Explain how, after this act of murder, guilt begins to undermine both Macbeth and his wife and how this guilt affects the development of their characters and events of the rest of the play.

Just before the murder takes place in act two scene one Lady Macbeth talks Macbeth into killing King Duncan. On his way his soliloquy comes into play I believe that the violence of the act he is about to carry out makes him see physical shapes in this way. Macbeth does not know whether the dagger is real or not. He questions what he can see by saying, "Either my eyes are stupid compared to all the other senses, or else they are more believable than all the rest."

This could show us that he is not in control of himself and that all is not going well because this is a perverted incident.

Macbeth was written in 1605 by William Shakespeare whilst James the first was king. James the first was a Scottish king who had just survived an assassination effort by Guy Fawkes. King James must have been pleased that the play showed Macbeth punished by death after the slaughter of King Duncan. Shakespeare presents to us the idea of kingship, which is less easy for a modern person to understand. He is writing of his ideas and the ideas more or less around at the time on good and sin. People believed that there was an order in which things stood. For example they believed God ruled earth so he was at the top and next on the list would be his angels then people in heaven then humans. King Duncan was a human just like Macbeth but he was seen as better since they believed god put him there as king. Macbeth went against this order and by doing this he put himself at the same level as god. Shakespeare has written the play so that Macbeth dies at the end this was to show people that god did not allow him to be at the same level as himself.

Macbeth committed a terrible crime of obscurity by murdering King Duncan. Lady Macbeth imagines that washing here hands from blood will wash away the guiltiness she carries. In act 1 scene 2 Macbeth is described as "brave", "valiant" and "heroic" and everybody admires him. The fact that such a immense warrior and killer of men is also lost in horrifying guilt indicates the full extent of the evil he has committed. Macbeth is so guilty that he cannot say "amen." "Now, the need for amen" which he can't speak and the fact that even the ocean cannot clean him, suggests a state of total doom. From the text we see that Macbeth is regretting what he has done "This is a sorry sight." In this scene Macbeth is not such a secure man and he lacks confidence.

Macbeth lacks confidence regarding his position. So far Lady Macbeth has been the more dominate of the two. Macbeth is keeping himself to himself and gloomy on the crime committed. He goes to see the witches to conclude his future. They tell him "For none of woman born shall harm Macbeth." He at this instant believes he is unconquerable and that he cannot be killed in a battle. This insight has pleased him but at the shut of this scene he curses the witches and unknowingly himself, "Dam all those that trust them." He is cautious of Banquos son's because the witches mentioned that they would be his successors. He decides to kill them. Is this the behaviour of a worried man?

Immediately after the murder of King Duncan Lady Macbeth does not seem affected by regret. But we see Lady Macbeth's situation changing in act three. For Lady Macbeth it is the start of her breakdown. She takes control individually one more time at the banquet in act 3 scene4, and then she is weighed down by guilt and regret for the deluge of evil she has helped to perform. After this scene Macbeth no longer has Lady Macbeth by his side to help him carry on. But this does not worry him because Lady Macbeth's and Macbeth's roles have reversed, Macbeth is now stronger after what he has heard from the witches. By act five Lady Macbeth becomes feeble "Banquo's buried: he cannot come out one's grave."

We as the spectators are familiar with who is behind this monstrous crime! Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. We through out the performance see their guilt of this murder as well as their judgment upon it and this is what controls them.

Their actions and speeches after killing king Duncan are therefore the main events behind the plot of the tragedy Macbeth. Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy to mirror the state of Macbeth and his graved mind. The natural world in the area of him is troubled (Pathetic fallacy). For example when he went to see the witches for the second time after killing king Duncan Shakespeare writes that there is 'thunder' outside of the cave where Macbeth and the witches meet. Macbeth is filled with fear at the beginning of the play but as time passes his fear turns to insanity and extreme anxiety.

I believe Macbeth was a fearless, gallant and daring man and people would have admired him if he did not kill king Duncan or cheat his oldest, loyalist friend Banquo. But I feel Macbeth's agony and dream to become king was overpowering for him and he did not want to carry on with his normal life. Through this aggressive will to succeed and Lady Macbeth's last push he killed Duncan. But after reading about kingship I realised what he did was far worse than what I first thought. Banquo warned him not to listen to the witches he said "What! can the devil speak true?"

With this thought of kingship in mind I know see that Macbeth was doing the devils labour for him. For this I think he deserves everlasting agony. James the first would of liked this play because it would make people believe they should not try to kill him. This would of pleased him because he may of felt safe that no one would try to assassinate him again.

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