Role of Guilt and Shame on Othello, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth - Essay Example

Role of Guilt and Shame on Othello, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth In Shakespeare’s drama Othello, Othello is a Venetian general of an African descend. Despite being a Moor, Othello rose to the generalship level for being rationally judgmental and courageous in matters of war. Outside his military undertakings, Othello was deeply in love with his wife Desdemona. During a war with the Turks, Othello is foolishly tricked by one of his captains into believing that his wife was having an affair with his Lieutenant. Out of an inflamed jealousy, Othello kills his wife, only to realize that he had had been misinformed. After murdering his wife, the general fell into despair and shame, and ended up committing suicide. With respect to Shakespeare’s drama Macbeth, Macbeth is a successful general who through a series of treacherous acts would later ascend to the medieval Scottish throne. In an effort to claim the Scottish throne and prevent some undesirable prophesies from witches, Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth organized a series of murders and assassinations targeting King Duncan and his probable heirs (Shakespeare 52). Out of guilt and shame attributed to the treacherous acts, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are haunted by troubled consciences, initiating their fateful endings. Admittedly, the emotive forces of shame and guilt played similar roles in directing Othello, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to their early graves. Guilt vs. Shame Prior to analyzing the roles of shame and guilt in influencing the characters’ thoughts and behavioral responses, it is worth developing a comprehensive appreciation of shame and guilt, especially from theoretical perspectives. Despite being used interchangeably, shame and guilt have slightly distinct meanings. Guilt is the general unpleasantness resulting from having done something morally wrong. Actions that trigger guilt are often forgivable; hence guilty persons can overcome their unpleasant feelings by simply correct their behaviors (Wagner 49). On the other hand, shame is an internal emotion that persons experience whenever they feel that they are deeply flawed and unworthy of love and social inclusion. Shame usually emerges whenever a guilt-related action has been discovered by other members of the society. After discovery of their wrongful deeds, guilty persons develop inescapable feelings of disgrace in the eyes of others. Often, such disgraceful perceptions from others cannot be easily dispelled because of the weight of an underlying wrongful deed (Wagner 51). In response, shameful persons become anxious and depressed, leading to behaviors like social withdrawal, aggression, and even suicide. Othello’s Shame and Guilt In practical contexts, guilty and shameful persons tend to emotionally cave in under the weights of troubled consciences; hence engaging in destructive thoughts, feelings and behaviors as witnessed in the main characters of Shakespeare’s dramas Othello and Macbeth. At the beginning of the drama Othello, the Venetian general had given his wife Desdemona a handkerchief as a symbol of fidelity. However, the deceptive captain named Lago would later use the handkerchief as a proof for Desdemona’s alleged affair with the lieutenant (Smith 18). After Emilia pieced together the circumstantial evidence of the alleged infidelity, she proved that Lago had lied and that Othello had murdered his wife out of unfounded jealously. In an effort to retain his honor, Othello tired to convince Emilia otherwise. Unfortunately, the undesirable truth of having wrongfully murdered his wife caught up with Othello. In response, Othello defensively tried to attack Lago, who fled the scene after stabbing Emilia. Out of shame and despair for the despicable deed, Othello wished himself eternal torture by saying, “whip me, ye devils…roast me in sulfur, wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire” (Smith 24). Shortly, Othello stabs himself in the chest, and died besides his wife. In this context, it is apparent that Othello’s suicide is primarily attributable to the irreparable feelings of guilt and particularly shame for mistakenly murdering his wife. Macbeth’s Shame and Guilt With respect to the story of Macbeth, the desire to swiftly become King inspired Macbeth to stab King Duncan and frame the King’s guards. After murdering the King, Macbeth feels extremely guilty for the wrongful deed. At first, Macbeth appeared a courageous man, especially in battle. In fact, Macbeth was a gallant soldier who had killed several enemies in battlefields. However, the weight of having murdered his King in order to hasten