Does King Predispose One To Insanity In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Does being king predispose one to insanity? Macbeth by William Shakespeare tells the story of a seemingly innocent warrior of Scotland who, once receiving a little bit of power, went down a rabbit hole of insanity ultimately ending in his reign of terror over Scotland. Macbeth shows signs of insanity and a power trip from the very beginning when he learns of his becoming of Thane of Cawdor and future kingship, in his paranoia, and guilt.

The first event leading up to his insanity of Macbeth comes in scene three, where he is told by the Witches that he shall become the Thane of Cawdor and king afterwards (Shakespeare 1.3.49-50). When Macbeth is told of his new position as Thane of Cawdor after the execution of the previous Thane, he begins to

Macbeth’s paranoia is exemplified in Act II Scene I when he sees a non-existent dagger, representing that he was both nervous and hesitant to murder King Duncan (Shakespeare 2.1.32-35). Macbeth’s paranoia is shown again after King Duncan was slain. After the killing of Duncan, Macbeth experiences a strong sense of paranoia because he is afraid that his misdeeds will be revealed to everyone. Furthermore, Macbeth is guided by paranoia to murder his friend Banquo when Banquo suspects Macbeth fulfilled the prophecies of the witches through foul play. Furthermore, in Act 2 Scene 2, Macbeth states, “Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more!/Macbeth does murder sleep!’ - the innocent sleep.” (Shakespeare 2.2.33-34). Macbeth’s paranoia is once again shown when during the banquet he sees the ghost of his friend Banquo after he is informed that Banquo has been killed and his son, Fleance, has escaped. Banquo’s ghost represents Macbeth’s paranoia because his conscience is active and while on the surface he may seem unremorseful for the killings, deep inside he feels deeply guilty (Shakespeare

Similar to its impact on paranoia, the ghost of Banquo is an even better representation of his guilt and how his outward appearance and true feelings clash. Furthermore, Macbeth’s guilt is shown both before and after killing Duncan. When he kills Duncan, he says, “But wherefore could I not pronounce ‘amen’?/I had most need of blessing, and ‘amen’/Stuck in my throat,” which symbolizes that since he has gained the powers of evil by way of murder, he cannot say “amen” (Shakespeare 2.2.31-32). However, it is possible that after the apparition tells Macbeth that he can not be killed by a man born of a woman, the guilt at least somewhat passed due to his feeling of immortality (Shakespeare