Macbeth is not as cruel a murderer as he seems. Though there is no denying that Macbeth planned to kill the Great Duncan and took part in the murder of his good friend Banquo and Macduff’s family, I believe he was not in the right mind when he committed these acts. I am here to convince you not to sentence Macbeth to death, but to give him a lesser sentence in regard to how Macbeth came to be a so-called murderer. Macbeth was in a vulnerable state after taking part in the horrific battles of war, so he was easily persuaded by the strange women's demonic use of verse and rhyme. He was full of ambition and had no idea what to make of these prophecies. At the time of his encounter with the strange ladies, he thought of what he would have to do to become king but fretted over these ideas. This shows how Macbeth felt guilt towards the simple idea of …show more content…
Even though our defense’s insanity plea was not effective, I still believe he has suffered mentally. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) is a mental health condition that is caused by a traumatizing event. There are many symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event. As many soldiers suffer from PTSD, studies show that during the war Macbeth took part in 16% of soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. This statistic is one of the highest results of a war and it goes to show just what Macbeth went through. Because of the high death rate in the war, Macbeth came across multiple instances of violence that would scare him forever. As expected by society, he hid his feelings away, which is therefore why Macbeth began to isolate himself from his friends and family. Because he was alone, he was caught in thoughts of violence and death. Lady Macbeth further pushed these thoughts into reality. After the murders, he even had hallucinations that highlighted his guilt and