Symbols of Guilt and Their Relationship to Insanity in Macbeth Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is the story of a man’s rise to power through murder and manipulation, and then his fall as he becomes arrogant and slowly turns insane. In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses many symbols such as the floating dagger, Macbeth’s bloody hands, and the ghost of Banquo to emphasize the theme of the burden of guilt can drive someone insane if it becomes too great. Notably, Macbeth’s first sign of insanity is right before he murders King Duncan. Macbeth sees an imaginary dagger floating in front of him, with “[t]he handle toward [his] hand” (Shakespeare 2.1.33). Furthermore, the dagger is covered in “gouts of blood” (Shakespeare 2.1.46). Macbeth’s hallucination of …show more content…
Likewise, it also marks the beginning of Macbeth’s descent into madness as sane people do not hallucinate. Thereupon killing King Duncan, Macbeth’s guilt only increases. With his hands covered in blood, he attempts to wash them off, but not even “all great Neptune’s ocean [can] wash this blood from [his] hand” (Shakespeare 2.2.57-58). Macbeth’s attempt to wash his hands of Duncan’s blood parallels Macbeth’s inner conflict in which he is unable to wash away his guilt from his mind. His guilt is also emphasized when there is a knock at the door and Macbeth says he wishes the person at the door could “[w]ake Duncan with thy knocking” which shows that Macbeth regrets killing Duncan (Shakespeare 2.2.73). The blood Macbeth sees upon his hands is yet another indicator of his insanity as Lady Macbeth informs him that, in reality, there is no blood left upon his hands. Later, Macbeth hires a murderer to kill Banquo. Consequently, during a dinner party, after Macbeth hears of Banquo’s death, he sees “the Ghost of Banquo [enter], and [sit] in Macbeth’s place” (Shakespeare 3.4.39-40). Banquo’s ghost is not only physically haunting Macbeth, but it also acts as a symbol for how
In the play Macbeth, Macbeth and Banquo are good friends, and even after hearing the prophecy told by the Three Witches, they only laugh and joke about their individual prophecies. It is only after Macbeth kills Duncan that the thought of having to kill Banquo in order to secure his place and his bloodline on the throne ever crosses his mind. After killing Duncan, Macbeth was initially struck by grief and remorse, but when it came to killing Banquo, Macbeth had shown no real signs of guilt for it (there is even speculation that the third, secret hitman was actually Macbeth himself!). After killing Banquo, Macbeth had visions of Banquo as a ghost, but no real signs of grief as he had with Duncan. He seems more troubled over the fact that the murderers he had hired hadn’t been able to kill Banquo’s son, Fleance.
“Blood hath been shed ere now.../The time has been/That when the brains were out, the man would die, /And there an end. But now they rise again…” (3.4.91-96). The ghost of Banquo visited the Macbeth’s house, which left Macbeth feeling quite unsettled. Macbeth is the only person who can see the ghost; he experienced a mental breakdown when Banquo’s ghost visited during a dinner party. Lady Macbeth attempted to conceal her husband’s erratic behavior by claiming he was feeling ill. “It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood.” (3.4.151). Macbeth is beginning to experience a sense of paranoia, a direct result of his degrading mental state. Lady Macbeth believed her husband was being foolish, as she had not yet experienced the damaging effects of their moral depravity.
The play identifies how Macbeth faced guilt after he killed his King, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable.” Macbeth is hallucinating a dagger in which was caused by the guilt he feels after killing King Duncan. Macbeth also states, “I’ll go no more.I am afraid to think what I have done. Look on ’t again I dare not…..What hands are here? Ha, they pluck out mine eyes.Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine….” Macbeth’s emotions are everywhere. After he killed King Duncan he immediately regretted it as he explains that no water, not even Neptune’s ocean can wash the blood and guilt off his hands. Macbeth not only faced guilt but he also losses his sanity. Macbeth hallucinates Banquo’s ghost making him scared and on edge, “[to the Ghost]. What man dare, I dare. Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear, The armed rhinoceros, or th’ Hyrcan tiger; Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves Shall never tremble. Or be alive again And dare me to the desert with thy sword. If
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.
