Macbeth's Emotions Analysis

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Influential emotions within society are what set man apart from other animals; yet, allowing these emotions to attain control over one's self, morphs humans into becoming animalistic. Consequently, emotions can achieve full destruction of one's life; unfortunately, this usually occurs after an attempt to achieve something greater, by surpassing certain boundaries that keep these emotions at bay. In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare conveys how emotions can both define and destroy an individual through the character Macbeth. With Macbeth's changing diction and mannerisms, Shakespeare elaborates on the qualities of love, violence, and guilt, which have the ability to consume a human's soul; thus, these emotions…show more content…
Macbeth symbolizes humanity because he possesses qualities of wisdom lodged between his other emotions. He acknowledges the fact that people are aware of his crime; therefore, Macbeth acts as a stereotypical man would by attempting to cover his tracks with more acts of violence. When asking the murderers to kill Banquo, he tells them "Now if you have a station in the file, / Not i' th' worst rank of manhood, say 't, / And I will put that business in your bosoms / Whose execution takes your enemy off" (3. 1. 102-105). With his sudden spree of violent acts, Macbeth causes inner turmoil for himself by forgetting what he once stood for. He contradicts his previous statement that " Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return / To plague th' inventor" (1. 7. 9-10).The new idea manifests in his mind, pushing him over the edge and morphing him into a completely different character. Through his continuous malevolent actions, Macbeth is no longer able to return back to his former glory. As a result, there is no longer a purpose him for drifting back onto the path of nobility he once traveled on. His transformation from "brave Macbeth/ ... Which smoked with bloody execution" to killing to cause fear, illustrates how he now has made himself more like any generic man (1. 2. 16, 18). Even with violence being the determining factor that classifies a man, it depends…show more content…
His guilty conscience takes the form of paranoia, almost to the point of schizophrenia, as he foresees his doom which can never be avoided. After killing the king, Macbeth claims: Methought I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep'-the innocent sleep... The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, / Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course, / Chief nourisher in life's feast

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