After analyzing the behavior of Macbeth in this story, I can conclude that Macbeth suffer from Paranoid Personality disorder, Schizophrenia, Narcissistic Personality and Antisocial Personality disorder. I came to this conclusion after reading that Macbeth is experiencing hallucinations, paranoia, craves power, and behave maliciously. These are all symptom that resided in people with Paranoid, Antisocial Personality disorder, and Schizophrenia. People with Paranoid Personality Disorder often mistrust people and doubt their loyalty. This is display by Macbeth when decide to have his friend Banquo killed along with his son. Macbeth said “Our fear of Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared,” obviously displaying a symptom of distrust for people and questioning their loyalty. Macbeth actions prove that his bad faith in people is more than a brief moment of insecurities or doubt, but something that consume him and get in the way of his better judgement. …show more content…
His dedication to do whatever to take keep and maintain power is a clear sign of Antisocial disorder as he seen by his disregard for others, including murdering people. Macbeth actions of continually killing people for no wrongdoing fuel the suspicion that he doesn’t care for people and would do anything the get what he wants. In the story Macbeth remember Banquo fortune of fathering future kings and feel everything he has done and gone though has all been for nothing because his actions only helps Banquo fortune. Macbeth also becomes jealous, for he will have no sons that will be kings. With this Macbeth justifies the assassination of
In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare has a strong theme of power. Macbeth is a king who is given three predictions from three witches, one of which is that he will become king. The one problem is he doesn’t know what he has to do in order to become king. His wife then decides that in order for him to become king, he must kill the current king. This one murder then leads to others in order to cover the original murder up. Once Macbeth becomes king, he doesn’t want anything to change, he wants to stay king until he dies. He then begins to kill again, but instead of killing to cover something, he is killing anyone who stands in his way of staying king. Macbeth’s fate is affected by the personality trait of bravery, his ability to be manipulated, and his determination.
After Macbeth committed a dreadful crime at the start of the play, he realizes that by killing even more people he can get what he wants whenever he wants. Macbeth reaches a point where he is too busy fulfilling his own ambitions that he was not fulfilling his obligations as king. “Those he command move only in command, / Nothing in love…” (5.2.22-23). His obsession with power caused him to murder his good friend Banquo, and Banquo’s son. Macbeth’s out of control ambition has caused him to lose his emotion. He progressively sta...
Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare illustrates Macbeth’s journey to becoming a ruthless and tyrannical man who will do anything and everything to gain more power. Macbeth’s actions of killing prove Machiavelli’s theory that men are cowardly and dishonest, which leads those similar to Macbeth, to believe being feared is safer than being loved. Macbeth has demonstrated Machiavelli’s theory by his actions of murder and betrayal towards individuals, such as Banquo, under his ruling. Macbeth believes that being feared is safer than loved by his people, which causes citizens under his ruling to think he is a bad king. Since individuals believe Macbeth is a negligent king due to his cowardly and dishonest actions, individuals won’t put their trust or
In the Shakespearean play "Macbeth" the main character, Macbeth, is portrayed as a violent person. Macbeth was an ambitious man whose ambition eventually led to violence. Macbeth, along with another man in the play, was informed that he had the ability, as well as the potential to become king. Macbeth's ambition led him to become violent; killing the sitting king, as well as anyone who stood in the way of his taking of the throne. A place on the throne was something to which Macbeth was not entitled. Shakespeare, the author of "Macbeth," disapproved of people disrupting the proper order of society, and held the belief that all people had freewill. Macbeth was a prime example of someone trying to disrupt the proper order of society. He was trying to become king when it was not his place in society to do so. Macbeth was susceptible to the information he received from the witches, whereas the other man was not. When Macbeth resorted to violence in order to attain what he thought he deserved, the other man did not. The other man knew he was not in the proper position in society to become king.
Mental illness is a serious societal problem today, and has been for a long time. People who have a mental illness often end up hurting other people mentally and physically. When someone has a mental illness, they might also end up hurting themselves or cause suffering for themselves. Also, it is sometimes difficult for them to understand things clearly, and they might be unsure of things in their life. All of these problems are shown in a person who is mentally ill. Macbeth hears his prophecy from three witches which starts his mental illness, along with Lady Macbeth pressuring him to kill the king. After Macbeth kills the king, things start to get out of hand; Macbeth gets over ambitious and wants to kill more people, whatever it takes. Lady Macbeth asks for her womanhood to be taken so that she will not feel guilty, but ends up feeling more guilty than ever. Subsequently, she kills herself to escape the guilt, and causes her husband great pain. These tragic examples and many others show that mental illness is a societal issue, and it is shown throughout the story of Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth suffered from the effects of bipolar and schizophrenia. First lady Macbeth showed bipolar disorder by showing the symptoms of inflated self-esteem. Lady Macbeth believed she should be queen. Lady Macbeth was already a noble wife. She wants the Queens crown so bad, she would do anything to make sure she got that crown.
In the play Macbeth, there is many killings to stride for power, but after killing people there is a sense of remorse. William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, teaches his readers that guilt can lead to insanity through his use of Characterization. Readers can especially see this shortly after the death of Banquo. Banquo was killed from Macbeth's Kinsmen. Macbeth did this in order to gain power and become King.
