In Macbeth, guilt is presented as a psychological force which torments Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, ultimately leading to the suicide of Lady Macbeth, and the tragic descent of Macbeth. Through this, Shakespeare demonstrates the severity of actions like regicide, and shows that guilt is an eternal consequence that will plague you till the day you die. Guilt is presented as an immediate and powerful force, shown by Macbeth's immediate regret after the murder of Duncan. In act 2 scene 2, after murdering Duncan and returning to his chambers, he hears knocking and says 'Wake Duncan with thy knocking, I would thou couldst'. Despite not even being caught for the murder yet, Macbeth expresses extreme amounts of guilt and regret, shown by his hopeless longing to bring Duncan back to life 'would thou couldst'. The consequences of guilt are also shown in this scene where Macbeth says 'Macbeth does murder sleep'. 'Sleep' is a symbol of innocence and rest, two things Macbeth will never experience due to his constant feeling of guilt. Perhaps Shakespeare presents the effect of guilt in this way to serve as a warning to a Jacobean audience who may have been considering regicide to return the country to Catholicism We also see ideas about guilt presented through Lady Macbeth. Originally, Lady Macbeth undermines the immense psychological toll of guilt, shown through her dismissive statement of 'a little water clears us of this deed'. The initial attitudes of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth contrast each other at this point in the play. For example, Lady Macbeth believes that a 'little water' is enough to clear their name, while Macbeth understands that even 'all great Neptune's ocean' won't be enough to rid them both of the guilt. The hyperbolic imagery from Macbeth emphasises the fact that no matter what they do, the guilt will follow them forever. Shakespeare uses this sharp contrast in attitudes towards guilt because later on, Lady Macbeth is affected even worse than Macbeth by guilt. Shakespeare does this to show that guilt is not something that can be escaped, and arguably the more you try to hide it, the worse the effects will be. In the extract, we see Macbeth attempting to subdue his guilt by deciding to continue his tyrannical actions. He talks about how he has 'scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it' which is a metaphor implying that Macbeth must keep killing in order to secure his throne. Although he belittles the guilt that will come with the murders, he acknowledges how him and Lady Macbeth 'eat in fear' and 'sleep in the affliction of terrible dreams'. Macbeth's statement connotes a sense of paranoia, showing that unease and constant worry are by-products of guilt. Shakespeare demonstrates that once struck by guilt, it invokes other problems and suspicions, leading to a never ending cycle of violence to try and escape the guilt. Finally, we see the full extent of the power of guild in Act 5, Scene 5, where Lady Macbeth's actions finally catch up to her. While sleepwalking, she says 'Out! Out damned spot!' which is representative of her guilt because she is pretending to wash her hands. The 'spot' refers to blood - a recurring symbol of guilt throughout the play. Now, Lady Macbeth is more comparable to Macbeth in Act 2 Scene 2, despite originally being contrasted with him. Her mimicry of washing her hands shows that 'a little water' was indeed not enough to rid her of her guilt, and just like Macbeth, she ponders if 'all arabias perfumes will sweeten this scent'. Soon after, we learn that Lady Macbeth is dead. The fact that Lady Macbeth now feels guilt and possibly commits suicide from this guilt, is a message from Shakespeare about the fatal consequences of guilt, and how it will fester and build up until eventually it leads to your downfall.