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Symbolism In Lady Macbeth's Sleepwalking

583 Words3 Pages

Sleepwalking
"Since his majesty went into the field, I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon ’t, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast sleep" (5.1.3-7)
Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking symbolizes the distress and psychological pain she is in. Since she demands Macbeth to kill innocent people, she becomes restless from guilt. According to Dream Dictionary, sleepwalkers are under a massive amount of stress and lack sleep. Lady Macbeth realizes she cannot escape the consequences of her actions, therefore she holds a lot of stress. Moreover, her eyes which remain open as she sleepwalks symbolize that she may never rest …show more content…

Moreover, literal imagery is when the language directly appeals to the senses.

The Psychoanalytic Theory revolves around the break down of the human psyche (mind), according to aghallager891 on YouTube. Shakespeare is known to utilize this criticism throughout each of his plays, particularly in Macbeth. Prior to this scene, Lady Macbeth expresses her Id as she encourages Macbeth to kill King Duncan, so she can be Queen. According to an article by Wilderdom , a person becomes rather uncaring of others when one has Id which is too strong.

In Act 5, Scene, 1 Lady Macbeth is an exemplary model of superego. Wilderdom also states that one with excess superego feels guilty at all times; an accurate description of Lady Macbeth. She begins to feel guilty as she is introduced to the laws, morals, and ideals of society. She must live up to them, especially now that she is Queen and many people look up to her. She begins to feel guilty for what she has done and realizes her actions can never leave her or be undone. Her behaviour as she sleepwalks causes the doctor to diagnose her as having a mental disorder, and only a priest can help her. It can be foreshadowed that Lady Macbeth's ego would attack her as she always taunts Macbeth into doing the dirty work and does not do it herself. Furthermore, her sleepwalking represents her unconscious mind. Using

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