Comparing the effect of conscience on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Author:Cambridge university press Series Editor:Rex gibson

Essay by aliy525510Junior High, 8th gradeA-, August 2005

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Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are two interesting characters. In this play their conscience plays with them in different parts of the play. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is a man with a clear conscience until his thoughts are gradually corrupted by his wife.

When the king enters Macbeth's castle, the day the plan was going to take place Macbeth thinks about the reasons why he shouldn't go on with the plan, he says, "first, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed; then, as a host, who against his murderer shut his door, not bear the knife myself ".(Scene 7, Act 1, line 13-16) Number one he says, he is my cousin, he is my king, and I am his kinsman. He has been so good to me how can I kill him. He also says, I am his host, when a guest comes to a host's house the host will treat the person with care and make the person comfortable.

He can't kill him. And besides he is a nice king and a nice person who has full confidence in me, I am not going through with this. His conscience is telling him that he shouldn't do it because for the reasons. Here we see that his conscience is slowly coming back. He has a conscience whereas Lady Macbeth doesn't at this point of the play.

Macbeth's first thought of guilt appears directly after he commits the king Duncan's murder and says to Lady Macbeth, "Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore , Cawdor shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more"(Act 2, scene 2, lines 45).

The statement that "Macbeth shall sleep no more," is showing that Macbeth's conscience will never forget this. Macbeth knows consciencly that killing Duncan is...