Prompts

1988. Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Just like on an episode of Criminal Minds, some people are not as mentally sane as others. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth the main events are psychological; full of personal discoveries, changes in sanity, and the truth within ones self. Macbeth and his wife’s mental states cause the deaths of the people around them and of their eventual downfall at the climax of the play.
In some of the first scenes of the play by William Shakespeare, three witches show up and confront Macbeth giving him the prophecy and awakening his and Lady Macbeth’s desire for power. When Macbeth first hears that he is thane of Cawdor and will one day become king, he does not believe it. A short while later, a messenger comes and informs him that he is indeed thane of Cawdor and Macbeth assumes that he will become king one day as well. When Macbeth just assumes that he will become king one day, the suspense kicks in. How will he become king? When will he become king? These questions are meant to build in the reader’s head causing excitement. Lady Macbeth is startled by the prophecy and with her lust of power awakened, wishes to push up the date of which her husband will be crowned. At one point, Lady Macbeth actually wills away her womanhood to become more manly, or harsher and capable of murder. She’s driving herself insane thinking about and planning to commit a murder in cold blood. This act would have not been culturally accepted in that day and era and therefore would have caused great excitement in the audience at the anomaly before them.
Towards the end of the play, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are obviously insane. They have killed off King Duncan, Macduff’s wife and child, and even Banquo all in an attempt to gain and keep their power. It is destroying their sanity and helps create the climax of the story. If Macduff hadn’t had his family murdered, he would mostly likely not be so intent upon killing Macbeth during the final battle and climax of the play. An exciting sword fight ensued before Macbeth finally fell by Macduff’s sword. Lady Macbeth, who actually killed Duncan, is torn apart by her actions and asks “will these hands ere be clean?” as if there was still the blood of her victims on them. Her obvious insanity creates an exciting and intriguing portion to the story, adding to the sense that Macbeth has also slowly been losing his marbles.
As everyone who survived the play on Dunsinane Castle head to Scone for the crowning of Kind Malcolm, we are left to ponder Macbeth’s legacy. The man and his wife clearly went insane and their lack of sanity certainly created the plot, excitement, climax and suspense within the play. Without the married couples’ insanity, the deaths of most people (including themselves) could have been avoided along with their downfall.