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Macbeth Paranoia
5
Macbeth Paranoia
By: Alex Horchuck
Scene 3
Act 1
"I am thane of Cawdor. If god, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at m y ribs, Against the use of nature" (1.3.137-141).
Macbeth is starting to be concerned with himself because now that one of the witches futures has came true he is starting to consider his other future as king and the possibility of murdering King Duncan. The goodness in his heart is causing him controversy and conflict. His mind is telling him to take the crown but his heart is telling him.
Scene 2
Act 2
"But wherefore could not I pronounce "Amen"? I had most need of blessing, and "Amen" stuck in my throat" (2.2.31-33).
Macbeth becomes worried about the fact that after killing Duncan he can no longer say "Amen". He claims that when he truly need God and his blessing he is unable to speak the words. He blames his sins for this and the fact that he killed not only his king but one of his best friends. This is the beginning of Macbeth's fall into insanity and paranoia.
Scene 1
"To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus, Our fears in Banquo" (3.1.50-51).
Act 3
After all the time of regretting Duncan's murder and being haunted by what he has done, Macbeth has now had a taste of power and wants nothing else but the crown. The quote explains how being king means nothing if there is a risk that it can be taken away. By saying this, he is referring to the witches prophecy that Banquo's children will be king. Macbeth's only concern is staying in power and he allows that to drive him to insanity.
Scene 1
Act 4
"But my heart is still throbbing to know one thing. Tell me, if your dark powers can see this fat will Baquo's sons ever reign in this Kingdom?" (4.1.104-108).
Even though Macbeth has committed yet another sin by killing his best friend, Fleance escapes and he was the more important one of the two. Macbeth is worried that because he got away he will come back one day and rule. Macbeth allows this paranoia to drive him to do crazy things such as believe the witches and everything they say. Instead of worrying more about ruling the kingdom and serving his people well, he spends all his time and energy on worrying about what might happen and losing his power.
Scene 8
Act 5
"Accursed be that tongue that tells me so, For it hath crowed my better part of men! And be these juggling fiends no more believed" (5.8.17-19).
After Macduff tells Macbeth that he is not technically born of woman, Macbeth loses all courage he had and realizes that the witches have tricked him. Macbeth bases all his decisions off of what the witches told him and the impossible things they said needed to happen before Macbeth was ever taken from power. This helped with his paranoia until this moment when he realized everything was coming crashing down and he would soon lose what he committed all his sins for.
Psychological Criticism
"Macbeth is equally isolated. Consequently, his sense of guilt turns to paranoia" (Rosenblum).
Article
The author states how Macbeth's initial guilt for kill Duncan leads him down a path of insanity. It becomes clear after killing Duncan, Macbeth begins to change from the noble war hero that he was into a tyrant. Macbeth cannot accept himself as a murderer and instead tries to accept his inner horror. He decides that if he wants to keep his kingship then he must continue to act the way he did to get it initially.