Hallucinations In Macbeth

Macbeth’s most famous soliloquy from the play revolves around the theme of time when he hears about Lady Macbeth’s death. Macbeth says: ...Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all of our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more.-- (5.5.19-26)
He describes life to be a repetitive and continuous cycle of stretched out days where one does nothing but the same things over and over. Starting with the murder of Duncan, everything normal seemed to have stopped (Shmoop Editorial Team). Since Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have done nothing but committed continuous murder in order to keep their positions, they experience hallucinations, which eventually lead to the downfall of Macbeth, following Lady Macbeth. The first experience with hallucinations in Macbeth is when Macbeth and Banquo listen to the witches prophecies and and they tell them about their futures. They both believe they are imagining the witches and Banquo asks them if they are alive. He says that they appear as woman but then he questions their expressions, beards, and

First, Macbeth sees that all of the seats at the dinner table are full and he sees Banquo sitting in his seat. While everyone around the dinner table is watching, Macbeth begins to speak to Banquo’s ghost. This hallucination suggests that Macbeth is guilty of committing murder not only on Duncan to earn the crown, but on one of his friends. He feels regret and Banquo’s ghost is a reminder of his actions. Banquo’s ghost appears at a bad time in the play because the guests sitting around the dinner table begin to question his actions which eventually leads to