Lady Macbeth's Downfall and Guilt
Think guilt is just a minor inconvenience? Lady Macbeth's tragic end proves that some actions create guilt so powerful it can literally kill you.
Early on, Lady Macbeth confidently claims "a little water clears us of this deed", believing they can simply wash away the blood and move on. This shows her complete underestimation of how psychological guilt would affect them both. She thinks murder is just a practical problem with a practical solution.
However, her famous sleepwalking scene reveals the truth. When she desperately cries "Out, damned spot!", she's trying to wash away bloodstains that only exist in her tormented mind. The metaphorical blood represents her overwhelming guilt that no amount of scrubbing can remove.
Her final realisation that "all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand" shows she understands the permanence of her guilt. The hyperbole emphasises how completely the guilt has consumed her - nothing in the entire world can cleanse her conscience.
Key Point: Lady Macbeth's suicide demonstrates that even the strongest, most determined people can be destroyed by guilt - her early confidence becomes her ultimate weakness.