The Mental Deterioration of Macbeth
Throughout Shakespeare's tragic play of Macbeth, Macbeth makes several bad decisions. By the end of Act V, the consequences of these decisions catch up to Macbeth, and result in his mental deterioration and downfall. Macbeth's character traits are the driving forces in this mental deterioration. These character traits include his blind ambition, his guilt, and also his false hopes. Macbeth's tragic flaw, his blind ambition, is a large contributing factor to his mental deterioration. In the course of the play, Macbeth has a tendency to make decisions out of his desire for power. One example of this greed is when the three witches prophesize that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, and later, king of Scotland. When the first prophecy comes true, Macbeth becomes over powered by greed and murders Duncan so that he may become king. In a letter sent to Lady Macbeth, Macbeth states that, "'Hail, king that shalt be!'/ This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest/ partner of greatness; that thou mightest not lose the/ dues of rejoicing" (I, v, Ln.9). In this quote, Macbeth hints to his wife that he has plans to become king, which is a clear sign of his g
An event that proves this point is the incident following Duncan's murder, in which Macbeth's guilt causes him to hear voices that say, "Macbeth shall sleep no more!" (II, ii, Ln. Macbeth's ambition is to remain king for as long as possible and he will kill anybody who stops this from happening. However, when British soldiers approach Macbeth's castle in Dunsinane with branches over top of their heads, he realizes that the witches have tricked him. Macbeth, being the paranoid character that he is, feels threatened by this and orders both Banquo and Fleance to be killed. When the witches make their second set of prophecies, Macbeth puts too much trust in them. In Act 3, Macbeth says that, "and mine eternal jewel/ Given to the common enemy of man/ To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!" (III, i, Ln. However, killing Banquo only causes Macbeth to further deteriorate and continue to suffer. Macbeth's tendency toward false hope and over-confidence is also a driving force in his mental deterioration. In both of these instances, Macbeth was over-confident, and as a result unprepared for battle, resulting in his tragic death. While attending dinner, Macbeth's conscience manifests the ghost of Banquo. Macbeth's blind ambition, guilt, and false hopes all play significant roles in his downfall. Macbeth laughs and says, "That will never be/ Who can impress the forest, bid the tree/ Unfix his earth-bound root?" (IV, i, Ln. These voices are coming from his conscience, and although Macbeth knew it was wrong to kill Duncan, he still did it because of his ambition to become king.
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