Guilt is an important factor in the lives of several characters in the play "Macbeth" and each character is affected differently by this emotion. A few characters that are affected by guilt in the play are Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Macduff.

The effect that guilt has on Macbeth is that it drove him mad. He started to hear strange voices inside his mind as soon as Duncan's murder is complete. He said that he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore after Duncan's murder because of the guilt he was feeling and yet, he continued to murder more people as the play progressed. His guilty conscience made him see visions of the dead Banquo at the banquet table because he was responsible for Banquo's murder. He dealt with his guilt by trying to forget about it and putting it at the back of his mind by focusing on his...