Question

scene 2
line 27-33
#5
\one cried \god bless us! and \amen! the other, as they had seen me with these hangman’s hands ...but wherefore could not i pronounce \amen\? i had most need of blessing, and \amen\ stuck in my throat.”—macbeth
where the guards really saying these things that macbeth says or was he imagining it? why can’t he say “amen”?

Explanation:

• Macbeth's state after murdering Duncan is one of extreme guilt and psychological distress, leading to hallucinations (like the voice he hears). The guards' supposed words are a product of his guilty mind, not reality.
• In Jacobean religious context, "Amen" is a sacred affirmation of faith and connection to divine blessing. Macbeth, having committed a regicide (a mortal sin against God and king), is spiritually cut off. His need for blessing is greatest, but his sin makes him unworthy to utter the sacred word, trapping it in his throat as a physical manifestation of his spiritual corruption.

Answer:

1. The guards were likely not saying these lines; Macbeth was imagining or hallucinating them, and his inability to say "Amen" stems from his guilt and fractured relationship with God.