MaCbEtH
... great Neptune's ocean [will not] wash this blood / Clean from my hand" (Act II, Scene ii, lines 60-61). Mac Beth is a horrible monster and a sensitive man-a victim of the witches and his own ambitions. He hires men to kill his best friend, Banquo. He wants the men to kill Banquo's young son, Fleance, too, but Fleance escapes. He sends men to kill Mac Duff's wife and children too. Having taken the crown by murder, he keeps it by deception. He plants spies in all the nobles' homes and spreads lies about Malcolm, who should rightfully inherit the throne. More crimes are referred to but not specified. Mac Beth rules by terror, since he does not deserve-or have-anybody's loyalty. Describing Scotland under Macbeth's rule, Macduff says, "Each new morn / New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows / Strike heaven on the face..." (Act IV, Scene iii, lines 4-6). Mac Beth's guilt is even blacker because the He is never able to enjoy the crown he has taken. He experiences nothing but anguish. That simply because he is afraid of losing the crown, and because his conscience is bothering him. When he murders Banquo, Mac Beth is still in torment, but the cause of his anguish seems to have changed. He is afraid of Banquo, because Banquo knows about the witches and because the witches predicted that his descendents would be kings. You can see how much his crimes have cost Macbeth. His reaction to Lady Macbeth's death is a sign of complete despair- all feeling is dead in him. His famous speech upon hearing of her suicide-"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow..." (Act V, Scene v, l...