Today, there are many different types of mental illnesses known throughout the world; i.e. bipolar disease, schizophrenia, paranoia, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, ect.; and many people who are able to diagnose such illnesses when symptoms are shown throughout a person [Webmd.com]. What about back in the 1600’s though, when such illnesses weren’t even known yet? In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, for example, Macbeth showed many signs of what today would be diagnosed as symptoms of schizophrenia, but he had no idea, nor did anyone around him, they just thought he was going insane. What is schizophrenia one might ask? “Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others” (Joseph Goldberg).
In reality the blood should have wash off of his hands relatively easily, but this blood also represents the guilt he feels, which will never go away.(TS) Macbeth knew that murdering Duncan was immoral, but with some persuasion from Lady Macbeth, he decided to go through with it. After having his best friend, Banquo, murdered, Macbeth attends a celebration of him becoming King. At this celebration, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo sitting at the table. Although the ghost looks like Banquo, it represents his guilt.(TS) He yells at the ghost to, “Take any shape but that,” (Shakespeare 3.4.102) of his best friend, because the guilt he feels makes his “firm nerves,” tremble (Shakespeare 3.4.102).
Never shake Thy gory locks at me” (III.iv.45). Macbeth imagines the ghost of Banquo, and tries to tell it that the murder is not his fault, which shows he is full of guilt over the fact that he murdered Banquo. This is when it becomes more evident that the guilt is tearing Macbeth apart, and he is starting to lose his sanity as he imagines ghosts and attempts to talk to them. Lastly, more guilt is shown during a conversation between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth: “I am in blood Stepp'd in so far, that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er.” (III,iv,143).
This has an impact on how the audience views the protagonist of the play. First, he reflects on the fact that he knows it is not right to kill Duncan: “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, / Who should against his murderer shut the door, / Not bear the knife myself” (I. vii. 13-16). Second, the audience sees how the guilt affects him: lack of sleep, hallucinations and seeing the ghost of Banquo. The floating dagger symbolizes Macbeth’s conscience encouraging him to kill Duncan. This guilt is caused by Macbeth’s revelation of conscience: “Macbeth is not really comfortable in his role as murderer and usurper thanks to his acute awareness that he is acting against the moral and political values which underpin the social fabric” (Kabal 1027). Because of this, the audience realizes that Macbeth is not a monster because his guilt prevents him from enjoying the madness he has
While the diagnosis of mental conditions is considered a modern practice, people throughout history have suffered similar mental illnesses but have gone undocumented or unstudied. But even without scientific or psychological records, mental illness can clearly be derived from historical figures and works of art. As early as the 1600s, characters in literary pieces are known to depict characteristics of modern mental labels. During this time period, mental illnesses were generally credited to witchcraft or demonic possession. Though the explanations seem farfetched, the symptoms of what are now seen as neurological disruptions remain the same. In William Shakespeare’s seventeenth century play Macbeth, several characters portray indications of what could be the modern diagnosis schizophrenia.
Deep: Macbeth’s downfall and resultant chaos are shown through many instances by Shakespeare’s use of blood imagery. During Shakespeare’s time, society believed that the world was arranged in layers. These layers would be affected by extreme actions in the mortal world. Shakespeare uses this idea frequently throughout the play. This is shown by the chaos that results from Macbeth’s actions. Blood imagery shows the extent to which Macbeth has fallen mentally and physically. The first example of blood imagery is after Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost, and this disturbs his conscious as well as his mental state. Macbeth’s state of mind is shown by his words: “I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er”(3.4.137-139).
