Guilt is a direct consequence of the violence that Macbeth inflicts on others. Guilt overpowers the ambition Macbeth has, and in the end guilt is his downfall. Harboring extreme levels of guilt leads to the deterioration of his mind, his capacity to handle mental turmoil, and impairs his ability to distinguish a friend from an enemy. Guilt breaks Macbeth through paranoia-induced vision, lack of sleep, insomnia, and depression. Firstly, guilt causes psychosis and paranoia. Psychosis is defined as “a collection of symptoms that affect the mind, where there has been some loss of contact with reality” (Understanding Psychosis). Macbeth feels guilt from committing a regicide and starts to become increasingly paranoid. Guilt infiltrates his senses and takes away any chance of joy from …show more content…
Fear of punishment, torture, and/or execution defines the paranoid psychosis that consumes these patients’ lives. Similarly, psychotic mania can cause delusional grandiosity of ownership of valuable possessions” (Bull). Macbeth’s paranoia regarding Banquo affects his view on reality and orders his murder. On the night of the murder, seeps into a state of psychosis: MACBETH. See the GHOST. Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee. Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold. Thou hast no speculation in those eyes, Which thou dost glare with! SparkNotes Editors 3.4.93-96. Having Banquo killed instills guilt that manifests into an apparition. Psychosis and paranoia work its way into Macbeth's everyday life. Guilt sends Macbeth into a spiral of paranoia which causes him to commit more violence, feel more guilt, and become more paranoid. In addition, guilt causes insomnia. Insomnia is “the presence of an individual reporting difficulty with sleep” (Roth). The guilt of abandoning morality leaves Macbeth restless. Due to his sensitive characteristics, the guilt causes lack of sleep that takes a toll on his