The Importance Of Sleep In Macbeth

946 Words2 Pages

Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite As Thomas Dekker once said, “Sleep is the golden chain that binds health and our bodies together”. William Shakespeare was an English playwright who lived in the Renaissance time period. One of his better known plays, Macbeth, was written in 1606 and set in Medieval Scotland. The play follows Macbeth, an influential man, and his headstrong wife through their immoral acts for power. In a fateful encounter with three witches, Macbeth is prophesized to become Scotland’s King. When the prophecy is not immediately fulfilled, Macbeth decides to kill the acting king, Duncan, beginning a series of similar decisions. In the play, Macbeth, sleep symbolizes innocence to reflect the development of the …show more content…

Committing yet another crime, Macbeth orders the murder of Banquo to stop the witches prophecy of his sons becoming kings thus taking over Macbeth’s throne, from coming true, saying he and Lady Macbeth “will eat [their] meal in fear, and sleep in the affliction of [the] terrible dreams that shake [them] nightly” (III.ii.20-21). The Macbeths recognize that they need to sleep amongst their painful dreams, symbolizing their subconscious comprehension of the necessity to make peace with their guilt, ignoring it as if they were still innocent. Because of their newly practiced oblivion to their crimes, the Macbeths ignore their original morals as they become more corrupt with each new offense. Once again, Macbeth decides to kill in order to fulfill his desire for security, this time choosing to murder Macduff to ensure that he would be of no harm to Macbeth claiming he will “sleep in spite of thunder” once Macduff is dead (IV.i.97). Macbeth will sleep without fear once Macduff is killed, ultimately trying to feel innocent and rid of guilt despite his crimes. This absence of fear reflects the diminishing amount of guilt on his conscience for his past murders and fundamentally proving his corruption. Even though the Macbeths’ want to make peace with their actions, they are not permitted by their inability to cleanse themselves of their

Show More
Related

  • Macbeth’s Deteriorating Mental State

    1648 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Macbeth Dishonest Analysis

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    After murdering Banquo, Macbeth begins to fear other powerful men around him, such as Macduff. The witches provide Macbeth with Apparitions that tell him his fate for the future as king. The second Apparition, a bloody child tells Macbeth that no individual born from a woman can harm Macbeth. Macbeth then replies “Then live Macduff; what need I fear thee? But yet I’ll make assurance double sure and take a bond of fate. Thou shalt not live, that I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, and sleep in spite of thunder” (4,1,93-97). Even though Macbeth gains the knowledge that no individual born from a woman can harm him, he acts cowardly to protect himself. Macbeth turns to murder instead of facing the powerful Macduff himself. As Machiavelli said men act cowardly, and Macbeth demonstrates just that by murdering anyone who seems to pose even a slight threat towards him as king. Macbeth believes murdering Macduff will allow him to “sleep in spite of thunder.” Macbeth uses this metaphor of sleep by saying the people who sleep are innocent and the ones who don’t sleep are guilty. Macbeth believes if Banquo is dead, he can sleep as an innocent person. Macbeth presents a cowardly character who believes murder is the “right” way of handling his problems. As a result of Macbeth murdering more and more people out of fear, his people will think of him as a cowardly king. Macbeth wants his people to think he is a strong king, but by killing good people out of fear, individuals will have their idea of Macbeth’s character alter into being a

    Read More

  • Quotes Of Paranoia And Guilt In Macbeth

    334 Words  | 1 Pages

    Thirdly, feelings of paranoia and guilt cause Macbeth characters to make damaging choices. When Macbeth asks the witches to reveal the truth of their prophecies to him, they summon horrible apparitions, each of which offers a prediction to allay Macbeth’s fears. First, a floating head warns him to beware Macduff. Macbeth says that he has already guessed as much. Later when Lennox enters and tells Macbeth that Macduff has fled to England. Macbeth in reply says, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise; / Seize upon Fife; give to th'edge o'th'sword / His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line.” (4.1.149-152). As Macbeth descends to madness he becomes obsessed with eliminating any threats to his power. Macbeth orders the murderers to kill Macduff's family and eliminate any threat to him. Ironically, this is the moment that Macbeth seals his own fate, by murdering Macduff's family he ensures Macduff's retaliation against him, which ultimately leads

