A sorry sight Why Should I Care

Why Should I Care?

Is Macbeth sorry? The short answer is: we're not sure. The beauty of literature is that it doesn't have to be black or white. Ambiguity reigns supreme. Maybe he is sorry in this moment that he's killed his king, friend, and guest. But that doesn't stop him from taking the crown. Or from killing several other people who pose a threat to it, and a few out of pure spite.

You might be shaking your head at Macbeth. After all, he did murder someone in cold blood for his own gain. We know that's wrong. Pretty much everyone would agree with that. But we don't think that's all that's going on here.

Maybe Macbeth is simply a figure to dramatize the ambiguity of human will and action. Why do people do the things they do, even when they know their actions are wrong?

Chances are you've done something not so awesome before, even though you knew it wasn't the right thing to do. Maybe it was cheating on a test. Or tricking your little brother into doing your chores. Or breaking curfew. We're betting when you did those things you knew you weren't supposed to. But you did them anyway.

Why? Just ask Macbeth.