Ptd In Macbeth Phd

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or commonly referred to as PTSD, is a mental health condition that is triggered by an event that triggers people that are either witnessing or experiencing the event to undergo an excessive amount of stress within a certain time frame. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event ( Mayo Clinic Staff). Throughout the play Macbeth, the main character Macbeth shows signs of possessing the symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is commonly seen in war veterans when they have come back home from war due to fact they were beaten down physically and mentally with stressing moments. This resembles Macbeth in such case, due to the fact he

appears to carry the symptoms of PTSD from the beginning to end of the play.To add on, considering the lack of medical advancements back in the eleventh century, people of this time did not notice the symptoms of PTSD on Macbeth. With further research, it is exhibited that Macbeth does suffer from the disorder due to his consistent hallucinations, his inability to have emotional connections, and his irrational violent outbursts.
From the start of the play, Macbeth is characterized as a noble warrior who is superior when it comes to dominating the battlefield.

While Macbeth was being praised for his nobility on the battlefield, he is never questioned about his mental state of mind after returning back from battle. It is stated that in present day, 1 out of 8 veterans are impacted with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (NBA News). Due to the gruesome experiences the veterans partake in, such as, bloodshed and death, it is normal to see a veteran with PTSD, since it is difficult adjusting from day to day war like scenarios to returning back to a safe haven. Thus, relating to Macbeth where he comes back from a battle where in which he takes part in manslaughter. “ For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name— Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valor’s minion carved out his passage (Macbeth).” The Kingdom of Scotland give evident praise to Macbeth for his nobility and his braveness, but do not give the thought to ask Macbeth is feeling any sort of remorse. Therefore, due to Macbeth’s experience on the battlefield, it gives valid reason to believe that Macbeth suffers traumatically from PTSD, as a result causing Macbeth to conduct additional acts of

murder.
One of the most common symptoms of PTSD noticed on war veterans would be recurrent hallucinations. The Wayward sisters, or commonly known as the Weird sisters, are sought out to be one of Macbeth’s many hallucinations. The Wayward sisters are portrayed as witches within the play, who depict the outcome of Macbeth’s life. The first time the witches are shown within the play is when Macbeth is making his journey back home from battle showing the subtle sparking of Macbeth’s PTSD. The witches make an additional sequence of appearances, after these first encounter. It is common for war veterans to have recurring hallucinations if continuous stress is put among them. Towards the end of the play, Macbeth physically searches for the witches, demonstrating the extent of how severe his PTSD actually is, considering witches do not exist so he was basically searching for something that may exist in his mind, but not in physical form.
Macbeth hallucinations began first with the witches, but as the play progresses, Macbeth begins to see hallucinations that cause him to act upon them. In one such case, one of his hallucinations prompt him to murder King Duncan. “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 (Macbeth Act 2 Scene 1 Page 2).” Macbeth begins to notice the floating dagger while he is still comprehensive about killing King Duncan. Once the knife appears, he acts upon it and considers it a sign telling him that he must kill the king. In addition, Macbeth begins to question his mental stability as he sees the floating dagger, as shown he questions himself. This gives textual evidence that Macbeth is beginning to notice the sudden deterioration of his mental state, but continues to act upon his hallucinations, not giving a second thought on whether he may be suffering from PTSD.
Hallucinations, when occurred, can be flashbacks of a certain instance that were at one point a major stressor for the person suffering from PTSD. The flashbacks can make it seem as if the person is re living the instance, making it difficult for the person having the flashback to distinguish reality from the hallucination. Macbeth indeed experiences one of these moments, where he claims to see his newly deceased ex-friend Banquo at the dinner table at a banquet. Shortly before the dinner commences, Macbeth sends a small group of men to murder his ex-friend, Banquo. “Prithee, see there! Behold! Look! Lo! How say you? Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak to If charnel houses and our graves must send those that we bury back, our monuments shall be the maws of kites (Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4).” Macbeth knows in the back of his mind that is impossible that Banquo is actually at the dinner table since he had just sent a group of men to murder him, but he lets the hallucination get the best of him and acts upon it. Lady Macbeth notices the abnormality in Macbeth’s behavior, but due to lack of awareness of the disorder back in the late 16 century, she just claims that Macbeth simply needs rest, and is just over exhausted.
In addition to the consistent hallucinations, people who are affected by the disorder, PTSD, commonly experience consistent panic attacks triggered by cognitions or physiological symptoms similar to those that occurred at the time of the traumatic event, such as: feelings of detachment ( American Psychiatric Association 438). Thus, this associates to Macbeth due to his feelings of detachment after he brutally murders King Duncan when the nobles come to see what has happened to their king, while Macbeth appears to be calm and unphased by the tragedy.. Macbeth’s feelings of detachment first become noticeable between him and wife, Lady Macbeth. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth and his Lady have a strong emotional connection with each other that seems unbreakable. Not to mention, Lady Macbeth used to always call the shots in the relationship, wearing the pants in the relationship some may say. As the play progresses, Macbeth seems to be less emotionally attached to Lady Macbeth by, first, not sharing secrets with her, and second, by committing acts of sin, such as murder, without consultation.
In such case of sudden emotional detachment, Macbeth, towards the end of the play, loses his Lady to her devastating suicide. It is common for one to feel remorse when his or her loved one dies suddenly. In contrary, Macbeth reacts in a nonchalant way showing little to none signs of remorse, thus emphasising the severity of his emotional detachment. Macbeth also experiences emotional detachment between him and his loyal friends. Where in which Macbeth’s trusty friend, Banquo, went from being viewed by Macbeth as a noble, loyal acquaintance, to a an unloyal stranger who simply wants to take Macbeth's role as being the new King of Scotland. Due to the recurrence of feelings of detachment, this leads to Macbeth making the irrational decision where in which he sends a group of men to brutally murder Banquo to keep his title as King of Scotland secure.
War veterans are accustomed to belligerent day to day lifestyles while away at war. Thus going forward, when they return back home from war, it is difficult for the veterans to react to situations in a calm matter. Where in fact, Macbeth has similar issues to the war veterans with irrational acts of conduct. For example, Macbeth is incapable of reacting to subtle change or small instances with little to no violence. In such case, where murder is always his solution to a problem. A 2010 study that was funded by the Marine Corps and tested out by the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego surveyed 1,543 Marines with at least one combat tour and discovered that Marines who had reported PTSD symptoms were more than six times as likely to engage in aggressive behaviors ( Morris Slate). Although Macbeth did not have reported PTSD symptoms due to the lack of medical advancements back in the 16th century, it comes to great notice that his unreported PTSD still had great affect on his mental stability
Throughout the play Macbeth, the symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder are displayed by the main character Macbeth from start to finish. Due to Macbeth’s various hallucinations, his inability to have emotional connections, and his recurring irrational violent outbursts give strong reason to believe that he severely suffered from this illness. With proper medical treatment, Macbeth could have eventually rebuilded his mental stability, but due to the little to none medical advancements back in this time period, Macbeth was left being as vulnerable to the illness as anyone else returning from battle in this time period would have been. Macbeth is credited for his nobility and strength on the battlefield, but is never questioned on whether he needs to seek medical attention, which gives good reason to that Macbeth did suffer from the mental illness, PTSD.