Claudius and Macbeth

The conscience is very powerful. It can either lead one in the right direction, or when ignored, can be the very cause of one's destruction. The conscience gives a clear evaluation of one's current status. It will then lead on to the correct, moral decision. At this point one's life can be significantly altered. One could make the conscious decision to not follow one's conscience and therefore suffer the consequences, or listen to his conscience and reap the benefits. If one has chosen to ignore the numerous warnings by his conscience, thus will begin one's downfall until the next point. After ignoring the conscience, it does not leave the mind. On the contrary, it stays with that person and proceeds to make the person see the wrong in the injustice he has done.

The next decision made is an important one. He could realize his wrongdoing, or he could allow himself to be tormented by his decision. This torture will cause him to continue making bad decisions. This is the eternal decision by both Macbeth and Claudius. Throughout Hamlet and Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth and Claudius experience torment by their conscience for treasonous murders committed in vain, against Duncan and Hamlet, and this torment introduces them to a life of guilt and loneliness.

Macbeth visits the three weird sisters, and they predict that he will become King. What should have been a good prediction, innocently shared with his wife, turned out to be a time he wishes he could take back. Macbeth says, "If the assassination could trammel up the consequence, and catch with his surcease, success, that but this blow might be the be-all and end-all here" ( ). He obviously realizes that this decision, going against his own beliefs, will only bring about ill aftereffects. Macbeth can see that he will never escape this judgment; if the wrong decision is made, it will be with him eternally. More importantly though, he realizes that it is a decision, which means he "still has judgment here" ( ) and therefore is not being forced to go against his conscience. Macbeth consciously decides, after being convinced by his wife, to go through with the murder. Afterwards, however, Macbeth is fearful he has made the wrong decision. "I could not say "Amen" when they did say "God bless us!""( ). He is scared that he has gone against what is morally right, and God will never forgive him or bless him, because he is too ashamed of what he has done and does not deserve forgiveness.

After Duncan's corpse is found, Macbeth realizes he has crossed a line, and his life can never be the same again. "Had I but died an hour before this chance I had lived a blessed time..." ( ). Macbeth says that his life was good, full of enjoyment and honor before he killed Duncan. His life before that moment was simple and now he must deal with indissoluble issues. His conscience at this moment begins to fill his mind. He analyzes all the possibilities that stem from his decision. He remembers Banquo being with him when the three weird sisters predicted his succession to the throne, and therefore, he feels that inevitably, Banquo will find out the truth. Macbeth decides to eliminate Banquo, whose posterities were predicted succeed Macbeth. He conspires to have Banquo and Fleance killed out of nervousness. He thinks he has only "scotched the snake, not killed it" ( ) and so in order to secure his position as King, Banquo, his best friend, must be can no longer live.

Macbeth arranges for both Banquo and his son, Fleance, to be murdered. At the banquet that night, Macbeth learns that only Banquo was killed, and Fleance had run away. Aware that Fleance, still alive, has the potential to ruin his plan, Macbeth becomes "...cabined, cribbed, and confined, bound in to saucy doubts and fears..." ( ). Still, he acts jovial to cover his anxiety when Lady Macbeth speaks to him, and returns to the festivities. There, Macbeth's mind is being tortured by his conscience because of his crimes. Once Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost, he immediately denies his involvement, telling Banquo's ghost, "thou canst not say I did it" ( ). He feels incredible guilt for planning the death of his best friend, and so, ashamed and in disbelief, cannot admit to Banquo what he has done. Macbeth feels that if the ghost took on "...any shape but that..." ( ), he would not be nervous. Again, Macbeth shows his uneasiness on the throne, this time when discussing Macduff. Macduff declined his invitation to the banquet because he was in England. Macbeth is speculative of Macduff's reasons for being in England and decides to "...keep a servant fee'd" ( ) in Macduff's castle to spy and make sure there are no conspiracies. Macbeth also has Macduff's family killed so Macduff might fear going against him. This only makes Macduff incensed and full of rancor; which leads to Macbeth's downfall.

Once more, Macbeth demonstrates to the audience his torment when