Lack Of Sleep In Macbeth

According to the National Sleep Foundation, sixty percent of Americans have sleep deprivation, an outcome of today’s advanced technology. Improvements of the technology and realization of the imaginations offer people more choices to expend their limited amount of time: for example, cell phones, which are among the greatest inventions in the twenty-first century, let people listen to music, take pictures, and even watch TV shows. Because of those innumerable entertainment options, they leave their own health as the last concern, meaning that sleep is in their least priority, without knowing how much a lack of sleep influences their life. The play Macbeth, a tragedy about the rise and fall of the protagonist, Macbeth, reveals the significance
When the witches show the second apparition to Macbeth, he says, “Then live, Macduff. What need I fear of thee? / But yet I’ll make assurance double sure … Thou shalt not live, / That I may … sleep in spite of thunder” (IV. i. 85-89). Even though Macbeth does not consider Macduff as a challenging obstacle, he wants to eliminate him to rest in peace, ironically. The “thunder” signifies the use of hyperbole to exaggerate that Macbeth will be able to sleep regardless of any noises if Macduff disappears. Interestingly, the villain couple is not the only characters who have lost their sleep. Banquo once says to his son, “A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, / And yet I would not sleep: merciful powers, / Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature/ Gives way to in repose!” (II. i. 6-9). Although he does not explain what “the cursed thought” is, it seems that it is about the witches’ prophecies from the earlier scene. In order to avoid the unidentified thought evading his unguarded soul, he restrains himself from rest, despite the exhaustion. The usage of simile demonstrates the tiredness that Banquo is enduring. Nevertheless, his attempt to keep his mind straight results losing sleep and the opportunity to free him from the concern. Concisely, the absence of sleep forms through the characters’ worries and eliminates their freedom by binding them to the
In the play, the changes in attitudes and life of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who lose sleep for murdering several people, substantiate the effects. As the couple repents their sins, they put much effort into redeeming themselves; however, they acquire nothing but chaos and ultimately death. People nowadays also lose their sleep like the characters; however, the origins are completely different. They prefer using time for their own goals and entertainment rather than sleeping. They struggle to win over their exhaustion through a variety of ways, from drinking cups of coffee to taking medicines. Every morning, it is hard to find a coffee shop with no customer. Some parents even force their children to take pills and lessen the amount of sleep. Although the studies on sleep and the innumerable deaths for absence of sleep show its importance, the number of people with sleep deprivation does not seem diminishing. As the lack of sleep leads the play Macbeth to a tragic ending, the world rejecting the existence of sleep is heading toward the horrific future that humans will not be able to