Sleep in Macbeth

             People have consciences that function to tell them the difference between right and wrong. If people have clear consciences, they usually possess the ability to sleep. But when their consciences are full of guilt, they experience a state of sleeplessness. Shakespeare's use of sleep in Macbeth is shown by both the consciences of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and the effects they suffer when sleep is altered by their evil acts.
             In Macbeth, sleep is an important motif that permeates the dramatic structure but in real life, sleep is a necessary in order to maintain a healthy life. As Kasschau states, "Sleep is a state of altered unconsciousness characterized by certain patterns of brain activity (Kasschau 158). The one of main functions of sleep is repairing the body. Sleep also restores the body's energy supply and it helps a person in order to function effectively (Kasschau 159). While sleep begins, the body goes through a set of changes. Each of these changes is characterized by a stage. Stage One is known as the "drift off stage". The pulse brings to slow and the muscles begin to relax but breathing is uneven and the brain waves grow irregular. In Stage Two, the brain waves shift from low- amplitude, high frequency waves to high-amplitude, low frequency waves. Thirty minutes later, Stage Three begins with large- amplitude delta waves that sweep the brain every second or so. Stage Four is known as the deepest sleep of all. This stage is when many of the sleep disorders begin to unfold (Kasschau 158). In Macbeth, Shakespeare introduces three different factors of disorders in sleep, which are sleepwalking, sleep talking, and hallucinations. Sleepwalking is a series of complex behaviors that are initiated during slow wave sleep and result in walking during sleep. Many psychologists believe that the cause of sleepwalking is by stress, anxiety, too much alcohol, and sleep deprivation (Myers 256). Lady Macbeth displays ...

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