Macbeth: Mad, Bad, Or Sad Essay, Research Paper
The mind can be influenced in a variety of
different ways.? Even the smallest
incident can have a long term affects on a person.? An individual can be manipulated if someone knows how.? To do their bidding through trickery, fear or
the fact that they look up to the controller and doesn?t want to let them
down.? Any of these things could have
had an effect on Macbeth, maybe he enjoyed it? Or did he even have control at
all?? Only he really knew that. ??????
Did Macbeth have control over his actions?? If he had no conscience he would be mad, not knowing what he was
doing and the effect his behaviour was having.?
Conscience is the difference between whether he was mad or bad.? If bad, Macbeth would have been in control
and knowing that what he was doing was wrong but continued in spite of that
feeling no guilt.? Macbeth may have been
influenced by other parties making him sad due to lack of mental strength so he
should be pitied for his weak mind. ??????
The signs of Macbeth being mad was the dagger he saw, before he was
going to murder King Duncan, but that may have been due to him not wanting to
go through with the deed, or having and attack of nerves or last minute
doubts.? But on the other hand, it could
have been his psychotic mind putting the image before him, going through the
murder prior to committing it.? This is
unlikely as his response is surprise and disbelief. He becomes confused and
searches for other explanations.? If he
was truly mad then logic probably wouldn?t mean anything to him.? The other main sign of madness is when he
arrives at a banquet, he sees the ghost of Banquo sitting in his? place.?
This event could be the result of by then an extremely guilty
conscience; knowing that he had had his closest friend murdered because he
thought he posed a threat to his throne.?
Also Macbeth feared Fleance, Banquo?s son who he also tried to have
killed and failed as the witches predicted him to become king one day.? Macbeth was the only person able to see the
ghost and began shouting at it in a state of lunacy.? Maybe the apparition was in Macbeths mind or maybe it really was
Banquo?s ghost.? The supernatural is
something not yet understood and could be possible.Another possibility is that
the lack of sleep could have had an effect on Macbeths mind,
sleep driving him mad.????????????
Was Macbeth bad?? There is a lot
of evidence for this argument. Macbeth killed King Duncan through greed and
wanting to be King of Scotland so badly to make what the witches prophesised
come true.? But he may have gone into it
not thinking or knowing what he was letting himself in for. He did have many
innocent people killed but he felt extreme guilt. It is the fact that they were
innocent that makes Macbeth bad. Macduffs family had done nothing wrong, there
was no reason to. The murders that Macbeth committed were the most serious ones
possible. The king, his best friend and battle partner who probably saved his
life many times and innocent people, women and children who had no connection
with him. But did he have a choice about continuing to murder people? He was
trying to protect himself and his throne and once he started deceiving he had
to carry on to cover up the last lie. It also got easier for him to cope with
it as the more times something happens the easier it becomes.????????????
Should Macbeth be pitied for his lack of mental strength?? He followed all the witches predictions and
done his best to make them come true once he became Thane of Cawdor and he may
not have even committed the original murder of KingDuncan.? After the first murder there was no going
back for Macbeth and he had to go on to protect himself.? But this is a life lead by extreme greed and
selfishness which gives people no pity for him. In the end when he had a chance
to kill Macduff and make the witches prophesy come true, as in the end he chose
to live and die by the prophesy. ????????
If Macbeth had made up his own mind with no witches giving him ideas to
encourage his greed or no manipulative wife knowing how to get out of him what
she wants, Macbeth probably would have made a different decision. Not getting
caught up in the first murder and having to continue to protect himself. But if
he honestly didn?t want to commit any of the murders he wouldn?t have and their
must be some bad in him to have let it continue. I think that once he killed
one person, he had to kill another, then another, so he had no choice to carry
on. If he was brave like he seemed to suddenly become at the end, the worst
possible killings of innocent people would have halted sooner or never have
been commenced.