Explore how and why is guilt important for our understanding of Macbeth as a whole.

Question

1. You will be required to submit a thesis statement that will preview what your main argument about your topic will be: My topic is Guilt. I have written a thesis, but not sure if it is correct.
2. While mainly Macbeth is driven from guilt through every hideous action he participates in, it leads many other characters to act irrationally. Because Guilt deals with the central idea of ambition and its consequences in the play, Shakespeare presents guilt as a force that makes people desperate and powerless and further emphasises the immorality of Duncan's murder on each character.

Answer 1

I like your thesis and agree with it. You could so far as to say that Guilt is a character in Macbeth, like a devil on the shoulders of most of the main players. I think the way you are personifying guilt is smart and will add to your argument, but it could be clearer. Maybe something like this:

While Macbeth clearly feels the guilt from the hideous acts he committed, guilt itself leads many other characters to act irrationally. Because guilt is tied to the central idea of ambition and its consequences in the play, Shakespeare presents quilt as a force that makes people desperate, powerless, and further emphasizes the lasting effects of Duncan's murder on each central character. Guilt is another main character in the play.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I like your thesis quite a bit! I also think you are correct about guilt as a motivator for Hamlet... and others. I would want to clean up (grammatically) your last sentence and use it as your introductory sentence. It is REALLY the essence of the play! Let me know if you need some help tweaking this a bit. I see that you presented this several days ago, so you probably have it all cleaned up!