In the Shakespearean drama Macbeth, the protagonist, Macbeth, transforms from a respected warrior to a power-hungry, paranoid oppressor. Act III, scene iv takes place during a banquet, where Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo, whom he murdered. In this scene, Shakespeare utilises figurative language, motifs, and dialogue between Macbeth and his wife to convey Macbeth’s clear mental deterioration through his desire to gain power immorally.
In the banquet scene, Shakespeare uses the unique dialogue of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to portray Macbeth’s declining mental state. Towards the beginning of the scene, Macbeth is able to stay composed, speaking in clear, full sentences. However, once his hallucinations worsen, he can't maintain himself. Macbeth
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Macbeth’s murders of his two friends plague him. The motif of blood appears at the end of the scene when Macbeth says “I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er.” (Act III, Scene IV, lines 136-138). Macbeth has gone so far, murdering two people, that he believes it is easier to carry on murdering people than to turn back late. By stating “I am in blood”, he refers to the immense guilt Macbeth feels after his murders, and how he can’t escape it. “It will have blood, they say. Blood will have blood./ Stones have been known to move, and trees to speak./Augurs and understood relations have/ By maggot pies and choughs and rooks brought forth/ The secret’st man of blood.” (Act III, Scene IV, lines 122-126). Macbeth’s paranoia goes so far that he believes the dead, Banquo and Duncan, will resurrect and get revenge for what he has done. Macbeth feels so guilty of the murders that he has committed. Macbeth, by saying “By maggot pies and choughs and rooks brought forth/ The secret’st man of blood.” This implies that even the craftiest of murderers, which Macbeth sees himself as, have been exposed by these birds. The massive guilt expressed makes Macbeth believe that it is a a non-realistic, fictional situation. He has become insane, from his overload of insecurity. The paranoia and guilt