What is guilt and what major impact does it have in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare? Guilt is defined as the fact or state of having offended someone or Guilt may cause a person to have trouble sleeping and difficulty inrelationships with others. The effects of guilt tie into Macbeth with the theme of nightand darkness. Guilt causes the main characters’ consciences to overcome them mentallyand physically causing their downfalls. In the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare,the recurring theme of night and darkness is used to symbolize guilt and conscience suchas when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth want the darkness to conceal their evil deeds and inthe end, when Lady Macbeth is afraid of the darkness and nighttime. In Act I, after King Duncan names Malcolm the Prince of Cumberland, Macbethis already plotting to kill Duncan. He asks the darkness to come and hide his evil deedsso no one would see the terrible thing he was about to do. He says “Stars, hide your fires;let not light see my black and deep desires: The eye wink at the hand; yet let that bewhich the eye fears, when it is done, to see” (Act I, scene iv, ll.50-53). This isdemonstrated again after the murder of Banquo when Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth“Come, seeling night, scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day, and with thy bloody andinvisible hand cancel and tear to pieces that great bond which keeps me pale”(Act III,scene ii, ll.46-50). This quote from the play also shows the importance of night anddarkness to Macbeth’s plot of killing Banquo. He is asking the night to come and hideand cover up the things he has done to Banquo. These examples from Macbeth show thatthroughout the play, Macbeth wants the darkness to conceal his evil deeds. Lady Macbeth also asks the night to come upon her and hide her by the darkestsmoke of hell. She doesn’t want to be seen as she and Macbeth commit their terribledeeds. She wants the night to hide he...
