Macbeth Essay On Sleeping And Dreams

For thousands of years, sleeping and dreaming have been two major topics that hold great interest in many scientific fields of study. However, only recently has modern technology advanced to a point where it has made an in-depth study of sleep and dreams possible. In 1937 Alfred Lee Loomis, a renowned American scientist and physicist, used an electroencephalogram to monitor a sleeping test subject’s electrical brain activity during non-rapid eye movement sleep (“Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem”, par. 7). Following this, in 1953 Nathaniel Kleitman, a physiologist and sleep researcher, discovered REM sleep or rapid eye movement sleep. These discoveries led to a great progression in understanding sleep physiology
A sleep disorder is anything that disturbs or disrupts one’s normal sleeping pattern (Diseases and Conditions, par. 1). Through the use of Loomis’s electroencephalogram and Kleitman’s findings on REM sleep, modern scientists have been able to characterize 80 different sleep disorders. These disorders can range from completely harmless to extremely hazardous, the most common being insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy (Adult Sleep Disorders, par. 1). Some of these disorders are exemplified in William Shakespeare’s notable tragedy, Macbeth. Written in 1606, the Shakespearean play follows the life and troubles of a man seeking the throne of the Scotland. Through countless murders and withholding dangerous secrets, guilt starts to eat away at Macbeth’s conscience, which in turn drives him to insanity. Not only did his actions take a toll on his conscience, but it also started to affect his subconscious and his sleeping patterns, resulting in an extreme case of insomnia. However Macbeth is not the only character who falls ill to sleep ailments, his wife, Lady Macbeth, also suffers from sleep maladies such as Sleepwalking and Sleep
It mainly entails unconscious arousal from sleep (Sleepwalking & Sleep Talking, par. 1). Sleepwalking commonly originates during the deep sleep cycle or the non-rapid eye movement stage. Although the sleepwalker looks to be awake and lucid, he or she remains in a deep sleep and typically will not remember the episode or anything that occurred during that time (Sleepwalking, par.1). There are many different factors that contribute to sleepwalking such as sleep deprivation, fatigue, and fever (Sleepwalking, par. 6). However, Lady Macbeth started experiencing sleepwalking episodes due to stress and anxiety. Lady Macbeth was a strong force that drove Macbeth to murder King Duncan in Act II, scene 2, and although Macbeth was the actual murderer, Lady Macbeth still ends up with the King’s blood on her hands. With both of their hands sullied with blood, Lady Macbeth comforts Macbeth saying, “A little water clears us of this deed” . Her sleepwalking incidences begin with her wandering about the castle under some sort of trance holding only a dimly lit candle. While her nurse describes these episodes to a doctor, Lady Macbeth suddenly enters a trance, murmuring about the slaughtering of Lady Macduff and Banquo (Macbeth, par. 1). While she sleepwalks, she is also seen to make hand motions that mirror the motions one makes when washing