Sleep Motif in Macbeth
The brain is just like any other part of the body. It is an important organ that requires a lot of rest and care to prevent it from getting sick or injured, especially since it affects the entire body and everything it does. Sleep is naturally programmed into the human body to stay healthy and working. Without sleep, the mind suffers and as a result, the body does too. The sleep and dream motif is used in Shakespeare's Macbeth to display how the loss of sleep shows the loss of Macbeth's innocence, how he slowly becomes insane and how the guilt causes Lady Macbeth to break down and reveal her true character through sleepwalking. The loss of sleep that Macbeth suffers from shows his loss of innocence. He has sinned …show more content…
Without rest, his mind begins to become unhealthy, as it is not taken care of properly. He starts developing symptoms of insanity such as paranoia, when he overhears someone cry out murder in their sleep right after he kills Duncan: "There's one did laugh in's sleep and one cried 'Murder', / That they did wake each other; I stood, and heard them, / But they did say their prayers and address'd them again to sleep" (II,ii,25-27). Macbeth also shows signs of paranoia when he is told to "beware Macduff" (IV,i,70) and promptly orders for his entire family to be killed although there is no reason for him to do so: "Seize upon Fife; give to th'edge o'th'sword / His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line" (IV,ii,150-152). He does not make rational decisions anymore, instead "The very firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand" (IV,ii,146-147). Macbeth decides that as soon as he has made up his mind about something, he will do it instead of thinking it through first. He also displays signs of insanity, hallucination, when he sees Banquo's ghost at the banquet. This is all due to not having enough sleep. The loss of sleep takes such a large toll on Macbeth that he eventually becomes
The brain is just like any other part of the body. It is an important organ that requires a lot of rest and care to prevent it from getting sick or injured, especially since it affects the entire body and everything it does. Sleep is naturally programmed into the human body to stay healthy and working. Without sleep, the mind suffers and as a result, the body does too. The sleep and dream motif is used in Shakespeare's Macbeth to display how the loss of sleep shows the loss of Macbeth's innocence, how he slowly becomes insane and how the guilt causes Lady Macbeth to break down and reveal her true character through sleepwalking. The loss of sleep that Macbeth suffers from shows his loss of innocence. He has sinned …show more content…
Without rest, his mind begins to become unhealthy, as it is not taken care of properly. He starts developing symptoms of insanity such as paranoia, when he overhears someone cry out murder in their sleep right after he kills Duncan: "There's one did laugh in's sleep and one cried 'Murder', / That they did wake each other; I stood, and heard them, / But they did say their prayers and address'd them again to sleep" (II,ii,25-27). Macbeth also shows signs of paranoia when he is told to "beware Macduff" (IV,i,70) and promptly orders for his entire family to be killed although there is no reason for him to do so: "Seize upon Fife; give to th'edge o'th'sword / His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line" (IV,ii,150-152). He does not make rational decisions anymore, instead "The very firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand" (IV,ii,146-147). Macbeth decides that as soon as he has made up his mind about something, he will do it instead of thinking it through first. He also displays signs of insanity, hallucination, when he sees Banquo's ghost at the banquet. This is all due to not having enough sleep. The loss of sleep takes such a large toll on Macbeth that he eventually becomes