Examples Of Mental Illness In Macbeth

English IV
January 16, 2013 The Tragedy of Macbeth- Mental Disorders of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Imagine seeing objects or hearing voices that are no there, or reliving a traumatic experience over and over again. All of these things get in your way of thinking and you cannot go through the day without thinking normal. The notion of mental disorder is depicted in The Tragedy of Macbeth. The two characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffer serious mental disorders. Macbeth suffers from a dangerous mental disorder called schizophrenia. This causes disorder causes delusions or hallucination and can be triggered by a traumatic experience. Lady Macbeth suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and this can also be caused by a traumatic or
This could be dangerous for yourself or other people. This is a serious situation that must be taken under consideration for your safety. “Memories of the trauma can come back at any time. You may feel the same fear and horror you did when the event took place. You may have nightmares of feel like you’re going through it again. This is called a flashback”. (1. Mayo Clinic Staff, PTSD) Hence, Lady Macbeth still feels the fear of the murder. She remembers everything from the plan of the murder to the blood. “Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, Oh, Oh!” (Macbeth Act 5 sc. 1). In addition, Lady Macbeth at this point in the play is remembering the murder and cannot forget the sight of the murdered Duncan. She still feels the horror that she felt after the murder. Lady Macbeth remembers the blood that she cannot forget. It is this flashback displayed by Lady Macbeth that shows that she is living in a nightmare that is caused by post-traumatic stress
They keep reliving it over and over again. These past experiences can be so traumatic that a person can’t move on without being haunted about it. “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that 's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event”. (4.Myer’s Psychology for AP) Henceforth, Lady Macbeth is unable to forget the murder of Duncan and has a hard time moving on from it. She constantly feels guilty and hopeless. “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One: two: why, then ‘tis time to do ‘t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow’r to accompt? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (Macbeth Act 5 sc. 1) In other words, Lady Macbeth at this point in the play is sleepwalking while reenacting the murder of Duncan. She feels as if she is living in a nightmare. This event shows that Lady Macbeth is not in a normal state of