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Schizophrenia in macbeth
Schizophrenia in macbeth
Schizophrenia in macbeth
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Macbeth's tragic downfall into insanity could be diagnosed as the mental disorder schizophrenia. Many of Macbeth’s actions during the play can make the reader to believe that Macbeth is crazy. However, by today's medical standards, Macbeth falls into several of the categories under the diagnosis of schizophrenia.This is a severe brain disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior. Even though Macbeth shows various characteristics of other mental disorders, the symptoms he presents of schizophrenia are dominant in comparison. It is not known what causes schizophrenia, but researchers believe that a combination of genetics and environment contributes to the development of the disorder. In Macbeth’s case, his environment was most likely the start of his schizophrenia. Another factor that lead to Macbeth’s disease would be the guilt, in trying to become king, he murdered people that he knew well and was loyal to. He did not want to kill Banquo, but he felt he had to in order to become king. He said to his wife “We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honored me of late.” We later begin to see a shift in Macbeth. He begins to become more and more violent. The risk of violence among people with schizophrenia is small. But most studies confirm the association between violence and schizophrenia. Different approaches have been used to examine the association between schizophrenia and violence. These studies include estimating the prevalence of violent acts in those with schizophrenia and schizophrenia in individuals who have committed violent acts. Schizophrenics may believe other people are ... ... middle of paper ... ... Macbeth’s schizophrenia could have been prevented if he had just let the witches predictions play out as they were supposed to. If greed had not taken over, Macbeth might have been king years down the road. There isn’t much one can do to prevent schizophrenia except knowing family history and being cautious of your environment and stress levels which can trigger the schizophrenia if it is already in your genes. The cure for disorders such as schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder, in the days of Shakespeare, would be to see a priest and to cure yourself. If Lady Macbeth had enough determination not to give in to her mental illness she may have been able to save her marriage and her husband. Macbeth’s downfall was caused solely by unstable mental condition and wanting to keep his position in power which led to a full-blown case of paranoia schizophrenia.
“...Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls That trace him in his line” (4.1.170-174). In act four of Macbeth, Macbeth demands Macduff’s entire castle be murdered in full resolve and utter insanity. He becomes the very personality he disdains from the start of Macbeth. However, it cannot be simply chalked up to a shift in heart but, instead, a diagnosable disorder that contributes to his full-fledged lunacy. It is easy to assume that Macbeth was only influenced into his craziness; but upon further inspection Macbeth had, without a doubt, developed Bipolar Disorder. He quickly changed from a virtuous and proud warrior to a liar and thief of the crown once Lady Macbeth had pressured him into killing Duncan. From thereon out, Macbeth quickly made his descent into madness; a combination of manic episodes, delusions,
Macbeth, one of the darkest and most powerful plays written by Shakespeare, dramatizes the disastrous psychological effects that occur when evil is chosen to fulfill the ambition for power. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s character loses mental stability and becomes enthralled with the idea of being king. Empowered by the three witches, this situation consumes Macbeth’s consciousness until his mental state becomes deranged. This mental deterioration is evident in what he says and does as he evolves into a tyrannical ruler attempting to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. In an attempt to fulfill his ambition for power, Macbeth displays mental deterioration and becomes increasingly bloodthirsty.
An insane person is one that demonstrates foolish acts because of their poor mental state. In the beginning of Macbeth, Macbeth is characterized as a brave soldier. His bravery on the battlefield earned him the titles of Thane of Cawdor and Glamis. The play leads the reader to believe that Macbeth is sane, but when he receives prophesy from the witches that he will be king, an insane character emerges from within. Macbeth demonstrates these characteristics when he claims to see a floating dagger and an illusionary ghost and also becomes obsessed with the idea of killing others, and not being completely human. Macbeth displays the characteristics of an insane character because of his foolish acts and poor mental state when he visualizes the floating dagger, speaks to a ghost, becomes obsessed with killing others and with the idea of being invincible.
She told of how the emotions and thoughts which Lady Macbeth held in were shown to have been the culprits behind the mental disease (“The Psychoanalysis of Lady Macbeth” shakespeare-online.com). Coriat described somnambulism as being “not sleep, but an abnormal mental state, distinct from the ordinary mental state of the subject,” (“The Psychoanalysis of Lady Macbeth” shakespeare-online.com). The thoughts and emotions suppressed by Lady Macbeth are the obvious reasons she suffered this disease, as talked about by Coriat. Lady Macbeth was, to the knowledge of the reader, sane in the mind until she and Macbeth committed the murder of Duncan. There was no evidence within Macbeth that she might have been mentally deranged before Duncan’s
What causes people to become schizophrenic? One possibility, in Macbeth and his wife’s case is guilt. Macbeth, in trying to become king, kills some people he knew very well and was loyal to at one time. He really did not want to have to Banquo, but he felt he had to so that he could become king. He said to his wife, "We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honored me of late." (I.7.31-32) Lady Macbeth feels guilty, too. For example, after she smeared the King’s blood on one of the drunken attendants to frame him, she says, "My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white." (II.2.63-64) Their conscience could be condemning them so loudly that it drove them crazy, literally. Or, another cause of their schizophrenia could be their passion. They strove so hard to make Macbeth king that they became totally obsessed with it. It became all they thought about and their whole being revolved around it. When Lady Macbeth finds that Macbeth has been prophesized to be king, she does not believe he is capable of fulfilling the prophecy alone. So, she says to herself, " Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear, and chastise with the valor of my tongue which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have thee crowned withal.