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Unchecked Ambition: A Deadly Power Play

    377 Words  | 1 Pages

    Macbeth fears that Banquo’s son will become king so he finds three murderers and tells them to find Banquo’s son and kill him. Since they are killing his son Macbeth says to kill Banquo. The murderers kill Banquo but not his son. Macbeth throws the murderers into the dungeon. Later Macbeth starts hallucinating. He sees Banquo and is scared. At the end of this act MacDuff escapes.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Reading Logs

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth is describing sleep as a wonderful thing. It gives you energy and nourishes you like food from a feast.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Integrity Essay

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    Once Macbeth murdered Duncan, he realized that “Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more” (2.2.43-44). Shakespeare has Macbeth feel remorse to exemplify that Macbeth has the slightest amount of integrity within himself. He understands what he has done, but recognizes that he cannot go back and change his own actions. His fortune has been forever changed along with his fate (which is later on revealed by the witches). Macbeth’s integrity takes another downfall as he ascends to the throne and begins to suspect Banquo. Macbeth convinces himself that his sole purpose is to make the “seed of Banquo kings!” (3.1.73) This demonstrates Macbeth’s opinion of Banquo as someone who is more powerful than he is. Macbeth adds nuance to his statement by recalling that the witches hailed Banquo as the “father to a line of kings” (3.1.63) and “upon [Macbeth’s] my head they placed a fruitless crown” (3.1.64). From this, one may speculate that Macbeth views his position as king is illegitimate while Banquo’s children will be the legitimate kings. Macbeth’s integrity is further compromised as he uses this logic to justify his reasoning for plotting against Banquo. This further changed his fate and fortune by guaranteeing that “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him” (4.1.95-97). Macbeth’s

    Read More

  • Examples Of Macbeth's Excessive Greed

    426 Words  | 1 Pages

    Macbeth’s excessive greed is, in fact, the befalling of kings, for its false promises mislead one’s desires to bring about a result that does not always satisfy. Macduff believes the amount of power that Macbeth wishes for — is a path that subconsciously morphs and changes Macbeth into an individual whose mindset can be seen as cancerous. The destructive nature of greed was demonstrated by Macbeth earlier in the story when he decided to kill the former king and his good friend Banquo. At first, Macbeth felt remorse and his conscience was questioning his need to be king, but as he began to allow his greed to guide his actions, the less remorse he felt and the more inclined he was to seek what satisfies him most. Instead of tending to Scotland’s people, Macbeth is plagued by the need to remain king, as he leads a crusade in an effort to ensure his future. It is for this reason, that Macduff urges for Macbeth’s removal from the throne, due to his toxic disposition that does not benefit, but only deteriorates the kingdom of

    Read More

  • Examples Of Freewill In Macbeth

    501 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Macbeth, the witches’ prophecies seem to negate Macbeth's free will. However, at some instances, Macbeth willfully chooses evil over good. Macbeth hires men to murder both Banquo and Fleance. now Macbeth has the murderers go to Macduff's house Many people died because Macbeth chose evil over good With a clear conscience free of guilt, Macbeth can sleep fine This sleepless journey begins when Macbeth murders the king Duncan. Macbeth does murder sleep'- the innocent sleep." This is a theme that will haunt Macbeth for the rest of the play, and for nearly a year Macbeth shall "sleep no more."

