Shakespeare's Macbeth-The Truth Behind Mental Ilnesses
The Truth Behind Mental Ilnesses
The 16th and 17th century understanding of mental ilnesses was far less compared to the modern understanding here in 2017. Back then the lack of knowkledge on this topic led to not so great ways to “cure” them. Shakespeare shows this in his play Macbeth and others as well. His focus was on Guilt, Hallucinations, and Madness. Medicine, Spirituality, and Philosophy also played a big role in how the 16th and 17th century people looked at the mentally ill. Shakespeare utilised these all of these throughout Macbeth. Some are harder to find than others. Depending on how much the reader pays attention they can either scrape the surface of these meanings or they can dig deeper and see better meanings. In 16th and 17th century England there was not a real difference in the understanding of guilt. …show more content…
One of the first signs of guilt would be in Act 1 Scene 4 when Macbeth says. “For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires: Let not see my black and deep desires. The eye winkat the hand, yet let that be Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.” (1.4, 52-55) This quote from Macbeth talks about how Malcolm was just announced Prince of Cumberland and Macbeths horrible desires. He thinks that now he should give up or step over him somehow. He feels guilty with this horrible desire he has. In Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth has an aside and gives himself a “pep talk” in a sense. The quote “If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well It were done quickly. If the assassination Could trammel up the consequences, and catch. With his sucease success; that but this blow Might be the be-all and the end-all here,…. And
The 16th and 17th century understanding of mental ilnesses was far less compared to the modern understanding here in 2017. Back then the lack of knowkledge on this topic led to not so great ways to “cure” them. Shakespeare shows this in his play Macbeth and others as well. His focus was on Guilt, Hallucinations, and Madness. Medicine, Spirituality, and Philosophy also played a big role in how the 16th and 17th century people looked at the mentally ill. Shakespeare utilised these all of these throughout Macbeth. Some are harder to find than others. Depending on how much the reader pays attention they can either scrape the surface of these meanings or they can dig deeper and see better meanings. In 16th and 17th century England there was not a real difference in the understanding of guilt. …show more content…
One of the first signs of guilt would be in Act 1 Scene 4 when Macbeth says. “For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires: Let not see my black and deep desires. The eye winkat the hand, yet let that be Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.” (1.4, 52-55) This quote from Macbeth talks about how Malcolm was just announced Prince of Cumberland and Macbeths horrible desires. He thinks that now he should give up or step over him somehow. He feels guilty with this horrible desire he has. In Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth has an aside and gives himself a “pep talk” in a sense. The quote “If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well It were done quickly. If the assassination Could trammel up the consequences, and catch. With his sucease success; that but this blow Might be the be-all and the end-all here,…. And