Summary: The Psychological Consequences In The Tragedy of Macbeth

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“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” one of the most prominent plays in the 16th century written by William Shakespeare, has caught the eyes of many psychologists afterward. This play isn’t just about betrayal, murder and supernatural, it also is psychological which leads to the tragic events throughout the play. The psychological research did not appear until the late 1800s when Sigmund Freud came up with many theories of human behavior. However, Shakespeare was able to interpret the audience with how an individual’s wicked acts can only affect you and your mental health.

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With this slightly understanding of psychology from Shakespeare, it has left lots of debatable questions and arguments to analyze the two important characters in the play: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Modern psychologists have argued that due to the fear and guilt of both characters, Macbeth suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia and bipolar disorders while Lady Macbeth experienced obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which leads to a tragic end.

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.

” Shakespeare starts with the weird sisters saying this quote to begin the Tragedy of Macbeth. Macbeth is said to be a tragic hero because his ambitious actions lead to murder and loses everything in the end. His psychological stages change throughout the play. He was an innocent and loyal soldier who loved his king truthfully. However, after meeting the witches and hearing the last prophecy, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!,” his transition in mind starts to change into a cruel and evil tyrant who would kill anyone to seek for power.

The prophecies have been going on in his mind but he is still in the state of whether he should believe those weird sisters or not. Yet, as he arrives at the king, the king gives him the title, the Thane of Cawdor which is exactly what the witches told him. This is the first step to believe the witches. When King Duncan announces his son, Malcolm to be the next king, it gets into his nerves and his mind becomes forceful. Soon, he writes a letter to Lady Macbeth and as soon as he gets back home, Lady Macbeth influences him to murder the king even though he hesitated. He fears that he won’t be able to show his love for her if he doesn’t clarify this. At last, his eagerness for power has made him murder Duncan which later leads to worse tragic situations.

People in the 16th century have not discovered schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or bipolar disorder but nowadays psychologists have come to a claim that Macbeth suffers from these mental disorders throughout the play. Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects how people feel, think, and behave and usually, they seem to be lost in reality resulting in delusions and hallucinations. Right before murdering King Duncan, Macbeth hallucinates a dagger right in front of him and he says, “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.” This is where Macbeth starts having symptoms of schizophrenia. His stress from Lady Macbeth forcing him to kill the king and his fear of getting caught causes this hallucination. Besides, he loves the king and he is very loyal to him which makes him more stressed and pressured. Another important scene that shows a symptom of schizophrenia is in Act 3, Scene 4 where Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo at the feast. Macbeth is the only one seeing the ghost of Banquo as he hallucinates and says, “Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee. Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold. Thou hast no speculation in those eyes/ Which thou dost glare with!” The growth of his ambition and greed has even made him murder his best friend. However, the love for Banquo remains which later makes him feel more regretful and guilty. There’s also his fear of Banquo’s descendants becoming kings that has made him even more frightened when he sees the ghost.

Another mental disorder that Macbeth faced is called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which is experienced in people who have been through traumatic events such as murder, rape, or war. People who suffer from PTSD often have flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety. (Mayo Clinic) Macbeth has fought in almost every battle. He could have lost many friends in the battle and made him go through traumatic events. Especially after murdering King Duncan, Macbeth starts to talk to himself, “Whence is that knocking? How is’t with me when every noise appals me? What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red.” Macbeth is having negative feelings towards killing the king and re-experiencing the situation. He hears noises of a person telling him that he can’t sleep and thinks he will never be able to wash the blood on his hands. Furthermore, Macbeth said, “Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo. Down! Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs,” when he sees the eight kings and the last one holding a mirror in his hand being able to see Banquo which he realized Banquo is following his son. He still has so much guilt and regret inside that the trauma of killing Banquo has made him think that Banquo’s ghost is haunting him.

Bipolar is a mental condition in which a person causes extreme mood swings (emotional highs and lows) that Macbeth also experienced in the play. This person can be very energetic and become depressed later. Throughout the play, Macbeth becomes a two-faced person which he acts innocent in front of people but a murderer behind. In Act 3, Scene 1, Macbeth says to Banquo, “I wish your horses swift and sure of foot, / And so I do commend you to their backs. Farewell.”However, when he goes back, he immediately calls the murderers to kill him together with his son. This is an early bipolar stage of Macbeth because he fears that Banquo’s descendants will be kings, he planned to murder him even though he wishes him to come back safely. Another scene that shows the symptoms of bipolar in Macbeth is in Act 5, Scene 3. The army of Macduff is heading to Macbeth’s castle and a soldier is informing Macbeth. However, he angrily shouts, “Go, prick thy face and over-red thy fear, / Thou lily- livered boy. What soldier, patch? Death of thy soul! Those linen cheeks of thine / Are counselors to fear. What soldiers, whey-face?”. Macbeth gets extremely angry and sensitive even when the soldier is sending the message to him. When he finds out that Macduff’s army is heading towards him, he fears he will lose but he showed his anger instead of his fear. At the end of the play, Macbeth says a depressing speech to his dead wife, Lady Macbeth. “She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day. Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” Macbeth is going to be at war soon and he has already been stressing about it. After hearing the death of Lady Macbeth, he gets depressed and tells himself that his life has become meaningless.

One of the most strong-minded people that Shakespeare has created is Lady Macbeth. She was stronger and braver than her husband at the beginning of the play. Her long and powerful speech has even made Macbeth kill the king. She was the one who plans out to kill Duncan which shows she is fearless and determined. However, this kind of personality changes after murdering the king. She sees how brutal and immoral her husband has become. The guilt and regret inside her start to grow and start to have trouble sleeping which is also known as insomnia. Later on, she starts to sleepwalk and talks alone. When she sleepwalks, she would not stop rubbing her hands and says, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! - One, two. Why, then, ‘tis time to do’t. Hell is murky! - Fie, my lord, fie! - Yet who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him.” Lady Macbeth is showing the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in this scene. OCD refers to a mental disorder in which a person’s thoughts and fears (obsessions) can lead to repetitive actions. In this scene, Lady Macbeth repeatedly rubs her hands thinking that there is Duncan’s blood. It is the guilt and fear that's haunting her mind and what makes her kill herself.

“The Tragedy of Macbeth” by William Shakespeare is a play that can be mainly focused on a psychological lens. From the beginning of the play to the ending, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth deal with psychological issues. The tragic events that they have caused made them come back to them. This is also a message that Shakespeare tried to show to the audience. After all the murders, seeking for power and greed, it only leads to Macbeth’s downfall and affecting his mental health. Macbeth suffers from schizophrenia, PTSD, and bipolar disorder before his death. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth’s guilt and regret have made her kill herself out of obsessive-compulsive disorder. In conclusion, the tragic events that Macbeth has caused only lead to a tragic end.