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Madness And Irrationality In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

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Throughout the Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the character of Macbeth possesses an essential characteristic of madness and irrationality that embodies the theme and important elements of the literary work. In the play, Macbeth’s character is perceived as so ambitious and desperate to achieve the greatest benefits for himself that his hysteria is manifested in the setting of the play, Scotland, in the characters that surround him such as his wife, Lady Macbeth, and his rival Macduff. In the play, Macbeth's inherent madness can be shown from the very beginning of the play. The character Macbeth enters the story as a captain of the king of Scotland’s, King Duncan’s, army. After battling defending King Duncan, Macbeth and his companion Banquo encounter three witches that prophesy that Macbeth will become the King …show more content…

Although he is powerful and dominant, he has a lust for more and becomes impatient for the time he will be crowned king. Anxious for the possibility of becoming royalty, Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to take control and murder King Duncan while he is visiting Macbeth in his castle. Although Macbeth hesitates at first, he is compelled to be forceful to guarantee that he becomes king. Macbeth’s character is transformed from a faithful protector of King Duncan to a hysteric murderer when he kills King Duncan during his stay in Macbeth’s own home. Macbeth is enchanted by a hallucination of a dagger that points King Duncan’s room, signalling Macbeth in the direction of the kill. The strange hallucination of the dagger enhances the lunacy of Macbeth’s character by showing the strong control that his unconscious mind has over his good intentions. After killing Duncan, he blames the guards and kills them as well. When the murder of the king is accomplished, the surrounding environment of the castle is changed to a dark and dismal feeling. The weather becomes

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The theme of madness permeates progressively throughout the Shakespearean eponymous tragedy "Macbeth." Macbeth's hallucinations and delusions, as well as his growing paranoia and obsession with preserving his position, reveal Macbeth's burgeoning downward spiral into madness. Arguably, the volatile Lady Macbeth catalyses Macbeth’s descent into insanity, through her rejection of femininity and crazed pursuit of power and status. This later diminishes to a state of torment and palpable guilt. The comedic ramblings of The Porter add a subtle humour to the play's dark lunacy.

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