Paranoia In Macbeth

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Macbeth by William Shakespeare begins when he meets three witches. These three witches prophesize aloud that Macbeth, among other things, will one day become King. The play then proceeds to show how Macbeth’s actions and the people around him eventually lead to his ultimate demise in this play, prophecies and predictions significantly affect Macbeth's ambitions. Before Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches, Macbeth had no desire to have other titles or become King. After they meet the witches, however, and hear their prophecies, he becomes very determined. This determination will lead to obsession, paranoia, and eventually to Macbeths loss of morality which leads to his inevitable downfall.
The three witches each prophesize a title for Macbeth.
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Macbeth says that he can’t go back because he is afraid to think about what he has done and can’t bear to look at it. (Shakespeare 3) This sense of paranoia began to set in and he was feeling guilty for murdering such a beloved King for his own benefit. “All Macbeth did resulted in nothing; whatever he does now will result in nothing but the anguish of meaningless action. It is hard enough to realize that one has been on the wrong track for part of life; to be convinced that there is no right track to get on because there is no place for any track to go—this is to be lost with no hope at all.” (Shanley 2) This shows how lost Macbeth was. “The multitudinous seas incamadine, making the green one red.” (Shakespeare 4). Macbeth says here that he stains the seas scarlet with the blood of the king. Lady Macbeth still had an agenda and was not going to let Macbeth ruin himself over guilt. She calls him a coward and tells him that her hands are as bloody as his. The next morning they play innocent and act divested when they hear of the kings …show more content…
After he hears the first prophecy, he already begins to have murderous thoughts to his humanity “Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill. Why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion, whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature? Present fears are less than horrible imaginings. My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise, and nothing is but what is not.” Early on he is having murderous thoughts towards the king. Then his sends two men out to kill Banquo. He is worried someone will try and overthrow his throne so he sends people to murder one of his best friends. His humanity and morality just keep chipping off. “Macbeth refers to when he says that the witches, empowered by their "masters," can tumble nature's "germens" (or seeds) together even till destruction sicken.” (Cox 1) It returns back to the witches casting that prophecy and starting Macbeth down this destructive path. Shanley says “There is no greatness in death for him.” Most plays you read about have a tragic hero who dies for a noble reason, but Macbeth gets too ambitious and power hungry that he loses the man inside him. He performs acts off of paranoia verses following his morals and what he knows to be right.
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