Macbeth and His Mental Deterioration

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William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play centring around opposing forces trying to gain power in the succession for the throne of Scotland. Macbeth, in the beginning, is known to be a nobel and strong willed man, who is ready to fight for his country. However, one may see that Macbeth has a darker side to him, he is power hungry and blood thirsty, and will not stop until he has secured his spot as King of Scotland. Though Macbeth may be a tyrant, he is very naïve, gullible, and vulnerable. He is vulnerable and willing to be persuaded by many characters throughout the play, his wife, the witches to name a few, this is the first sign that his mental state is not as sharp as others. One will see the deterioration of Macbeth and his mental state as the play progresses, from level headedness and undisturbed to hallucinogenic, psychopathic and narcissistic. The triggering event for his mental deterioration is caused by the greed created from the witches first prophecy, that Macbeth will become King of Scotland (I.iii.53). Because of the greed causing his mental deterioration, Macbeth’s psychosis is what caused his own demise by the end of the play. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the tragic hero Macbeth’s demise is provoked by his hallucinogenic episodes, psychopathic actions and narcissistic behaviours. Hallucinogenic Episodes To begin with, Macbeth experiences many hallucinogenic episodes throughout the play. Macbeth begins to experience his first hallucinations before the first murder he commits. The murder of King Duncan is an inciting event in many ways, it helps Macbeth become King, it begins the Macbeth’s sleepless nights “Glamis hath murder’d sleep, and therefore Cawdor/Shall sleep no more” (II.ii.55-56) and also the wo... ... middle of paper ... ...ontributed to his demise in the play. Works Cited Shakespeare, William, and Ken Roy. Macbeth. 2nd ed. Toronto: Harcourt Canada, 2001. Print. Teeple, Ryan C., Jason P. Caplan, and Theodore A. Stern. Visual Hallucinations: Differential Diagnosis and Treatment. N.p.: Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc., 2009. PDF. Patrick, Christopher J., Don C. Fowles, and Robert F. Krueger. "Triarchic Conceptualization of Psychopathy: Developmental Origins of Disinhibition, Boldness, and Meanness." Development and Psychopathology 21.03 (2009): 913+. Cambridge Journals. 7 July 2009. Web. 27 Nov. 2013 Cleckley, Hervey M. Introduction. The Mask of Sanity. New York: New American Library, 1982. N. pag. Web. Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Narcissistic Personality Disorder." Mayo Clinic. Ed. Daniel K. Hall-Flavin. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 04 Nov. 2011. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.

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