After a long and hard battle, the Sergeant says to King Duncan, “For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name,- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution , like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage till he fac’d the slave;” (1.2.16) . This quote shows that Macbeth is viewed as a valiant soldier and a capable leader. However, it does not take long for the real Macbeth to be revealed- a blindly ambitious man, easily manipulated by the prospect of a higher status. His quest for power is what drives his insanity, and after having been deemed the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth’s ambition can immediately be seen. In a soliloquy, Macbeth says, “Present fears are less than horrible imaginings; my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastica, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.140). Macbeth has just gained more power, and his immediate thought is of how to gain an even higher status as king. He imagines how to kill Duncan, and then is troubled by his thoughts, telling himself it is wrong. This inner struggle between Macbeth’s ambition and his hesitation to kill Duncan is the first sure sign of his mental deterioration. Although Macbeth does kill Duncan, he questions whether or not he should to do so, which is far different from how Macbeth feels about murder later in the play. Macbeth becomes king, and this power leads
Schizophrenia is mental disorder that inhibits the abilities “to think clearly, to distinguish reality from fantasy, to manage emotions, make decisions, and relate to others” (Duckworth). One defining symptom of schizophrenia lies in recurring delusions of grandeur. The afflicted patient’s “beliefs are not based in reality and usually involve misinterpretation of perception or experience” (Mayo Clinic Staff). It could be argued that Macbeth suffers from delusions that he rightful king of Scotland. Unlike Banquo, Macbeth, in his fantasy-like state, takes the witches prophecy too strongly to heart and thus acts upon it. Additionally, when the witches foretell that “none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth” (4.1. 91-92), Macbeth succumbs to an unrealistic delusion of invincibility, which inevitably proves to be fatal. As with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth also appears to suffer these delusions with her husband as king of Scotland. She is the ...
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both show signs of what would today be diagnosed as symptoms of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is defined as "a psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought, and conduct." There are three major symptoms of the disorder; not being able to distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality, incoherent conversations, and withdrawal physically and emotionally. The most common and most well known symptom of schizophrenia is when people cannot distinguish between what is real and what is not. Schizophrenics often suffer from delusions and hallucinations. A delusion is a false belief or idea and a hallucination is seeing, hearing, or sensing something that is not really there. Some people diagnosed with the illness may speak with disjointed conversations. They often utter vague statements that are strung together in an incoherent way. Lastly, some schizophrenics withdraw emotionally, for example, their outlook on life is deadened and they show little or no warmth, and also physically, such as their movements become jerky and robot-like.
/ Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, / and in his royalty of nature / Reigns that which would be feared” (3.1.50-53). In this passage Macbeth says that being king doesn’t matter unless he is “safely thus”. Macbeth openly admits his insecurities saying that his “fears in Banquo stick deep”. Again, Macbeth either has a choice, let banquo walk and keep him alive, or the easy but yet violent way out of killing not only Banquo but his son as well. In other words Macbeth says that Banquo is a threat to his rule and he will only feel secure in his poorly fitting king costume, when Banquo and his son are dead. This also relates to how boys are taught to react when someone disrespects them. Dr. Pedro Noguera is talking about the lessons society teaches young boys, and in his view this is what society teaches young boys about respect “If you’re told from day one, don’t let nobody disrespect you, and this is the way you handle it as a man, respect is linked with violence”. Basically Dr. Pedro is saying that if someone disrespects you or is a threat to your status as king for example, to handle it like a man is to be violent. This is exactly what Macbeth did when Banquo disrespected him by saying that it will be his kids that will be kings, not Macbeth’s. Macbeth’s insecurity and “fears in Banquo” that “stick deep” lead him to “handle it like a man”, lash out, and hire two men to kill Banquo. All of this shows that Shakespeare was using Macbeth’s insecurity about his
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth’s visions and hallucinations play a significant role and contribute to the development of his character. In the play Macbeth, a man is driven to murder his king and his companions after receiving a fairly ambiguous prophecy told by three witches. Although the witches triggered the series of events that later aid Macbeth’s descent into complete insanity, Macbeth is portrayed from the very beginning as a fierce and violent soldier. As the play goes on, several internal conflicts inside of Macbeth become clear. After he performs several bloody tasks, the madness inside of Macbeth is unmistakably visible to everyone around him. As a result of this insanity, he sees visions and hallucinations. Each time Macbeth hallucinates, he plunges further into insanity that is essentially caused by misguided ambition, dread and guilt. Macbeth has three key hallucinations that play a considerably important role in the development of his character: a dagger, the ghost of Banquo, and four apparitions while visiting the prophesying witches.
Macbeth is the kind of man that should not have this kind of power for responsibility it goes to his head and makes him think everyone is against him. He thinks someone is after him and his crown he wants no one living that could possibly take away this new life as king. He hires men to kill his best friend Banquo and Banquo’s son Fleance all because the witches prophesied that Banquo’s line will prosper and have the future kings of Scotland. He cannot just order their death because
Macbeths crave for authority leads to personal chaos which affects many others. Macbeth is very greedy and only wants the best for himself. He is willing to eliminate anything or anyone standing in his way. One example of Macbeths personal chaos is when Macbeth is talking to Lennox and he says “The castle of Macduff I will surprise; / seize upon fife; give to
The mental deterioration of Macbeth resulted from selfish ambitions, falling into his wife’s persuasions, and paranoia. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth felt guilt for murdering King Duncan and wished that he hadn’t committed the crime, but from there he had only become worse. By the end of the play, Macbeth had not only murdered King Duncan, but also others who were a threat to the crown. His character became more ambitious, easily persuaded, and increasingly paranoid throughout