fulfillment of the witches’ prophecies troubled him to an extent of becoming insomniac. At night, Macbeth suffered the emotional discomfort of having committed a heinous crime just to become King. In Act 2 of the play, Macbeth says, “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep” (Shakespeare 39). In this context, it is apparent that the guilt of having committed murder tormented Macbeth even at his bed. After revealing the murder to his wife Lady Macbeth, Macbeth says, “What hands are here? Ha, they pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” (Shakespeare 45). At this juncture, is becomes evident that Macbeth is not longer troubled by guilt alone but also by shame. Macbeth feels unworthy of the Roman god of sea Neptune’s forgiveness. After Macbeth’s treacherous act became known to Malcolm, Macbeth flew into a rage. At first, Macbeth seeks assistance from the witches. Unfortunately, the witches failed to predict as to whether Macbeth is free from harm related to his hand in the King’s murder. In this context, the twisted prediction not only increased Macbeth’s anxiety, but also exacerbated the shame of being disgracefully perceived by the public upon revelation of his treacherous acts. Moreover, Lady Macbeth’s death exponentially increased Macbeth’s anxiety and aggression regarding the despicable nature of his crimes. In an effort to aggressively dispel his shame, Macbeth went into battle against Malcolm (Shakespeare 62). Unfortunately, Macbeth is defeated and killed by Malcolm. In this regard, it is acknowledgeable that guilt and shame played significant roles in driving Macbeth to his early grave. Lady Macbeth’s Shame and Guilt Undeniably, Lady Macbeth is not without guilt and shame. Technically, Lady Macbeth was the architect of the treacherous acts that Macbeth committed in order to assume the Scottish throne. After learning of the witches’ prediction, Lady Macbeth was alarmed that Macbeth was too compassionate to commit a treacherous act as a means to achieving an end. In an effort to force Macbeth’s hand to commit murder, Lady Macbeth threatened her husband to take away her love if he fails to tame his cowardice. Out of fear of losing his wife, Macbeth killed King Duncan. After the murder, both Macbeth and his wife are consumed by guilt (Cox and Gray 103). After Macbeth said, “What hands are here? Ha, they pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” Lady Macbeth responded by saying, “My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white” (Shakespeare 60). In this context, Lady Macbeth is bemoaning her role in the King’s murder. After the murder, Lady Macbeth experiences subsequent confusions coupled with frequent sleepwalking. At one point in Act 5, Lady Macbeth says, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say” In this context, Lady Macbeth is severely delusional as she keeps seeing blood stains that she could not clean. Out of delusional stupor coupled with mild insanity, Lady Macbeth commits suicide shortly before his husband engaged in the defensive battle. In this context, it is agreeable that Lady Macbeth’s delusional state and suicide were primarily motivated by the feelings of shame and guilt. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the emotive forces of guilt and shame severely imprisoned the minds and souls of characters like Othello, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the two Shakespeare’s dramas. Primarily, murder was the main cause of shame and guilt in all the three characters. After mistakenly murdering his wife, Othello would soon slip into anguish and emotional turmoil to an extent that he wished himself eternal punishment shortly before committing suicide. In addition, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are caught within an inescapable web of blood-stained hands and surrounded by pools of blood for the multiple murders they committed in order to rise and maintain their position at the Scottish throne. In this context, it is agreeable that innocent blood in the hands of all the three Shakespearean characters initiated the feelings of deep guilt and shame. Eventually, guilt and shame would later trigger suicidal thoughts and behaviors as witnessed in Othello and Lady Macbeth, and aggressive reactions demonstrated by Macbeth. Works Cited Cox, John and Gray, Patrick. Shakespeare and Renaissance Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014. Print. Shakespeare, William. Macbeth: With Contemporary Criticism. 7th Ed. Pittsburg: Ignatius Press, 2010. Print. Smith, Harry. Othello: A Study Commentary. London: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print. Wagner, Peter. Self-conscious emotions: Psychology of shame, guilt, embarrassment, and pride. Journal of Social Psychology, 61.4 (2009): 48-69. Read More