Theme Of Paranoia In Macbeth

“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 witches encouraged Macbeth’s sinister nature, when they originally predicted that he would inherit the throne. They also incorporate blood within their wicked concoctions: “Cool it with baboon’s

/Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure,” (4.3.39-40) In Act IV Scene III, Macduff spoke of the poor state of the country controlled by Macbeth’s dastardly blood-covered hands. “It weeps, it bleeds, and each day new a gash/Is added to her wounds.” (4.3.50-51) Each day Macbeth is in power resulted in death and widespread fear throughout the country. Malcolm is suspicious of Macduff’s motivation for bringing him to England. Malcolm baited Macduff by claiming the evil deeds he would carry out if he were king. “Nay, had I power, I should/Pour the sweet milk of concord into hell, /Uproar the universal peace, confound/All unity on earth.” (4.3.113-116) Malcolm claimed that if he were king he would destroy any semblance of order within the country and world peace. Although Malcolm exaggerated his claim to Macduff, he actually described Macbeth’s method of ruling. The previous quote is the final mention of the symbol milk, each reference to milk is equally sinister in