"The season of all natures": Sleep and Dreams in Macbeth
             Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth tells of a man that constantly is battling with his conscience and guilt which eventually drives him crazy. Sleep shows this battle with his guilty conscience. With a clear conscience free of guilt, Macbeth can sleep fine. With a conscience full of guilt sleeplessness and dreams plague him.
             Macbeth begins as a valiant soldier and a good man with a clear conscience. His ability to sleep shows this. This sleepless journey begins when Macbeth murders the king Duncan. Shortly after murdering Duncan, Macbeth hears voices saying, "'Sleep no more! 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 shale "sleep no more."
             This sleeplessness is shown again, the night that Macbeth decides to kill Banquo and his son. Macbeth reveals that he has been having dreams and hasn't been sleeping.
             Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep
             In the affliction of these terrible dreams
             That shake us nightly. (III. 2 17-19)
             This shows his fear for anybody finding out what he has done and also a fear that someone will kill him to become king. His conscience is eating away at him. Dreams of the horrible things he has done are haunting him on a nightly basis.
             Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's great loss is the natural sleep. Because they have done such unnatural deeds they no longer receive this "reward" of sleep. Macbeth is especially suffering after the murder of Banquo, and his wife notices this and says "You lack the season of all natures, sleep." (III. 5 141). This lack of good sleep is beginning to greatly affect Macbeth.
             Lady Macbeth's loss of sleep becomes apparent when it is revealed that she has been sleepwalking. And in her sleep walking she relives the evil acts that were committed. The doctor comes to the castle to observe thi
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