"Out, damn'd spot! out, I say!—One; two: why, then 'tis time to do't.—Hell is murky.—Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow'r to accompt?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?" (Macbeth. Act 5 Scene 1)

This is Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene. As she is unconscious, Lady Macbeth replays the scene of the day that King Duncan was murdered by her husband, Macbeth. The doctor and the gentle woman over hear her reenactment, and wonder what worries her.

Lady Macbeth had once scorned Macbeth for worrying about the stained blood on him from killing King Duncan, but she is now experiencing the same hallucination that he once had. Not only is the imaginary blood stained on her skin, it is now stained in her conscience.


Lady Macbeth has come to the realization that the murder of Duncan was a very wrong thing to do. Just like her husband, she is now overriding with guilt from the event. Even the thought of hiding her worry is taking over her. She is beginning to regret everything she has done and wishes she could wash all of the blood and horror away.

I can almost relate to Lady Macbeth.... almost. I don't mean the whole *murdering someone and not feeling guilty about it* part, but more of the *doing actions without thinking about it first, and then feeling bad about it later* part. All she cared about was gaining a spot in royalty, and she did whatever she had to in order to get what she wanted. In all honesty, I sometimes do just that. If I really wanted to be first to get a slice of pizza, I'll do whatever I can to get it.
I know it's not exactly the best relation to her, but at least I can relate to her somehow.

“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” (Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 2)

Stained.The blood is stained all too well.
So harsh on the skin; so harsh on the mind.
Will he be able to wash it away?
Will he be able to wash away the guilt?
What's done is done - there's no turning back.


Stained.

The blood is stained.
So harsh on the skin; so harsh on the mind.
Will he be able to wash away the blood?
Will he be able to wash away the guilt?
What's done is done - there's no turning back.






In this scene, we have witnessed Macbeth's murder of King Duncan. Macbeth feels panicked, stunned, and guilty all at once. Once the murder was done, Macbeth was covered in blood. His wife, Lady Macbeth, was able to convince him to wash up his clothes and face - but simply washing away blood will not clear away the guilt he has soon to face.


Everyone feels guilt at least once in their lifetime. I know I've felt guilty for something I've done. It's something we all face, whether we want to or not. We feel guilt when we realize (or believe) that we have done something morally wrong. There was a time when I blamed my sister for something that she didn't do. At first I didn't really care that she got in trouble, but afterwards I felt so guilty for putting the blame on my poor 6 year old sister. I knew it wasn't right, so I told my dad the truth about the situation.
*In the play, Macbeth does not tell anyone that he murdered King Duncan. He keeps the secret all to himself (and his wife, Lady Macbeth), and holds the guilt inside him.