Examples Of Macbeth's Mind

Macbeth’s Mind

When looking at the mindset of Macbeth, there are many different opinions of what goes on inside his head. Some believe he was always a moral-less and insane soldier while others believe he was just an innocent soldier who was sucked into this unignorable prophecy. Macbeth wasn’t always a power hungry tyrant. His mental breakdown is caused by his irrational and thoughtless actions. These destructive actions only worked to further his descent into insanity. This causes a loop that eventually leads to Macbeth's death. The evidence points towards the fact that he did not always think and act this way. Although some may argue, Macbeth never had any morals, by examining Macbeth’s initial reaction to the prophecies, his actions prior

Macbeth begins to act more rash and either over thinking his actions or not thinking about them at all. This sudden behavior is due to stresses put on him by his wife. This shows that his morals are corruptible. One of the first signs is in the moments leading up to King Duncan’s murder. Macbeth hallucinates and wonders aloud “Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight, or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?”(Macbeth II.ii.36-39). As Macbeth prepares mentally to kill his beloved king, he imagines a bloody dagger much like the one he plans to use on Duncan. He blames this hallucination on stress and tries to push it aside. This is important because it shows that Macbeth's mind has begun to falter but is not entirely gone. This is only the beginning of a long road of bad judgment for Macbeth. The idea of a turning point for the character is suggested. In the article “Macbeth’s Imagination” the author states, “This abnormal imagination has great dramatic significance, for the turning point of the plot of Macbeth is the exposure of the crime by the hallucination of the criminal.”(Paul 21-23). In other words, this hallucination is very important because it is the beginning of the imminent destruction and corruption of Macbeth’s mind and morals. His hesitation also shows that he is not entirely gone and that some of his morals remain

The moment one can see that he is truly gone is at his feast after getting word that Banquo has been successfully murdered as he requested. At first, he seems content with this news, but as soon as he is told that Fleance escaped he snaps. He manages to pull himself together but only for a brief moment. As he returns to tend to his guests he again hallucinates, this time seeing Banquo’s ghost. He says, “Prithee, see there! Behold! Look! Lo! How say you? Why, what care I?”(Macbeth III.iv.69-71). Macbeth asks question after question to this ghost that only he can see. This is a key point because it shows that Macbeth is hallucinating again. Not only that but he had the audacity to kill his best friend. At this point, his mind is so distant that he is willing to kill to gain power even if it is his best friend’s life being taken. This idea is expressed in the article “Macbeth; Shakespeare for students” the author mentions, “to become completely remorseless in his bid for the crown, even to the point at which he eliminates not only his competitors for the throne but their progeny as well?”(Hacht). The author clearly expresses the fact that he is completely remorseless which shows that Macbeth’s morals are truly gone. Macbeth can not become any more corrupted. He has reached his point of no return.

In conclusion. Macbeth starts out a loyal and brave soldier who loves his king, but as opportunities are put in front of him his morals become less