In literature there are many scenarios in which the protagonists learn, through a series of events, that certain actions result in undesirable consequences. Macbeth, a famous play by William Shakespeare is no exception to this. Throughout the play, one can recognize that with the many extreme actions of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, they suffer inevitable consequences. These consequences are the direct result of their killing of King Duncan, Macbeth’s paranoia about his surroundings and throne, as well as Lady Macbeth’s extreme guilt over her terrible actions, which later result in her death.
The first major action in the piece is when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plot to kill the king. Macbeth is the murderer …show more content…
These factors greatly affect Macbeth as the play continues. Once Duncan has been murdered, Macbeth claims “Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth doth murder sleep’ (II, ii, 35-36) [...] Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor, Shall sleep no more” (II, ii, 42-43). Macbeth feels the repercussions of his sin immediately after killing King Duncan. This is shown through his wails of the voices telling him that he would never sleep again; one can assume that they are an embodiment of his guilt. Furthermore, because of the importance of sleep, Macbeth will lose its renewal; he killed an innocent man as he rested, making the murderer himself unworthy of rest. This will greatly impact Macbeth and is a massive consequence that will burden him until the end of the play. This is evident through Macbeth’s decreasing mental health as his restlessness increases. He starts seeing apparitions that embody his exhaustion and guilt, not only as a result of his murder of the king, but also as a result of the murder of Banquo. During the banquet in honour of his coronation, Macbeth sees the apparition of a freshly killed Banquo, whose death he had orchestrated. This sets him off to the …show more content…
Macbeth, the tragic hero of the piece, suffered through extreme sleep deprivation and paranoia from his actions throughout the play, while his wife in turn suffered from obsessive behaviour and a decreasing state of mental health. As is the case in many tragedies, the hero either suffers or is brought to ruin, generally by their own hands; and this is evident in Shakespeare’s Macbeth as the actions of the Macbeth’s inevitably bring their