Introduction

“How does Shakespeare present Macbeth’s deteriorating state of mind?”

Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s deteriorating state of mind by using different language devices.

In Act 1 Scene 4 King Duncan declares Macbeth to be in the next row to the throne but also to Malcolm

In Act 1 Scene 7 Macbeth is thinking a way to kill King Duncan and says “return / To plague th’inventor” this means that so whoever kills a king to gain the throne teaches his bloody a rule the kingdom. Macbeth knows that if he kills the king for the crown, another, hungry for power,  when he becomes king this will surely do the same to him.In his state of in this scene he feels greedy but at the same time feels confident about being king. In Macbeth’s state of mind of this scene is that he doesn’t think that killing Duncan was a bad choice.

Shakespeare uses metaphors to reveal Macbeth’s state of mind.

In this script this is how Macbeth feels when his wife was dead . He says that life is but a walking shadow he means that life fades away very fast.In his soliloquy Macbeth says “The last syllable of recorded time” which is the last word of a person’s life. These metaphors reveal that Macbeth’s state of mind is that he feels discouraged about life and hopeless,it flies by so quickly.

Shakespeare uses metaphysical features (Banquo’s Ghost) to reveal Macbeth’s state of mind.

In Act 3 Scene 4 when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth become rulers of Scotland they had a feast and then Macbeth suddenly sees Banquo’s ghost and he’s the only one that sees this and everybody else can’t. “Hence, horrible shadow! Unreal mockery, hence!”, This quote means that Macbeth realizes that the ghost isn’t real and tells it to leave him alone. In Macbeth’s state of mind in this scene is that he feels really guilty for killing Banquo and that his ghost his haunting Macbeth of guilt. another example of his hallucinations is when he sees a dagger before he killed Duncan.Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. He is saying that he is about to grab the dagger when he realizes that it was just a vision. This point in the play is that he isn’t sure about killing Duncan and the dagger is the way of showing him how to do the deed. Shakespeare also shows us on Macbeth’s mind is getting worse when hear the news of his wife dying. He thinks that life is empty, depressing, shallow, and filled with pain.

MACBETH
She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.