The theory of the subconscious mind, constructed and researched by Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, and the founder of psychoanalysis, suggests that the human mind is composed of three parts: the Id, Ego, and Superego. Each of these components influence the formation of thoughts, the experience of emotions, the way we interact with others, and our behavior. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the theory of the subconscious mind can be applied to better understand and analyze the main character Macbeth’s struggle with his moral compass and the consequences he faces as a result of his subconscious mind.
The Id is the part of the psyche that is responsible for the urges and impulses such as the need for food, and our survival instincts. Our Id is prevalent in our day-to-day life when we feel hungry or thirsty and have a desire to eat or drink. In the play Macbeth, the Id is represented as Macbeth’s intense desire to become a powerful king and his willingness to do anything and take risks to achieve his goal whether it requires him to murder his best friend Banquo, his family, Duncan, or anyone that may be seen as a
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We might see the Ego in our day-to-day life when we feel the impulse to road rage when someone cuts us off in traffic but our Ego is what prevents us from doing so. Macbeth’s Ego is represented by the inner guilt and conflict that he experiences as a consequence of his actions. His Ego is represented when he attempts to cover up his crimes and expresses his conflicted feelings in regards to murdering Duncan. Macbeth expresses, “I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/ And falls on th’ other” (Act1, Scene 7, Lines 25-28). At this point in the play, Macbeth’s Ego begins to recognize his moral side and struggles to balance his ambition with moral