being
broadcast to the world, scared of losing his public image, of shame, fear of
accusation.
○ “Angels”=holiness, innocence, virtue, “deep damnation”: due to treasonous,
sacrilegious acts (divine right of kings), fear of Hell. Plays into Jacobean
fears of eternal retribution for sins committed because people were very
religious, believed fervently in heaven and hell.
○ Demonstrates how Macbeth’s moral conscience and religious terror of
retribution restrain his ambition
○ Alliteration creates auditory quality which further emphasises Macbeth’s fear
of accusation and of “damnation”
As retribution for their act against the divine and natural order, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
become consumed by guilt, although they experience it differently. Macbeth’s remorse
creates a terror of accusation and retribution which drives him into an inescapable cycle of
paranoid violence.
● “[Forces] shall blow the horrid deed in every eye”
In ‘Macbeth’, the protagonists’ guilt is presented as an inescapable, isolating and corrosive
force, experienced as a result of disrupting the natural order and defying God’s will. Through
the downfall of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare warns contemporary Jacobean
audiences that the sacrilegious crime of regicide will inevitably lead to retribution and
destruction.
Shakespeare presents guilt as retribution for Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s brutal murder of
King Duncan, which disrupts the natural order and violates the divine right of kings, in order
to warn Jacobean audiences of the terrible consequences of sacrilegious regicide.
● “A falcon tow’ring in her pride of place was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed”
○ Parallel with D’s murder, D= majestic, noble and M = inferior, unworthy,
overreaching, usurped position of his rightful superior
○ Inversion of the natural food chain implies that the act of regicide has
disrupted the natural order by allowing a subordinate creature, a “mousing
owl” to displace its superior “falcon” in a position of power. This mirrors the
way in which Macbeth has usurped the position of his rightful king, Duncan,
and implies that the murder not only disrupts the divine right of kings, but the
natural order itself
● “Silver skin laced with his golden blood”
○ Verb of decoration, use of precious metal, gold
○ Semantic field of luxury emphasises Duncan’s royalty, nobility, elevates his
holiness, beauty + fragility of Duncan, unreal, holy, angelic. Royalty of Duncan
as rightful king, disruption of divine right of kings. Also, elevation of Duncan to
holy figure, his murder is sacrilegious, against God and against moral
awareness and against human nature.
● “His virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued against the deep damnation” of
his murder
○ Simile, “trumpet-tongued” = metaphor, terrified of his evil deed being
broadcast to the world, scared of losing his public image, of shame, fear of
accusation.
○ “Angels”=holiness, innocence, virtue, “deep damnation”: due to treasonous,
sacrilegious acts (divine right of kings), fear of Hell. Plays into Jacobean
fears of eternal retribution for sins committed because people were very
religious, believed fervently in heaven and hell.
○ Demonstrates how Macbeth’s moral conscience and religious terror of
retribution restrain his ambition
○ Alliteration creates auditory quality which further emphasises Macbeth’s fear
of accusation and of “damnation”
As retribution for their act against the divine and natural order, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
become consumed by guilt, although they experience it differently. Macbeth’s remorse
creates a terror of accusation and retribution which drives him into an inescapable cycle of
paranoid violence.
● “[Forces] shall blow the horrid deed in every eye”
