Macbeth Mental Illness Essay - 746 Words

In the beginning of the play, Macbeth was in a great state of mind, he won the war for the people of Scotland, and was seen as a hero. On the way home from war, Macbeth meets three witches who prophesied that he will become The King of Scotland, which led to the ultimate downfall of his mental health. Throughout the rest of the play, you start to see him struggle with insomnia, hyperarousal, hallucinations, paranormal schizophrenia, and anxiety which we see throughout the play, that gradually gets worse. Just before Macbeth goes into Duncan‘s room, he envisions a bloody dagger which is one of the many psychotic episodes that he’s bound to have. Macbeths actions, thoughts, and need to keep his masculinity in order, lead to the fall of†¦show more content†¦After the murder of Banquo, MacBeth hallucinates Banquo’s ghost at the table, And states that he cannot sit down because the table is full (3.4). I personally believe that Lady MacBeth was the ultimate re ason for MacBeth’s mental deterioration, she played a key part in his decision-making when it came to his run in of power. This all leads up to the incompatibility of living a normal life, which led to the downfall of him being king. MacBeth is influenced by his wife to kill Duncan, wasn’t so much of her influencing him it was more of her challenging his manhood. With him being king in a war he had to uphold his reputation for being â€Å"tough†, which means that he did not want the enemy to think of him and lesser of a man than he really was. If you can’t look up to someone who’s king, masculine, and a war hero who else are you supposed to look up to. In my view I think this was Macbeth’s softspot, he always wanted to seem like a competitor he always wanted to be the victor. MacBeth had a problem with leaving things alone he could have not been dethroned, had he just killed Dunkin, and Macduff. He killed Banquo because the people viewed him as a well respected and royal man, and in Macbeth’s eyes this was a potential threat that had to be dealt with. During Macbeth’s run in with power, instead of getting the glory, joy, throne, and the power that comes with being king, MacBeth only set himself up forShow MoreRelatedEssay On Mental Illness In Macbeth1182 Words   |  5 PagesScotland vs. Macbeth, the prosecution will claim a tale of a power-hungry man who let ambition get the best of him. They will present physical evidence of him with the dagger, him conspiring with his wife, and him hiring men to kill. However, the evidence presented today by the defense will tell the true story: a man overtaken by mental illness. Macbeth displays the classic signs of narcissistic personality disorder: elevated sense of entitlement and delusions about power. 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