Macbeth
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“The greatest grieves are those we cause ourselves.” This quote by Sophocles is saying that the things you most regret are the things you, yourself choose to do. If you do something to someone else, not only do you hurt another person, or other people, but also you hurt yourself. If someone else hurts you, you feel pain but not as much as having the guilt and pain of hurting other people walking around with you on your shoulders. This quote is true in everyday like still today. In the play “MacBeth,” by William Shakespeare, there are many examples of grief
shown by the people in the play.
The play “MacBeth,” by William Shakespeare, shows an example of what regret and wrongdoing feels like. When Lady MacBeth found out that her beloved husband, MacBeth, was to eventually be king of Scotland, she knew he had to take the throne right away and to do so; she must kill the present king, Duncan. Lady MacBeth and MacBeth came up with a plan to secretly kill Duncan so that Macbeth can claim the throne. After going through with the act of murdering the king and not being caught, the grief soon got to Lady MacBeth. She started sleepwalking, and talking in her sleep. She tried to wash blood off of her hands that she thought was there only because of the grief she had felt about killing an innocent, great king for a selfish act. “The thane of Fife had a wife; where is she now? What, will these hands neer be clean? No more o that, my lord, no more o that: you mar all with this starting.” This quote by Lady Macbeth in the play refers to her guilt she hides. She says this while sleepwalking and she is saying that the thane of Fife, MacDuffs, which was one of King Duncans nobleman and a thought to be threat to MacBeth, wife is dead. MacBeth had sent someone to kill MacDuffs family so there would be less of a threat towards him. Lady Macbeth clearly feels guilty and cannot let it go. She also refers to her hands being clean. She means her hands being clean of the blood from the night when she sent MacBeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth has hurt herself in putting herself through all of this for a title for her husband and people are also dead because of the selfishness of her and MacBeth.