One of the symptoms that Macbeth had was distancing himself from friends and family. He did this because once he started developing schizophrenia he was not as close to Lady Macbeth as he was. Also he was able to hire people to murder his best friend Banquo. “Both of you/Know Banquo was your enemy./Murderers. True, my lord./Macbeth. So is he mine, and in such bloody distance/ That every minute of his being thrusts/Against my near’st of life. And though I could/With barefaced power sweep him from my sight.../”(Macbeth 3.1
Macbeth struggles with control over himself, in an emotional way and over his own destiny. “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” (Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 16-19). Macbeth is displayed as unambiguous, a great fighter who cuts through his enemies with strong ruthlessness. But, when Macbeth is introduced in person, he is so very different. He is cannot deal with the Weird Sisters, and reacts ambiguous in an emotional way. “This supernatural soliciting/Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill,Why hath it given me earnest of success” (Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 131-133). He do not know if the witches’ prophecy is good or bad, and this makes his upset. “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion. Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings” (Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 135-139). By the end of the play, Macbeth has done so many cruel and brutal crimes
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.
This hallucination is seen as another foreshadow. As he kills Duncan he hears a voice “sleep no more, / Macbeth does murder sleep... Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor / Shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more” (Act II Scene II). This is a type of Auditory hallucination often in patients with mental disorders. “Auditory: The false perception of sound, music, noises, or voices. Hearing voices when there is no auditory stimulus is the most common type of auditory hallucination in mental disorders. The voice may be heard either inside or outside one's head and is generally considered more severe when coming from outside one's head” (Hallucinations). In this instance this voice sets up the affect it has on Macbeth. This voice’s prediction comes true; because of Macbeth’s guilt he has trouble sleeping, and barely sleeps throughout the rest of the play, only increasing his madness and delusions. Macbeth has figuratively killed his own sleep with Duncan. This auditory hallucination is also a sign that something inside of Macbeth has been severed, sending him deeper into the role of madness and murder. This signifies the switch in Macbeth from being a hardened warrior to being a man with no morals, sucked into a life of obsession and careless murder. He even goes on to kill his former friend Banquo, and the family of Macduff, Banquo’s son Fleance only narrowly
In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the character Macbeth descends into madness. Macbeth’s descent into madness first started with the witch’s prediction. If he had never met the witches none of this trouble would have occurred.
Throughout Macbeth it is evident that Macbeth’s moral goes from honorable to wicked. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is regarded as “brave…--well he deserves that name—“, people looked up to Macbeth for his valiant character (1.1.16). However, not even he could overcome his tragic flaw: ambition. Thus, when Macbeth encounters the three witches that prophesize “Macbeth- thou shalt be king hereafter!” Macbeth is blinded by his ambition for power (1.3.52). Therefore, Macbeth goes on a killing spree, murdering anyone who threatens his power. Although Macbeth’s motive for killing remains the same, his mental state changes gradually changes.
.... His insanity was a result of ambition taken much too far, ambition mutated and converted into evil by internal as well as social conflict; Macbeth’s wife did nothing to prevent Macbeth’s sickness and actually helped the problem develop. From his ambition came actions that filled his mind with conflict, dread, suspicion and guilt. It could be said that Macbeth was insane from the beginning, from the moment that the witches appeared to him in the third scene of the play or even from when he carved out his bloody passage in battle. Whether Macbeth was insane his whole life or just from the moment he first saw the imaginary dagger, it is indisputable that his visions and hallucinations only helped to supplement his lunacy.
During the play, there would be parts of the play in which there were characters that have gone insane, or have committed crazy actions. The characters that go insane are most prominently Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Although, more than likely, Macbeths insanity was triggered by Lady Macbeth persuading Macbeth to kill Duncan. Later in the play, Lady Macbeth truly goes crazy, “The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean? No more o’ that, my lord, no more o’ that! You mar all with this starting,” page 403. Lady Macbeth in the act V, displays in the play that she is saying things that normal people wouldn’t say aloud. Lady Macbeth says that the blood cannot be washed off of her hands, which was Duncan’s blood. Also, Lady Macbeth says that Banquo cannot come out of the ground, and she also starts to hear and see things that aren’t actually there. Later in act V, Lady Macbeth simply cannot take it anymore and she therefore, commits suicide. Macbeth also goes insane, most likely due to being power hungry and wanting to keep the power. Since Macbeth is power hungry, Macbeth starts to kill people. It is unclear how many people Macbeth killed, but easily the most disturbing murder that Macbeth pulled off was the murder of Macduff’s family. Macbeth believes that Macduff is plotting against him, which he was, and
Macbeth, just like anybody else, had some weaknesses. He was a gullible and a very single-minded person. He always thought of himself as being better than the rest. So he found nothing wrong with the witches' forecasts of him becoming the king of Scotland. 'All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! … All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter'; This was all part of the witches' plan. They knew that Macbeth was both single-minded and gullible, and took full advantage of it. Macbeth let these predictions go to his head and he expected King Duncan to make him the next in line for the throne. When this didn't happen, Macbeth saw no other alternative than to murder King Duncan. Due to the witches' forecasts Macbeth thought he deserved the throne, almost like it was meant to be. Macbeth's clear thought of reasoning became clouded as his ego increased. He no longer knew the difference between right and wrong. He was being guided by supernatural powers.
Macbeth enters the play as a respected individual but leaves as a psychotic tyrant. Someone who was once a sane, knowledgeable man transitions into a cruel, desperate lunatic. At first overcome with guilt of killing a dear friend, he rapidly fell into the trap of false security. Due to the never-ending want of man, he went to many extremes to uphold his goal of becoming king. His own misinterpretations of half-truths told by a group of disbelieving witches led him to an unruly death. He led himself into insanity by putting too much blind faith into unreliable