A Guilty Conscience free essay sample

Guilt can manifest itself within a person’s mind in many different ways. To comprehend all the effects and resulting symptoms of a guilty conscience can be nearly impossible. However, the great psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud developed theories long ago that are still the basis for much of the modern psychoanalytical thought. Even more impressive however, is that within Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there are several characters that convey his clear comprehension of theories proposed hundreds of years after his literary works were even written. Shakespeare’s literary genius is that he understood the psychological makeup of humans long before Freud. He demonstrates this understanding through his portrayal of guilt’s effect on the human psyche of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, and Macduff, as well as his depiction of how guilt can be effective if acknowledged. Shakespeare’s clear comprehension of guilt’s effect on human behavior is most obvious in his characterization of Lady Macbeth as a hysteric. We will write a custom essay sample on A Guilty Conscience or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Initially, Lady Macbeth is seen as a strong female character who is able to block the murder of King Duncan from her memory fairly easily. This is seen in her conversation with Macbeth following the murder of Duncan when she says, â€Å"These deeds must not be thought/After these ways. So, it will make us mad† (II, ii, 45-46). This statement is significant because it causes the audience to initially view Lady Macbeth as a very cold hearted woman, who is not rent with any intense feelings of guilt. However as the play progresses, Lady Macbeth’s behavior becomes more like that of a hysteric. Although there is no verbal, conscience recognition of her wrongdoing, Shakespeare makes it obvious that her â€Å"pathogenic memories and feelings [are] dissociated†¦the actual content of [those] memories [are] disturbing, unacceptable, and in conflict with the rest of [her] ideas and feelings Freud [sees] hysterics as people rent with conflicts and harboring secrets from themselves as well as from others† (Mitchell). Although her character seemed stronger than Macbeth, as her defenses being to fail, nagging feelings of guilt overtake Lady Macbeth and reduce her to the sleep walking figure that is seen in Act 5. Although Lady Macbeth is mostly able to repress her guilty feelings when conscious, her sleepwalking shows that guilt consumed her unconscious mind. Moreover, Freud’s hypothesis on hysterics and their behavior stemmed from the belief that actions and memories could be repressed by a person’s superego; the part of a human’s unconscious mind that provokes feelings of guilt because of the reactions of those around them. This repression of guilt or guilty feelings will fester only to rise to the surface in the form of disconcerting and seemingly inexplicable symptoms (Mitchell). Therefore, Shakespeare’s clearest understanding of this repression is the description of Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking and obsessive hand washing. The oppression of shame can cause pathological behavior such as obsessive hand washing rituals experienced by Lady Macbeth as she mumbles ‘Out, damned spot, out†¦Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand’ (V, i, 37-55), a guilty reaction to Duncan’s murder. The repetitive hand washing ritual exemplifies how guilt can drive a person mad (â€Å"Three Theories of Conscience†). This quote is said during Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene, and it is significant in that the hyperbole shows how she has been broken by her guilt. Furthermore, the obsessive hand washing ritual used by her subconscious to rid her of the guilt also demonstrates how her obsession with Duncan’s murder, and the other murders Macbeth committed without telling her, consumes her. Ultimately, washing her hands did nothing to relieve her grief, so to appease her guilty conscience, Lady Macbeth commits suicide Based on this synthesis of Freud’s theory on hysterics, it is apparent that Shakespeare understood hysterics and their behaviors long before the hypothesis was made by Freud. Through his characterization of Macduff and how guilt both positively and negatively affected the character’s psyche, Shakespeare proves that he also understood the more modern theory of neurotic guilt. Neurotic guilt, or survivor’s guilt, is defined as having feelings of guilt for surviving a tragedy in which others died. In Macduff’s case he had fled Scotland to find refuge for himself, but this left his family in danger. When Ross gives Macduff the news of his family’s death, Macduff cries, â€Å"I cannot remember such things were that were most precious to me†¦Sinful Macduff,/They were all struck for thee! Naught that I am,/ Not for their own demerits, but for mine,/Fell slaughter on their souls† (IV, iii, 262-267). This quote is important because it expresses how Macduff feels as though his family was harmed due to his actions against the king. Therefore, if he had at least been there with them, then he would have been murdered as well. Thus, the â€Å"survivor’s guilt† Shakespeare is conveying comes from a situation where Macduff feels guilty about an event that he had no chance of averting, and an event for which he feels obsessively responsible for no rational reason (â€Å"Guilt and Shame†). Furthermore, Macduff feels as though he himself must avenge his family’s death by being the man to slay Macbeth; another response of the human psyche as caused by neurotic guilt. He states prior to his battle with Macbeth, â€Å"If thou beest slain, and with no stroke of mine,/My wife and children’s ghosts will haunt me still† (V, vii, 20-21). This quote acknowledges the guilt Macduff feels, the guilt becomes effective in his actions against Macbeth. Macduff believes the only way to rid himself of guilt and avenge his family’s death is to kill Macbeth himself, or else he will be haunted by their ghosts. Shakespeare makes it apparent that he understands how neurotic guilt affects the psyche into feeling responsible for a death as well as possibly seeking revenge for it. Shakespeare’s understanding is further seen in his analysis of how guilt affects Macbeth’s id, ego, and super ego. Macbeth’s subconscious desire to become king of Scotland is his id, or what Freud theorized to be the unconscious wishes and impulses that are in conflict with the defenses of the mind (Mitchell). When the play first begins, the audience views Macbeth as a great war hero who is pressured by his wife into committing Duncan’s murder. This murder causes Macbeth much grief, as seen when Macbeth returns from Duncan’s bedroom and says, â€Å"Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep’-the innocent sleep†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœGlamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore/Cawdor/Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more’†(II, ii, 47-57). This obvious hallucination of a non existing voice proves that Macbeth feels immediate guilt for the murder he has just committed. The reader can infer that the natural reaction of guilt means that for now, Macbeth’s ego, or his ability to control internal drive pressures in the face of reality, is still present. However as the play continues, Macbeth’s ego becomes weighed down by his severe super ego that he begins to demonstrate behaviors such as obsession and compulsion. Hence his capability to murder continuously as his id and super ego are constantly in battle with no arbitration from the ego (Mitchell). Shakespeare’s understanding of the human psyche continues past ego psychoanalysis to delve into how Macbeth’s defenses suppress his guilt.