In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the title character Macbeth and his wife are both exceptionally ambitious and often take rather radical measures to achieve their goals. While this ruthless drive for power seems prosperous at first, it quickly crumbles into nothingness as guilt infects their minds with grim consequences to follow. Macbeth transforms from a noble general into a desperate, guilt-ridden murderer, while Lady Macbeth's usually stoic and masculine personality deteriorates into a pitiful, anxious shell of her former self. The feeling of remorse quickly afflicts the two characters and overcomes ambition by manifesting itself through nightmares, ghosts and paranoia, and ultimately leads to their deaths. Macbeth, initially a respected and courageous person, falls victim to his ambition and feels guilty and paranoid. At the beginning of the play, it is evident that Macbeth is the milder half of the duo and feels remorse very early on in the play. The first obvious outburst of guilt is illustrated immediately after Duncan's murder when Macbeth feverishly says, "One cried, 'God bless us!' and 'Amen,' the other,/ for they had seen me with these executioner's hands;/ hearing their fear, I could not say, 'Amen,'/ when they said 'God bless us'” (2.2.37-40 ) . It is clear that Macbeth feels guilty and shocked at committing a sin, which is why he is so fixated on his inability to pray. His hands are bloody, both literally and figuratively, implying that the stains on his hands are guilt and cannot be washed away, just as the executioner's hands are permanently covered in blood. Furthermore, these feelings continue to haunt Macbeth as he takes Duncan's place as king. As quoted from his remark to Lady Macbeth, "Before we eat our s... half the paper... it's time to do it" (5.1.32-33). As she relives the night of Duncan's murder, her feelings further consume her and evolve into mental illness. Ambition is swept from Lady Macbeth's mind as is her boldness, leaving behind overwhelming guilt and a damaged mind. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience increasing feelings of guilt that manifest through nightmares, ghosts, and anxiety and torment the two until their gruesome deaths. Macbeth, originally a noble man, succumbs to his ambition and is consumed by it. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth finds herself overcome with guilt and panic, in contrast to her usual stoic and bold self. In the final struggle between ambition and guilt, guilt dominates and confuses the Macbeths, leading them to ruin. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Ken Roy. 2nd ed. Toronto: Harcourt, Nelson and Print.