Guilt is a frustrating feeling ; it evokes regret. self-punishment. and shame. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do non cognize it. but every clip they murder. their guilt additions. and they step nearer to their ruin. Shakespeare uses the imagination of blood in Macbeth to exemplify the inevitable guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and how their functions alteration by the terminal of the drama.

In the beginning of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth seek their best to conceal their scruples. Macbeth commands the stars to “hide your fires ; / Let non light see my black and deep desires” ( 1. 4. 57-58 ) . If the stars hide their visible radiation. Macbeth’s dark desires will be concealed and he will experience no guilt. Lady Macbeth speaks to the liquors and orders them to “unsex me here / And make full me. . . top-full / Of direst inhuman treatment! Make thick my blood. / Stop up the entree and transition to remorse” ( 1. 5. 42-45 ) . Lady Macbeth calls the evil liquors to acquire rid of her female qualities. to do her a adult male. and to conceal her scruples so she will experience no guilt. Both of them know that one time they feel guilt. they will be doomed and found guilty.

After killing Duncan. Macbeth feels extreme guilt. while Lady Macbeth seems to see no guilt at all. Macbeth looks down at his bloody custodies and mumbles. “This is a regretful sight” ( 2. 2. 28 ) . He regrets killing King Duncan. a adult male of great virtuousnesss. and wishes that he could undo his evil act. Macbeth feels so guilty he forgets to go forth the stickers with the guards. He refuses to travel back because he is “afraid to believe what I have done ; / Look on’t once more I dare not” ( 2. 2. 65-66 ) . Macbeth believes his scruples will ne’er allow this awful act go.

He exclaims to Lady Macbeth. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my manus? No. this my manus will instead / The countless seas incarnadine. / Making the green one red” ( 2. 2. 76-79 ) . Macbeth feels that all the oceans in the universe will non rinse away his dishonour for killing the male monarch. On the other manus. Lady Macbeth does non experience any guilt. Lady Macbeth scolds Macbeth and catchs. “My custodies are of your colour. but I shame / To have on a bosom so white. . . . A small H2O clears us of this deed” ( 2. 2. 80-85 ) . Lady Macbeth can non believe that a small thing like killing King Duncan could do Macbeth so fearful.

When it is clip to slay Banquo. Macbeth plans it out himself. This is a immense alteration from King Duncan’s slaying. when Lady Macbeth had to be after it out and so convert Macbeth to travel through with the program. While Banquo is being murdered. Macbeth is hosting a feast for the Godheads. When Banquo’s shade stairss in. Macbeth wonders how Lady Macbeth can “behold such sights. / And maintain the natural ruby of your cheeks” ( 3. 4. 137-138 ) while Macbeth’s cheeks are drained of colour from fright. Even though Macbeth planned out this slaying. and seemed as though his guilt is gone. it still is in his scruples and he despises believing about it. Lady Macbeth. nevertheless. keeps the natural ruby of her cheeks and has no fright of these slayings.

With so much guilt already. Macbeth realizes there is no point in turning back. He says. “I am in blood / Stepp’d in so far that. should I wade no more. / Returning were every bit boring as go o’er” ( 3. 4. 165-167 ) . Macbeth is so close to being king that he might every bit good travel through with it. Macbeth’s attitude seems to alter rather a spot. At this point. Macbeth seems to hold “reset” his scruples and has no job with killing more people. Talking to Lady Macbeth. Macbeth says. “We are yet but immature in deed” ( 3. 4. 173 ) . Macbeth intimations to Lady Macbeth that more violent deaths are on the manner. and that he is no longer afraid to slay.

No affair how difficult Lady Macbeth attempts. the guilt catches up with her. Macbeth has now become immune to slayings and doesn’t seem to experience any guilt. When Macbeth is eventually king. Lady Macbeth starts somnambulating. “Out. damned topographic point! Out. I say! One—two— / why so ‘tis clip to do’t. Hell is cloudy. Fie. my Godhead. fie! . . . . Yet who would / hold thought the old adult male to hold had so much blood in him? ” ( 5. 1. 31-32. 34-35 ) . Lady Macbeth is sing the guilt from killing Duncan by continuously rinsing her custodies in her slumber.

Lady Macbeth besides murmurs. “Here’s the odor of the blood still. All the / aromas of Arabia will non dulcify this small manus. Oh. oh. oh! ” ( 5. 1. 45-47 ) . This once more represents Lady Macbeth’s shame as she can non acquire the guilt out of her caput. Soon afterwards. Lady Macbeth can non take all this guilt any longer and takes her ain life. Macbeth does non look to experience any guilt any longer. Towards the terminal of the drama. before Macbeth dies. he pronounces. “Ring the alarm bell! Blow. air current! Come. wrack! / At least we’ll dice with harness on our back” ( 5. 5. 56-57 ) . Macbeth wants to contend to the really terminal.

From the usage of blood imagination. readers can see the inevitable guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. By the terminal of the drama. the functions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have been switched ; Macbeth seems to be much stronger than earlier. while Lady Macbeth has easy shriveled off to nil from all the guilt. As Macbeth said. “They say blood will hold blood” ( 3. 4. 149 ) . Each clip the Macbeths murdered another individual. they stepped closer to their ruin without recognizing it. Blood imagination provides us cognition of the chief characters and helps us understand the thought of guilt in Macbeth.