Macbeth Quote Analysis

The Doctor reflects on what he has witnessed, commenting on the relationship between immoral actions and psychological consequences.

Shakespeare personifies both the deeds (which 'breed') and the minds (which are 'infected'), turning moral cause-and-effect into a biological process that operates beyond conscious control. The image of secrets being 'discharged' to 'deaf pillows'—objects that cannot hear or judge—captures profound isolation: guilt must be spoken but finds no listener, no absolution. The medical language ('infected,' 'discharge') frames sin as disease, something that follows natural laws.

Use this to argue that Shakespeare presents guilt as operating like a natural force or illness, not a matter of choice—the Doctor's biological metaphors suggest that 'unnatural deeds' set off consequences as inevitable as infection following a wound.