had
always had cold feet about murdering . If it hadn't been for Ladyegging him on, he'd almost
certainly have chickened out at the last moment. Nevertheless, Macbeth manages to put aside his
reservations long enough to carry out the wicked deed. But even after it's all over, he still
expresses moral qualms over his actions.
The first time that Macbeth meets
his wife after the murder of Duncan, it's perfectly clear that he's racked by guilt. What
disturbs him most of all is the blood that stains his hands. As well as a literal stain, it
constitutes a metaphorical stain on his soul, which has now been blackened by such a foul and
treacherous deed:
Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this
blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas
incarnadine.
Neptune, of course, was the Roman god of the
sea. And not even the entirety of his watery domain, all the oceans of the world, can possibly
wash the blood from Macbeth's hands: such is the enormous burden of guilt that he bears as a
result of his crime.
What's particularly notable here is the element
ofinvolved. Later on, , racked with guilt herself and falling ever deeper into madness, wanders
round the halls of Inverness Castle at night, desperately trying to remove the blood that she
imagines is staining her hands.
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