MACBETH - Guilt and Madness

“But wherefore could I not pronounce ‘Amen’?”

2.2 Religious imagery – Macbeth feels cut off from God and forgiveness

“I had most need of blessing, and ‘Amen’ / Stuck in my throat.”

2.2 Metaphor – inability to pray shows deep guilt and spiritual blockage

“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?”

2.2 Hyperbole + rhetorical question – guilt is overwhelming and permanent

“A little water clears us of this deed.”

2.2 Dramatic irony – Lady Macbeth underestimates guilt

“Out, damned spot! out, I say!”

5.1 Exclamative – mental collapse; guilt manifests as hallucination

“Never shake thy gory locks at me.”

3.4 Imagery – Banquo’s ghost represents Macbeth’s guilt

“If good, why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair”

1.3 Rhetorical question + violent imagery – shows early mental disturbance

“Are you a man?”

3.4 Repetition of manipulation – psychological pressure contributes to instability

“Double, double toil and trouble”

4.1 Repetition – witches create chaos; reflects Macbeth’s mental disorder