Theme Of Insanity In Macbeth

The story of Macbeth tells of a man who presses his way to become ruler of a kingdom and ensure security of his throne. Along the way he is lead astray, which consequently, causes destruction, failure, and tarnishes him with an image of insanity. This paper argues that despite all of Macbeth's apparent flaws, he is still a sane individual. Macbeth's overwhelming guilty conscience shows that he is able to decipher between what is right and what is wrong. If Macbeth was completely blinded by evil intent and not concerned of the outcome of rational decision making, he would not have any remorse for his doings. After his heinous actions against the King, he was able to reconcile that what he just committed was wrong and selfish. The quote,
Because he is able to consistently commit acts to appease her desires and ambitions, he can't be deemed as insane. Many consider Macbeth to be insane because he commits callous acts of murder throughout the story. It can be argued that he only commits these acts because he does not have enough esteem to go against the wishes of his wife. Chivalry, honor, and status were highly regarded throughout this time period, and Macbeth did not want to lose these virtues in the sight of his wife. The quote, "You do unbend your noble strength, to think So brainsickly of things. Go get some water, And wash this filthy witness from your hand," displays how Lady Macbeth is telling her husband to rid himself of such petty guilt and continue to degrade himself in order to achieve a diluted dream. Macbeth's weak character opens him up to succumb to his wife's every whim. Ironically, she should be deemed insane, for Macbeth is nearly acting as the vehicle by which Lady Macbeth is carrying out her outlandish ambitions. The quote, "Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting 'I dare not' wait upon" is another prime example of how Lady Macbeth takes advantage of Macbeth's need to be regarded highly. She attacks his pride and esteem in order to coerce him into doing what she wants. Essentially, Macbeth is not acting on his own
An individual who has the ability to show emotion doesn't have a completely distorted mind. Showing emotion is one of the few qualities that make humans unique. Being insane is very similar to departing from humanity. If an individual is not capable of displaying emotion they are either insane (mentally disabled) or of a lesser species. Macbeth's display of emotion can be seen in the following quote, "There's nothing serious in morality: All of it but toy. Renown Grace is dead, The wien of life is drawn, and the mere lees, is left this vault to brag of." This quote displays that Macbeth is in a depressed state. He is experiencing futility in many of the honored values that are highly regarded throughout the land. His display of this feeling and summation of these values, show that he is in a sane enough mind frame to comprehend the severity of his actions. Additionally, the quote, "Let Your remembrance apply to Banquo; Present him eminence, both with eye and tounge," shows that Macbeth is still capable of showing respect and still retains some of the value for the friendship that he shared with Banquo. Being insane, Macbeth could have stood at full liberty to disregard Banquo as a insignificant casualty. However, his proclamation to honor him, showed that he was in right