We turn off the lights when watching scary movies, and when it’s time to go to bed, we secretly make sure the closet doors are shut. Fear keeps our hearts pumping and endorphins rushing, for it is an emotion that reminds us of our mortality. How ironic it is to experience more life in our fascination with death. The two legendary writers, Poe and King, have ruled the universe of death and horror with remarkable success, both gifted with the talent of introducing each reader to his or her own subconscious fears. Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King are the masters of their craft, blessed- or perhaps cursed- with imaginations that set higher standards in the field of writing.
“Still it cried 'Sleep no more!' to all the house: 'Glamis hath murder'd sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more. '” (Shakespeare 2.2. 53-55). Even though Macbeth chose to murder Duncan, he first shows guilt and regret for it when telling his wife of the voices he heard after killing Duncan.
Saying “Macbeth has murdered sleep, and therefore Macbeth will sleep no more” (59). 5. Who was sleeping in the second chamber? Why did Shakespeare include that information in the play? Malcolm and Donalbain were both sleeping in the second chambers (57). This puts suspicion on both of them.
In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth feels guilty after slaughtering King Duncan whereas Lady Macbeth is unfazed. To begin with, Macbeth feels that he is not honorable enough to have the title of Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth hears a voice cry “‘Glamis hath murder’d sleep’, and therefore Cawdor/Shall sleep no more” (2.2.46, 46). Here, Macbeth does not think that he deserves the title because he dishonoured the king who gave him the opportunity to succeed. It is quite ironic how the original Thane of Cawdor was a traitor and now Macbeth follows down the same path.
Again, he contemplates suicide as a way to escape his misery: “To die, to sleep; to sleep, perchance to dream-ay, there’s the rub! For in that sleep what dreams may come…”. If Hamlet could just sleep without dreaming, he would like to take his own life but the mystery of what comes next keeps him from acting on it. He also questions his own honor in living with the hardships of life opposed to dying young and avoiding life’s challenges. He speculates that perhaps we all choose life because of the uncertainty and mystery of death.
Fears and guilt in Dunny rid him even when he wants to sleep he thinks that he is going to hell for his involvement. For example, “I fear to go to sleep and prayed till I sweated that God would forgive me for mountainous crime.” (22) This quote shows how Dunny feels guilty and fear because of what had happened to his permanent neighbor. Although, the guilt Dunny experiences remained forever throughout the book because later in the book, Dunny said, "I was determined that if I could not take care of Mrs. Dempster, nobody else should do it. She was mine." (180) the guilt in Dunny makes him feel responsible for Mrs. Damester and he is the one that should take care of her.
I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this!” (Poe, Heart 657). Here the narrator is saying the only reason he murdered the old man was because of the evil eye, which he couldn’t bare to see for another day; as they lived in the same house. This is quite frightening to think about because everyone has their own imperfections but it doesn’t mean that people who cannot stand these traits will kill people because of them. “Shaking in every limb, I groped my way back to the wall- resolving there to perish rather than risk the terrors of the wells, of which my imagination now pictured many in various positions about the dungeon” (Poe, Pit 3).
It doesn't take long for Macbeth to make the connection that his time in the throne will be short, and that perhaps Banquo will be looking to supplant him just like he with Duncan. Macbeth seems to disregard his Fate, not fully comprehending that it is virtually impossible to change your fate once it had been decided, but to avoid any chances he has Banquo killed. Macbeth has now started to become irrational; ordering the death of his best friend, who he only, at the time, suspected would potentially kill him to allow his son to takes the throne. He is restless and terrified, he says’ O full of scorpions is my mind dear wife’ implying how as his dishonesty took him to the throne, his kingship will be blighted. He seems to also become scared of what he is now capable of, as he is repeatedly reminded of the deed that had then taken place.
He also references Tarquin, a Roman tyrant, and his wolf, an animal that would alert him to any danger or threat. Macbeth’s conscience is growing more and more powerful causing him to grow ambivalent about his plan to murder Duncan. It is important to remember that at the beginning of the play, Macbeth was an honorable man who loved and respected his king, so this circumstance is extremely new to him. This soliloquy in which he deliberates over the plan shows the internal struggle that he has. He knows that what he is about to do is horrifying, which is why he implies all those evil images in the passage.
He has becomes obsessed with preventing the overthrow of him as a king. Some may say Macbeth became stronger as the play went on, but evidences shows he had become weaker as the haunting of the ghost Banquo broke him down to a point where he was questionably insane. He relied far too much on the prophecies and the supernatural, which in the end was his downfall. Towards the end of the play Lady Macbeth has died and the battle is drawing closer to Macbeth. After hearing the news of Lady Macbeth’s death Macbeth appears unemotional “She should have died hereafter;…” Macbeth is overly confident due to the witch’s prophecies telling him that anyone born from a woman cannot harm him.