Contents

Describe Macbeth as a Psychological tragedy.

Write an essay on Shakespeare’s use of soliloquies in ‘Macbeth’.

Psychology and Soliloquies in Macbeth

Introduction- Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth‘ has been considered as Psychological tragedy. Shakespeare introduces many soliloquies to expose the conflict of mind. It is conflict between reality and hope good and evil as well as duty and ambition. In a Psychological tragedy, the hero fights against himself. He has no struggle with his destiny. No man ever creates any obstacle in his way. In fact his own mind is divided between his reality and golden hopes. The conflict is between the two aspects of his own personality.

‘Macbeth’s is a great Psychological tragedy for the hero’s mind is full of conflict between his reality and golden hopes; his duty and ambition Indirectly it is conflict between good and evil. Macbeth suffers from a divided personality. He wishes to attain the royal throne but fears that he may lose his present honours too. His sense of duty inspires him to save Duncan. Thus the conflict becomes more and more serious. He commits murder after murder but his mental conflict enables us to realize his inward nobility. The conflict is exposed in his soliloquies.

Macbeth’s Soliloquies- Macbeth’s soliloquics expose his real personality. In fact there is a great difference between his apparent personality and the real personality. In the battlefield he fights for the honour if his beloved king. But when witches predict that he will be king of Scotland he begins to think about Duncan’s murder. He has firm faith in the witches prediction for the first two prediction are proved true for the king has honoured him with the title of the thane of Cawdor. He is the thane of Glamis by virtue of his late father’s title. The first soliloquy exposes Macbeth’s Psychology in this background,

Macb. (A side) Two truths are told.

As happy protogues to the swelling act

Of the imperial theme- I thank you gentlemen,

(A side) This supernatural solicitging

Cannot be ill, cannot be good; if ill,

Why hath it given me earnest of success. Commencing in a turth?

The king welcomes and honours him, But the declaration of the Prince of Cumberland hurts Macbeth. It is a new obstable in his attainment of the royal crown. The second soliloquy exposes his foul thoughts. It has been used very skillfully.

When Duncan becomes a guest for one night at his castle, Lady Macbeth provokes him to murder the King. He suffers from a serious mental conflict if he should kill Duncan or not. It is a conflict between his duty and ambition. It is his tragic flaw which dominates and he decides to murder his beloved King.

Lady Macbeth’s Soliloquies- In fact, ‘Macbeth’ is a Psychological tragedy. It brings to light the Psychology of other character also. The most important of them is Lady Macbeth. She is over ambitions and to be the royal queen, she is ready to give up her natural nobility. She wants to fill his mind with evil thoughts.

She invites the wicked spirits to unsex her and fill her with direst cruelty. Her disappointment and helplessness is expressed in the following soliloquy. She becomes the royal queen but her mind is upset. Her peace of mind is lost.

It is her helplessness that she can’t express her grief before her husband. She supresses her grief and becomes a patient of sleep-walking. Her end is more pathetic than the end of Macbeth.

Thus Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ is Psychological tragedy. It is rich in the element of Psychology. Shakespeare has exposed the inward thoughts of his characters. In this matter soliloquies make a great contribution. These Psychological speeches express the real personality of the speaker.