Macbeth A Serial Killer Essay

While all of these people were obvious serial killers with motives and psychologicalissues, the question still poses if the real Macbeth was a serial killer as Shakespear suggestshe was with his character in the play. The true MacBeth was born into a Scottish familyaround 1005 and died in 1057 due to being killed in battle, but not the same type of battle asShakespear’s Macbeth. Although the Shakespearean version of Macbeth’s character was amurderous serial killer, the true MacBeth was surprisingly not this way. At the young age of7, he was sent to a monastery to be educated by monks. There was not much else documentedabout his young life during this specific time, except for the death of his cousin,Gillecomgain, in 1032. Macbeth made a reappearance

Around 1054, Malcolm MacDuncan started charging forces into Scotland inthe attempt to invade. With Malcom’s army infesting his lands in August of 1057, Macbeth’sstory ended as he was killed in battle (15).As for the character Macbeth, Shakespeare certainly put a strange twist into thestoryline when compared to the life of the real Macbeth. Although the character originallywanted to rule peacefully, his lust for power and advancement practically devoured his wantfor peace. His need for power and superiority are what led to his killing streak and,ultimately, his downfall.It is also shown throughoutthe play that Macbeth's mental statewasn’t necessarily that of a sane and stable person. A great example of this is in act 2, scene 2when he heard voices while he was anxiously waiting to kill Duncan. Another time would bewhen he and Lady Macbeth were hosting the banquet in act 3, scene 4. Here, Macbethseemed to fall into a psychotic episode when he supposedly saw Banquo’s ghost appear afterhe was murdered. Although the witches had been seen in act 1, scene 3 by both Macbeth andBanquo, it is debatable in act 4, scene 1 if they are truly there or a figment of Macbeth'simagination since no one else seemed to notice them. He also showed a large lack of remorseor emotional depth in the last acts as Malcolm and Macduff waged war on him. Hedemonstrated this in act 5, scene 5 when he calmly realized he “almost forgot the taste offear” after he heard a woman scream. Even when