How Is Macbeth Vulnerable To The Human Mind

Lea Franiuk Mrs. Singer English 10 Honors 5 April 2024 Plagued by Fate William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Macbeth is so well-known for many reasons. One of the reasons that the play is so memorable is that it is relatable regarding the workings of the human mind that it shows. Shakespeare presents both aspects of psychology and the perceptions of reality in Macbeth, which shows how vulnerable the human mind can be. In fact, it dramatizes the harmful psychological and physical impacts on individuals who aspire to gain power, and the playwright combines witchcraft, prophesies, and murder to appeal to the audience. The play follows the protagonist, Macbeth, as he is taken over by his thirst for power, leading to his demise. He is driven by his own ambition and witches' prophecies and

To add on, while Macbeth is still hallucinating about the dagger, he states, “Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going; And such an instrument I was to use. Mine eyes are made the fools o’th’other senses, Or else worth all the rest”(2.1.42-45). Macbeth interprets the dagger as pointing him toward his set-in-stone act. With the term “marshall’st,” the dagger guides him along the road he was inclined to pursue, with the similarities of a marshal. In fact, Macbeth sees himself only as an “instrument” to carry out his predetermined fate. The idea that the dagger is a tool of fate speaks to Macbeth's fatalistic perspective, in which he regards himself as little more than a piece in a greater cosmic tale. Macbeth neglects responsibility for his acts by giving authority to the blade and believing himself helpless to oppose its guidance. Instead, he attributes his actions to outside forces he cannot control. With the mind manipulation by the hallucination of the dagger, he decides to follow through with the dagger, even though he knows it is a fabrication of his