Macbeth's Descent into Madness - by Daniel Welch
“Power corrupts, and Absolute Power corrupts absolutely.” When given a taste of the ultimate supremacy, a man must keep drinking and drinking, until he his drunk with it. This maxim, this basic idea, has been proven true countless times throughout history, to the point where we accept it as an essential societal truth. If Macbeth is a cautionary tale, this dominance is truly what it warns against.
As his story moves ever-forward, Macbeth is exposed to more and more to the idea that violence begets status, as long as it is directed at the right people. On the battlefield, he kills Macdonwald, the rebellious Thane of Cawdor, “unseaming him from the nave to th’ chops”, as a Scottish Captain puts it (Act I, Scene 2, line 24). The result of this act of brutality is that he is promoted, taking the deceased Thane’s place.
This brutality very well may be the beginning of Macbeth’s descent into madness. We have seen men suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in wars before. Vietnam veterans come to mind. Who is to say that such a thing could not happen during Macbeth’s time, or at least to the extent that his psyche would be infirm enough to be persuaded towards further violence, as Macbeth is?
In a way, Duncan is a sort of Father Figure. This is what makes his murder significant. In many beliefs, and in particular, Freudian psychology, a boy has finally become a man when he has killed and replaced his father. Of course, this is not meant to be taken completely literally. This may manifest in surpassing his father, maturing to the point where he does not need his father, or finally becoming a father himself. This “father” does not even need to be a biological ancestor, but a mentor or figure of authority. There are many interpretations, but one must wonder if Macbeth’s slaughter of Duncan does not act in the same way. After he does this, he is able to do anything.
These thoughts must have disturbed Macbeth, as they would have done to any one of us. When we find ourselves upset like this, we begin to lose our grasp of what is real. Macbeth saw a floating dagger, coated in blood, which led him on to Duncan’s room. Later on, he began to see Banquo’s ghost. Lady Macbeth, too, begins to walk in her sleep, constantly trying to wash the blood off her hands. These apparitions are not normal. No reasonable person would have visions such as this. Their consciences, whether they know it or not, are bearing down on them, telling them that something is amiss.
As Macbeth continues to lose his sanity, he becomes more belligerent. He orders the murder of his best friend, Banquo, because he might implicate him in Duncan’s assassination. Later, he calls for the massacre of Macduff’s entire family, because he poses a threat. Not only do these victims threaten his rule less and less, but he crosses lines no man should. He goes from killing an acquaintance, to his comrade, to women and children. Each of these is less socially acceptable than the one before it. In his paranoia, Macbeth loses sight of what it means to be human.
Another question we should be asking ourselves is whether Macbeth was already going to consider murdering Duncan. Belief in witchcraft and prophecy is not characteristic of a particularly sane man. Perhaps the prediction served only as a catalyst for greater events. Macbeth, in his scramble to retain shreds of his humanity, used it as a justification. Do we really have free will if our actions are pre-determined? This gave Macbeth the freedom to kill whomever he wished, because it would not truly be his fault, if only in his crazed eyes.
The best way to sum it up is this: Macbeth is a flower pot. In this pot, the Witches planted a seed of ambition, and the blood that Macbeth spilled watered this plant, until it grew so large that it filled his mind, controlling every action. Ambition is a weed, and as it is nurtured, it sucks all life from whatever is surrounding it. Macbeth murders and murders until it becomes easy. He becomes an animal, clawing his way to the top, and then clawing some more to stay there. He is grasping at straws. Does he eventually drown in the sea of blood he creates? Yes, but the fact that he is unable to stay afloat should tell us something. I would much rather a man lose his sanity in the violent acts he commits than not. Because if a sane man is able to perform the atrocities that Macbeth does, what does that say about humanity?
As his story moves ever-forward, Macbeth is exposed to more and more to the idea that violence begets status, as long as it is directed at the right people. On the battlefield, he kills Macdonwald, the rebellious Thane of Cawdor, “unseaming him from the nave to th’ chops”, as a Scottish Captain puts it (Act I, Scene 2, line 24). The result of this act of brutality is that he is promoted, taking the deceased Thane’s place.
This brutality very well may be the beginning of Macbeth’s descent into madness. We have seen men suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in wars before. Vietnam veterans come to mind. Who is to say that such a thing could not happen during Macbeth’s time, or at least to the extent that his psyche would be infirm enough to be persuaded towards further violence, as Macbeth is?
In a way, Duncan is a sort of Father Figure. This is what makes his murder significant. In many beliefs, and in particular, Freudian psychology, a boy has finally become a man when he has killed and replaced his father. Of course, this is not meant to be taken completely literally. This may manifest in surpassing his father, maturing to the point where he does not need his father, or finally becoming a father himself. This “father” does not even need to be a biological ancestor, but a mentor or figure of authority. There are many interpretations, but one must wonder if Macbeth’s slaughter of Duncan does not act in the same way. After he does this, he is able to do anything.
These thoughts must have disturbed Macbeth, as they would have done to any one of us. When we find ourselves upset like this, we begin to lose our grasp of what is real. Macbeth saw a floating dagger, coated in blood, which led him on to Duncan’s room. Later on, he began to see Banquo’s ghost. Lady Macbeth, too, begins to walk in her sleep, constantly trying to wash the blood off her hands. These apparitions are not normal. No reasonable person would have visions such as this. Their consciences, whether they know it or not, are bearing down on them, telling them that something is amiss.
As Macbeth continues to lose his sanity, he becomes more belligerent. He orders the murder of his best friend, Banquo, because he might implicate him in Duncan’s assassination. Later, he calls for the massacre of Macduff’s entire family, because he poses a threat. Not only do these victims threaten his rule less and less, but he crosses lines no man should. He goes from killing an acquaintance, to his comrade, to women and children. Each of these is less socially acceptable than the one before it. In his paranoia, Macbeth loses sight of what it means to be human.
Another question we should be asking ourselves is whether Macbeth was already going to consider murdering Duncan. Belief in witchcraft and prophecy is not characteristic of a particularly sane man. Perhaps the prediction served only as a catalyst for greater events. Macbeth, in his scramble to retain shreds of his humanity, used it as a justification. Do we really have free will if our actions are pre-determined? This gave Macbeth the freedom to kill whomever he wished, because it would not truly be his fault, if only in his crazed eyes.
The best way to sum it up is this: Macbeth is a flower pot. In this pot, the Witches planted a seed of ambition, and the blood that Macbeth spilled watered this plant, until it grew so large that it filled his mind, controlling every action. Ambition is a weed, and as it is nurtured, it sucks all life from whatever is surrounding it. Macbeth murders and murders until it becomes easy. He becomes an animal, clawing his way to the top, and then clawing some more to stay there. He is grasping at straws. Does he eventually drown in the sea of blood he creates? Yes, but the fact that he is unable to stay afloat should tell us something. I would much rather a man lose his sanity in the violent acts he commits than not. Because if a sane man is able to perform the atrocities that Macbeth does, what does that say about humanity?
