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Maria Zangari
Mr. Rice
AP English
30 December 2010
Macbeth’s Madness
The beginning of Shakespeare’s Macbeth finds the title character as a hailed war
hero. Throughout the play this dramatically changes. After battle we see the mental state
of Macbeth as that of a healthy young soldier. His ruin originates with an unlikely
prophecy. By Act 2 the audience begins to witness a transformation. This is only the
beginning. Witches’ prophecies, ambition and outside pressure set his psychic
decomposition into motion. His descent into madness continues throughout the rest of
the play, specifically continuing into Act 3. The guilt and ambition of Macbeth cause the
deterioration of his mental state, evidenced by his own admissions and hallucinations.
When the character of Macbeth is first mentioned in the play we hear of his brave
battle efforts. In a discussion with King Duncan the Captain recounts Macbeth’s
courage. “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name— Disdaining fortune, with
his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution” (1.2). His valiant efforts
were then awarded with the position thane of Cawdor. This is the first fulfillment of part
of the witches’ prophecy. When addressing Macbeth in Act 1 scene 3 they proclaim:
FIRST WITCH.
“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!
SECOND WITCH.
All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!
THIRD WITCH.
All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”
Banquo notices that Macbeth looks startled and nervous after hearing this declaration.
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Signals of Macbeth’s psychic decomposition begin in Act 2 scene 1 when he
envisions the dagger that he shall use to kill Duncan.
“Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,” (2.1)
This is the first of several hallucinations. Here, he admits that the dagger is not there and
that his eyes are tricking all other senses. This is a direct result of Macbeth’s tragic flaw,
“vaulting ambition” (1.7). He has adopted the ambition of Lady Macbeth and will fall to
the pressures of the witches’ prophecy. Act 2 sets Macbeth’s madness into motion. It
establishes the themes of blinding ambition and guilt which continue throughout the
entire play and ultimately cause Macbeth’s fall (Sexton).
In scene 2 of the second Act Macbeth tumbles deeper into madness. There are
many examples of his decreased mental health including more hallucinations. Early in
the scene he becomes startled when he is unable to speak a religious blessing after killing
Duncan.
“But wherefore could not I
pronounce ‘Amen’?
I had most need of blessing, and
‘Amen’
Stuck in my throat” (2.2).
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This sign is significant because it is the first time Macbeth is reflecting on the horrible act
he has committed. It is clear in these lines that he is feeling immediately the regret and
guilt which will ultimately lead to his demise. His uncertainty about killing the king is
evident and is now a more prominent concern after the deed is done.
Further evidence of his psychic decomposition in Act 2 scene 2 is Macbeth’s
admission to hearing voices. He tells Lady Macbeth “Methought I heard a voice cry,
“Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent sleep.” Later he admits his
mental instability and his unsettled feeling;
“Whence is that knocking?
How is ‘t with me when every noise appals me?
What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine
eyes”.
Through the recognition of this downward spiral the feelings of guilt grow stronger, even
voicing his regret to the audience a few lines later: “Wake Duncan with thy knocking. I
would thou couldst.” (2.2). Macbeth is terrified by what he has done, he recognizes the
disruption it will cause not only in his life but also in his mind.
Act 3 offers possibly the most decisive evidence that Macbeth has gone
completely mad. This ultimately comes along with the realization that only his own
death will end the madness (SparkNotes Editors). After Banquo’s murder Macbeth, Lady
Macbeth and their guests congregate for a banquet. However there is an additional guest
for Macbeth, Banquo’s ghost. He is seen only by Macbeth and appears at the table.
Audibly, Macbeth addresses the ghost that none of his guests can see. He tries defending
his innocence to the apparition, “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks
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at me.” (3.4). This is significant because once again Macbeth’s guilt is causing trouble.
His overbearing remorse causes his guests to question the sanity of their host. Lady
Macbeth notices the concerns arising at the table and dismisses her husband’s behavior to
a momentary “fit”. She insists such behavior has been routine since his childhood, yet
asks the guests to leave.
After this spectacle some guests begin to piece together a horrible possibility.
The possibility of what Macbeth has done. His madness rises to a level of no return. At
first it was the ambition of Lady Macbeth and the witches’ prophecy that brought
Macbeth to the action of killing King Duncan. He has doubts, but stored them away in an
effort to gain power. That ambition leads to what eventually causes Macbeth’s downfall.
He feels extreme fear and guilt after murdering his king. This guilt causes his mind to
deteriorate into paranoia (Book Rags). Blinding ambition then returns in Act 3. He
chooses to continue on his path to the crown and throws all caution to the wind. He
becomes controlled by the desire to be king and fulfill the prophecy. Lives later,
Macbeth’s madness, caused by vaulting ambition and guilt, turn him into a ticking bomb.
Any slightest movement brings his every ambition crashing down into a spiral unable to
be stopped.
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Works Cited
"Macbeth Themes and Topics and Book Notes | William Shakespeare | BookRags.com."
BookRags.com. Web. 30 Dec. 2010.
<http://www.bookrags.com/notes/mac/TOP3.htm>.
Sexton, Timothy. "William Shakespeare's Macbeth and Ambition's Dark Side."
Associated Content from Yahoo! - Associatedcontent.com. 26 Dec. 2007. Web. 30
Dec. 2010.
<http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/501063/william_shakespeares_macbet
h_and_ambitions.html?cat=38>.
Shakespeare, William, and Wim Coleman. Macbeth (The Shakespeare Parallel Text
Series). Logan, IA: Perfection Learning, 2004. Print.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Macbeth.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002.
Web. 10 Jan. 2011.