The Struggle Of Mental Illness - 1212 Words

Ryan Capo ´ Baro English 3EP - A October 21, 2015 The Struggle of Mental Illness Today, mental illness is still a recurring sickness that can have positive and negative effects on mankind. William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, takes place in Scotland and features famous characters like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo. Macbeth, the tragic hero, is a power hungry Thane whom seeks kingship. However, he lacks ambition and his wife attempts to urge him towards this edge. As Macbeth is urged toward ambitious ways, he commits the murder of Duncan, the king. From this point on, the reader notices Macbeth’s mind starts to deteriorate. As the tragedy continues, the reader also notices Macbeth is not the only one who suffers from an unstable mind,†¦show more content†¦This vision damages his conscious because he cannot tell the difference between what is real or fake, for his â€Å"eyes are made the fools o’th’other senses† (2.1.44). Also, Macbeth expresses that the blade is covered in â€Å"dudgeon gouts of blood†, whi ch was not there before when Macbeth first glimpses the dagger (2.1.46). Thus, the blood happens to emerge on the dagger in mid air, supporting the psychopathological state of Macbeth’s mind. Macbeth can see the vivid image of the blood on the dagger that he uses to kill Duncan before the murder occurs. The blood on the dagger represents his coming guilt. Lastly, this affects him in the sense of he believes the witches might be providing this strong hallucination to mess with him. In act 3, scene 4 at the banqueting hall at Forres, the murderers arrive to inform Macbeth that the deed is halfway complete. Fleance did not die, which results in Macbeth becoming â€Å"...confined [and] bound in to saucy doubts and fears† (3.4.24-25). Macbeth’s anxiety, fear, and paranoia returns and is on the verge of becoming much worse. It becomes worse because Fleance is his biggest threat and he is still alive. The witches prophesized that Banquo â€Å"shalt get kings, though thou be none† (1.3.65). One of Macbeth’s goals are to destroy Banquo’s bloodline by killing him and his son. If by chance Fleance is killed and Banquo survives, Macbeth will feel less pressure and anxiety. Banquo is not to become king like Fleance, so