What would the world be like if no one felt guilty? What if no one had ever been caught for their crimes? In Shakespeare's novel Macbeth, the main characters commit crimes motivated by their ambition. After committing Macbeth's first crime, the main antagonist is overcome with guilt. His wife, Lady Macbeth, planned the first crime and was the main force driving Macbeth to kill. In the end, Macbeth is accused of the truth and Lady Macbeth commits suicide, both equally guilty. Guilt and fear of detection cause anxiety and a slow disintegration of the subconscious which leads to psychosis and, therefore, due to insanity, causes confessions of crimes or suicidal thoughts. According to the Medical Health Foundation, anxiety is a common fear based on the possibility of something going wrong in the future (“Fear and Anxiety”). In Macbeth, many characters experience anxiety. They are both afraid that someone will find out what they have done. Fear and anxiety can be very traumatic, and excessive worry can also become so irrational that people cannot think clearly or focus on reality ("Physical Effects" 2). This is important because when people begin to lose their grip on reality, they also slowly lose their grip on humanity. This causes them to do things that they would not do with common sense. They become even crazier because they no longer have control over what is really happening. People with anxiety often have irregular sleep patterns and don't get much sleep ("Fear and Anxiety"). When people lose sleep, they become grumpy and lash out at others, becoming more sensitive than usual. This sensitivity will affect their level of emotionality and how they might react. Finally, if excessive worry is not addressed, it will... middle of paper ...... Anxiety”. Medical Health Foundation, Web. February 16, 2014. Holt, Michael. "Guilt, its effects and how to overcome feelings of regret". Yahoo, April 30, 2007. Web. February 16, 2014. Jamieson, Lee. "Character Analysis of Lady Macbeth". About.com, Web. February 16, 2014. Jamieson, Lee. "The Guilt of Macbeth". About.com, Web. February 16, 2014.Brown, Dorthy. “Guilt.” February 16, 2014. “Physical Effects of Worry.” WebMD, Web. February 16, 2014. Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. London: 1892. Print.