Macbeth is frightened by the Banquo’s ghost and says, “let the earth hide thee” (3,4) at the banquet. The illusion indicates that his guilt establishes the collapse of his mental stability. Indeed, Macbeth has been processed by paranoia since he believes Banquo comes back for revenging and threaten is everywhere that even from the dead. Therefore, these reasons lead to reinforces his ambition for keeping his reign. Macbeth’s mental state deteriorates continually, he seeks out the prophecies from the witches again for retaining his crown. He sees several illusions with their own message. These hallucinations prove Macbeth’s mental deterioration. Besides, the witches lure him away further from his conscience. They let him believes that he is undefeatable which develops his insane. Macbeth’s mental health crumble completely that he is able to do evil deeds in order to feed his own greed. Macbeth sends murders to slaughter Macduff’s entire family, even include the innocent children. Macbeth sinks deeper into insanity. He determinates to kill Macduff’s family for eliminating threats to his power because of an evil prophecy. At this point, he is consumed by ambition and willing to do anything in order to maintain his
A combination of Macbeth’s ambition and paranoia lead to many senseless murders. He killed his best friend Banquo out of fear and he senselessly murdered Macduff’s family. The hallucination of Banquo’s ghost is a representation of Macbeth 's guilt, all of Macbeth’s guilt is manifested in the ghost. Macbeth states that he feels guilty because of the murders. “Ay, and since too, murders have been performed Too terrible for the ear.” (III, iv, 80-81) Seeing the ghost of Banquo is the breaking point for Macbeth. The ghost also causes him to think more irrationally which leads to the murder of Macduff. Also, after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is full of regret and guilt. The voices he hears reflect his mental state. “Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!” (II, ii, 35) His innocence was killed and he knows that he has to live with this guilt for the rest of his life, hence Macbeth will never sleep peacefully ever again. After each successive murder, Macbeth becomes more and more inhumane. “I am in blood Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o 'er.” (III, iv, 143-145) Macbeth claims that after committing a murder, there is no turning back. He killed his best friend due to his ambition and fear. The third murder was outright moralless and unnecessary, he compulsively killed Macduff’s wife and children. Macbeth shows no remorse in his murders, he becomes an absolute monster towards the end of the play. As Macbeth loses his human morales, hallucinations appear to remind him of the sins he
Macbeth believes that “It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood,” which is a double entendre with the former meaning being that Banquo’s bloodline is foretold by the witches to bear kings and the latter meaning being that the Macbeth must shed the blood Banquo and his son to stop Banquo’s bloodline from taking the kingship (Act III, Scene IV). Macbeth’s blood soaked conscience cannot rest easy while those who Macbeth perceives to threaten his ambition remain alive, even if this person is Macbeth’s closest ally. The further Macbeth chases his ambitions, the more the bloody guilt of those he murders stains his morality. Before being stained by the undying guilt of Duncan’s blood, Macbeth would not consider murdering Banquo, his friend, yet now that guilt Macbeth’s morality, he faces the ethical conundrum of either trusting the witches prophecy that Banquo’s bloodline will gain the kingship or preserving what is left of the natural balance of the world by allowing Banquo’s and his son’s blood to remain inside their respective bodies. Of course, Macbeth’s boundless ambition to protect his own power leads him to follow the former path and thus Macbeth’s morality further corrupts as the blood of Banquo further stains his
Insanity is defined as “[the] inability to understand the nature and consequences of one's acts or of events, matters, or proceedings in which one is involved.” In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the protagonist turned antagonist, Macbeth, was once “valour’s minion” (I.ii.16) a loyal and devoted nobleman of Scotland. However, he commits a heinous act of regicide in order to ascend the throne, only to become a tyrant who in the end was regarded as nothing but a “dead butcher” (V.ix.35). Macbeth was unarguably sane in the beginning of the play, however, at the end of the play its unclear whether or not Macbeth truly was a “deranged blood hound” (V.ii.32), or if he was still acting on his own accord. Critics may say that this “Bloody sceptered tyrant” (IV.iii.95), who murdered innocent people indiscriminately through the novel befell the holds of insanity, but in truth, Macbeth, whether for better or for worse, never was truly driven insane.
In Macbeth, Shakespeare confronts audiences with universal and powerful themes of ambition and evil along with its consequences. Shakespeare explores the powerful theme of the human mind’s decent into madness, audiences find this theme most confronting because of its universal relevance. His use of dramatic devices includes soliloquies, animal imagery, clear characterisation and dramatic language. Themes of ambition and mental instability are evident in Lady Macbeth’s reaction to Macbeth’s letter detailing the prophecies, Macbeth’s hallucinations of Banquo’s ghost and finally in the scene where Lady Macbeth is found sleep walking, tortured by her involvement.