Better be with the dead, / Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, / Than on the torture of the mind to lie / In restless ecstasy.
Act III, Scene 2 · Macbeth
Context
Macbeth continues his speech to Lady Macbeth, contrasting Duncan's peaceful death with his own mental torment. He envies the dead king's state.
Analysis
The phrase 'sent to peace' is a grim euphemism that tries to reframe murder as a gift, but the irony collapses when Macbeth admits he gained no peace himself. The oxymoron 'restless ecstasy' then captures his psychological state in two words: 'ecstasy' originally meant being outside oneself, so his mind is both overactive and displaced, unable to rest in his own consciousness. Shakespeare positions readers to recognize that Macbeth cannot even use language honestly anymore—he must dress up 'murder' as 'sending to peace.'
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Macbeth's guilt is inseparable from self-pity—he envies Duncan not because he regrets the act morally, but because he expected murder to bring relief and it hasn't.