Mental Deterioration In Macbeth
The Macbeth’s Mental Deterioration
Throughout the play Macbeth we witness a recurring theme, guilt. Guilt is shown plaguing the Macbeths in many ways, some shown even before the murder of King Duncan. Guilt results in the mental deterioration of the Macbeths and is ultimately their downfall both directly and indirectly, throwing them into delusional states of paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, insomnia, hysteria and many more. Shakespeare perfectly utilized some of the many types of guilt to create a brutal and real feeling for the play Macbeth.
The first significant occurrence of guilt in the play is in act 1 scene 7. Lady Macbeth uses guilt to manipulate Macbeth into agreeing with her plan to kill the king. Lady Macbeth does this by saying that if he did not do it he would not be a man but a coward, and that she would not love him like she otherwise would (1. 7. 36-45). Lady Macbeth guilt trips Macbeth into ultimately going through with the plan resulting in the murder of king Duncan, triggering the rest of the play’s events to occur, resulting in the mental deterioration and soon death of the Macbeths. If Lady Macbeth had not used guilt to manipulate Macbeth the Macbeths would not have gone through the traumatic events that they went through, which resulted in the death of both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. King Duncan would never had died and the Macbeths would not have committed regicide. This first act of manipulation through guilt marks the first of many occurrences of the brutal theme guilt.
Guilt …show more content…
Lady Macbeth’s change from a seemingly perfect woman to a ill, guilty, suicidal woman and Macbeth’s change from a strong loyal man whom other men aspired to be to a nearly emotionless, sleepless shell of the great man he once
Throughout the play Macbeth we witness a recurring theme, guilt. Guilt is shown plaguing the Macbeths in many ways, some shown even before the murder of King Duncan. Guilt results in the mental deterioration of the Macbeths and is ultimately their downfall both directly and indirectly, throwing them into delusional states of paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, insomnia, hysteria and many more. Shakespeare perfectly utilized some of the many types of guilt to create a brutal and real feeling for the play Macbeth.
The first significant occurrence of guilt in the play is in act 1 scene 7. Lady Macbeth uses guilt to manipulate Macbeth into agreeing with her plan to kill the king. Lady Macbeth does this by saying that if he did not do it he would not be a man but a coward, and that she would not love him like she otherwise would (1. 7. 36-45). Lady Macbeth guilt trips Macbeth into ultimately going through with the plan resulting in the murder of king Duncan, triggering the rest of the play’s events to occur, resulting in the mental deterioration and soon death of the Macbeths. If Lady Macbeth had not used guilt to manipulate Macbeth the Macbeths would not have gone through the traumatic events that they went through, which resulted in the death of both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. King Duncan would never had died and the Macbeths would not have committed regicide. This first act of manipulation through guilt marks the first of many occurrences of the brutal theme guilt.
Guilt …show more content…
Lady Macbeth’s change from a seemingly perfect woman to a ill, guilty, suicidal woman and Macbeth’s change from a strong loyal man whom other men aspired to be to a nearly emotionless, sleepless shell of the great man he once