Macbeth, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare and edited by Maynard Mack and Robert Boynton, shows the many ways guilt manifests itself and the effects it has on its victims. Over the course of the play, characters, including Lady Macbeth, are deeply affected by guilt in ways they never expected. Macbeth takes the audience on a journey through the trial where guilt gradually eats away at Lady Macbeth and forces her to do what she believes is best. Although Lady Macbeth initially appeared to be unaffected by the murders she had been involved in, her desires eventually faded and were replaced by an invincible sense of guilt that ultimately took her life. the dormancy foreshadows the effects it would have on her later in the show. At one point, Macbeth states: "... We teach only bloody instructions, which, once taught, return to afflict the inventor" (I.vii.7-10); although it was Macbeth who said these words, they bring the idea of ​​foreshadowing to the audience. After all, Lady Macbeth was the inventor of these “bloody instructions” that led Macbeth to believe that murder was normal and that it was what he needed to fulfill the witches' prophecy. It was fitting that Lady Macbeth was tormented by her own ideas, she was the one who told Macbeth to do it, and although she did not carry out the actions herself, she essentially forced her own husband to commit an evil act. Of course, it is natural for characters like Macbeth, who were actually involved in the murder itself, to feel guilt and remorse for what they had done; However, to be the inventor of these ideas, the mastermind, the magician behind the scenes, he... middle of paper... dreams of such bloody deeds while so many murders occur around them. As the nights pass, Lady Macbeth continues to think about what worries her 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even in her sleep. Guilt is eating away at Lady Macbeth, causing her anxiety, anger and regrets. Ultimately, Lady Macbeth feels it is necessary to admit defeat and let guilt win by committing suicide and letting guilt take her life. As Shakespeare's Macbeth continues to progress, it is realized that many of the characters develop and become what they once feared. In Lady Macbeth's case, she began to feel guilt, an emotion that ultimately took her life. Although guilt may have seemed like a distant and incredibly influencing emotion, Lady Macbeth eventually began to completely forget her initial desires and was tormented by guilt..