Concealed and Confessed Guilt in The Scarlet Letter and...

Two classical themes in literature are concealed guilt and confessed guilt and in many instances the reader sees the affects of these on individuals. In the examination and exploration of The Scarlet Letter and Macbeth the necessary comparison for both is provided. The guilt in The Scarlet Letter is seen in the minds and outward appearance of each main character, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. In Macbeth the readers sees an obvious guilt in the main character, Macbeth. When one does wrong, the common reaction is to hide it and pretend as if nothing happened. Because of the human conscience it is difficult to completely forget about a wrongdoing. Through our conscience guilt is built up and eventually that guilt shatters enough†¦show more content†¦Dimmesdale has a largely different approach to dealing with his sin. Arthur Dimmesdale handles his terrible guilt by concealing it to himself. To overcome it he would whip himself, and take long walks into the forest. Dimmesdale’s act of concealing his guilt shows that he is not brave enough to tell all and there for he must live fearfully and cowardly. This guilt he has chose to endure is much worse than any shame he would have felt had he just confessed his sin of adultery with Hester. Since he was a moral leader in his town he felt an obligation to keep it a secret but like in many cases where guilt is concealed, the sinner eventually reasons enough to confess. Dimmesdale does the same and confesses his sin to the townspeople. â€Å"He longed to speak out from his own pulpit, at the full height of his voice, and tell his people who he was.† Macbeth’s guilt is similar to the guilt Dimmesdale feels, but not replicated. They both begin to go mad when the sin begins to tear the mind apart. Macbeth begins hearing things as soon as the murder is completed. Macbeth is clearly influenced by Lady Macbeth who helps bring on much of his guilt. Lady Macbeth helps him to side with her in the killing of Duncan, which makes it easier for Macbeth to kill the king, despite his reservations, Macbeth sees Banquos ghost at the banquet table and he has an episode of