Sleeplessness In Macbeth
In William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare utilizes the theme of sleeplessness to prove the disastrous effects an individual experiences due to a guilty conscience. Without sleep, an individual is incapable of escaping their remorseful thoughts, which produce wicked and immoral individuals. After Macbeth commits murderous deeds, Shakespeare characterizes him as a demented individual because of his lack of sleep. Macbeth experiences hallucinations from his somnambulism that contributes to his downfall and the metaphor for the damnation of his soul. Shakespeare conveys Lady Macbeth’s emotions through sleepwalking in a foreboding tone to reveal how Lady Macbeth has damned her soul and cannot escape her evil deeds. Shakespeare
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After the doctor witnesses Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking he states, “Foul whisp’rings are abroad. Unnatural deeds / Do breed unnatural troubles. Infected minds / To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets” (Shakespeare. V. i. 72-74). Shakespeare validates how Lady Macbeth’s murderous deeds impede her from sleeping peacefully, forcing her to relive these deeds in a semi-conscious state. Shakespeare utilizes a foreboding tone to depict the catastrophic effects of Lady Macbeth’s actions—sleeplessness. Lady Macbeth’s emotions and secrets are expressed through sleepwalking to exhibit how her remorseful conscience restricts her from expressing her feelings when awake: “Thus dreams are not chance phantasmagoria of thought disturbing sleep, but are really the logical result of stored-up but repressed experiences” (Coriat). Since Lady Macbeth executed these deeds, she lives in regret and agony because she is not capable of coping with her emotions. In comparison to the character of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth has damned her soul because of her unnatural and murderous actions. Therefore, Lady Macbeth will never rest again nor obtain the reassuring qualities of sleep. Shakespeare utilizes the theme of sleeplessness to enforce how Lady Macbeth will never escape the deeds she committed and how these deeds have poisoned her
After the doctor witnesses Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking he states, “Foul whisp’rings are abroad. Unnatural deeds / Do breed unnatural troubles. Infected minds / To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets” (Shakespeare. V. i. 72-74). Shakespeare validates how Lady Macbeth’s murderous deeds impede her from sleeping peacefully, forcing her to relive these deeds in a semi-conscious state. Shakespeare utilizes a foreboding tone to depict the catastrophic effects of Lady Macbeth’s actions—sleeplessness. Lady Macbeth’s emotions and secrets are expressed through sleepwalking to exhibit how her remorseful conscience restricts her from expressing her feelings when awake: “Thus dreams are not chance phantasmagoria of thought disturbing sleep, but are really the logical result of stored-up but repressed experiences” (Coriat). Since Lady Macbeth executed these deeds, she lives in regret and agony because she is not capable of coping with her emotions. In comparison to the character of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth has damned her soul because of her unnatural and murderous actions. Therefore, Lady Macbeth will never rest again nor obtain the reassuring qualities of sleep. Shakespeare utilizes the theme of sleeplessness to enforce how Lady Macbeth will never escape the deeds she committed and how these deeds have poisoned her