    Read More

  • Sleep Motif In Macbeth

    451 Words  | 1 Pages

    The motif sleep is used throughout Act 2 of the play Macbeth to represent the troublesome the characters are going through mentally and how stressed the characters are.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Greed In Macbeth

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    Afraid of Banquo’s prophecy coming true (his sons will be king), he journeys to see the witches again. Once he arrives, he demands “I conjure you by that which you profess...answer me To what I ask you” (IV.i.51,61-62). He is greedy to know the answer to his fate, and is selfish in his ways. In response to Macbeth the witches appear in 3 apparitions, all the while giving him a sense of overconfidence. The apparitions state “The pow’r of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth” (IV.i.91-92) and “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him” (IV.i.106-108). When Macbeth hears this great news he becomes extremely overconfident. This leads him to being very unprepared for when Macduff and Malcolm storm up great Dunsinane Hill covered in branches from Great Birnam Wood. He is thrown off his feet when Macduff tells him “Macduff was from his mother’s womb Untimely ripped” (V.viii.19-20), meaning he was not born of a woman. Finally Macbeth shows his complete transition into a mind of greed when told the news his wife is dead by suicide. Macbeth shows his greedy nature by replying “She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such word” (V.v.19-20). He explains that his wife should have died later when he would have time to mourn her. He does not care about her death, he only cares about his self centered needs. Throughout the last scene of the play, Macbeth has ultimately lost everything. He lost his wife, his power, his kingdom, and his

    Read More

  • Macduff's Reason In Macbeth

    367 Words  | 1 Pages

    While Macduff is Macbeth’s main enemy, there is no reason for Macbeth to kill Macduff’s family. Macbeth’s mind becomes overrun with paranoia and fear after receiving another prophecy from the witches, foretelling his demise in the Birnham Woods. His neuroticism invades his mind, leaving little to no room for rational thinking. This is evident through Macbeth’s hallucination of Banquo’s ghost. After killing both Banquo and Duncan, Macbeth is now comfortable with murder and other heinous acts, such as lying. By stating, “Unsafe the while, that we / Must lave our honours in these flattering streams, / And make our faces visards to our hearts, / Disguising what they are” (Shakespeare III. ii. 93-96), Macbeth chooses to lie to his guests, concealing the true whereabouts of Banquo. Again, Shakespeare utilizes the word ‘heart’ to highlight Macbeth’s emotions. Macbeth’s heart becomes corrupt with power and avarice, thereby allowing him to commit more heinous acts. However, due to his underlying guilt, Macbeth conjures up a vision of Banquo’s ghost sitting on his throne. This becomes a physical representation of Macbeth’s culpability of

    Read More

  • Examples Of Mental Deterioration In Macbeth

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Macbeth Descent into Madness in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth is seen as a “valiant cousin, worthy gentleman” (I, ii, 24). He is a brave warrior who is well respected in his community, until the witches prophesied to him that he would one day be king (I, iii, 50). Macbeth interprets that he must act to fulfill the prophecy. He sends a letter to lady Macbeth asking what to do. She suggests that he should kill Duncan. Macbeth follows the plan and kills Duncan (II, ii, 15). Directly following the murder Macbeth can no longer say amen (II, iii, 31-33). Macbeth also hears a voice in his head say, “sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”(II, ii, 35, 36). For the rest of the play Macbeth suffers from insomnia. When Macbeth pretends to be surprised by Duncan’s death he says, “ Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had lived a blessed time, for, from this instant, there’s nothing serious in mortality. (II, iii, 92-95) he is saying that if he had died before he murdered Duncan he would have lived a great life, but now that he’s committed murder, life is just a game and nothing is important anymore. These are suicidal thoughts and show how his grip on reality has greatly slipped.

    Read More

  • Images of Night and Sleep in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    premeditated violence. Many of these gruesome acts happen at night. These incidents of tragedy have a major affect on the main characters. and their actions in the past. Macbeth also contains many images of sleep.

    Read More

  • The Importance of the Sleep Walking Scene in Macbeth

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's problem plays which have puzzled the critics all over the years. It is compact and full of significant scenes, and it has two important characters, Macbeth and his wife. It is a clear study of human nature, which I personally think Shakespeare had mastered. The final act opens with the sleepwalking scene and this scene is of great significance because it reveals the true nature of lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is one of the enigmatic characters. Once she is a woman made out of steel and suddenly she collapses; she returns to be a gentle wife. The sleepwalking scene also shows lady Macbeth as a complementary character to her husband.

    Read More

More about The Importance Of Sleep In Macbeth

Open Document