Mack's fear of conscience
Fear, no one likes it, and yet, it still exists among the human race. As a feeling engendered deep within a mind, fear strongly motivates someone to escape from his source terror. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth's deep fear of his own conscience leaves him with an empty soul at the end of the play and reflects the power of fear on one's mind. Macbeth's terror disturbed mind causes him to flee from his own feelings. Desperately escaping from fear, he eventually attempts to numb his conscience with more horrid deeds. He is both afraid to know himself and afraid to comprehend his crimes. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth doesn't want to understand himself and is afraid to cope with his conscience. Fear grasps him from within, forcing him to turn his back on his own feelings. When Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to return the daggers to the crime scene, he replies, "I am afraid to think what I have done. / Look on 't again I dare not" (2.2.66-667). Macbeth is fearful to admit to his deed because he is unable to have direct communication with his conscience. Since "fleeing" is the first reaction associated with fear, Macbeth's consternatio
The power of fear is proven when Macbeth transforms into a callous man who is completely "empty" inside. When he hears the voice of women's cries, Macbeth admits, "I have supped full with horrors . . . [d]ireness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts, / Cannot once start me" (5.5.15-17). Macbeth has successfully hardened his conscience to be unemotional towards all matters. He thinks he has finally reached peace of mind where fear is tasteless and "direness" cannot startle him. Yet, his mind is filled with "slaughterous thoughts" that would only live in the mind of those who had lost their morality. The man "full o' th' milk of human kindness" (1.5.17) is nowhere to be seen. Still, Macbeth proudly announces, "I have almost forgot the taste of fears" (5.5.11). He doesn't realize that he has also forgotten what it was like to be a real human being. Fear, possessed by all members of the human race, doesn't exist within him anymore. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth is afraid to acknowledge his own crime. His desperate attempts to obstruct his conscience succeeded when he eventually became "fearless" and uncompassionate. He has lost his humanity due to the power of fear for
Some common words found in the essay are:
Banquo Macbeth, Macbeth Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth Macbeth's, Conscience Fear, Duncan Macbeth, power fear, mind fear, Shakespeare's Macbeth, fear one's, macbeth macbeth, source terror, shakespeare's macbeth, conscience macbeth, own feelings, banquo's ghost, lady macbeth,
Approximate Word count = 794
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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