Insomnia: difficulty/inability to initiate sleep or maintain sleep; early morning awakening; non-restorative sleeping.
Causes: stress, anxiety, depression, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, chronic pain, trouble breathing, and most ironically- worrying about getting insomnia.
Many people throughout the world suffer from insomnia. Even historical figures have been known to be inept to falling asleep. Some include Napoleon, Winston Churchill, Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt. One of the most influential public figures to have insomnia was Marilyn Monroe. There has been speculation that her chronic insomnia is accountable for her suicide. What would you do if you had this disorder so severe it affected your everyday life? Do you think it would push you as far as it pushed Marilyn? How would you cope?
Let's even touch on how Shakespeare is using the leitmotif of sleeplessness in Act II.
ReplyDeleteAs we all know, Macbeth is hallucinating quite a bit in Act II. As the play goes on, he's becoming more of a coward. After he commits the murder, he's experiencing insomnia, most likely from stress, and he's simply not comfortable being the "villain".
ReplyDeleteIn Act II, scene II, Macbeth says, "Methought I heard a voice cry, Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep—the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care, 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."
Macbeth says he's murdered sleep, and therefore he will sleep no more. Why does Macbeth compare King Duncan to sleep?
Zach makes a good thought. Macbeth does feel regret, and guilt for killing the king and he's worried about being found as the kings killer. So The constant worrying would prevent him from being able to sleep. Zach gives the perfect evidence for it. Macbeth even says himself that he has murdered sleep. Perhaps he's speaking about his own sleep, and that the guilt of what he's done will keep him up. I think that if you suffer from this in day to day life, it can affect your well-being, and how you live.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to Zach's question i think Macbeth compares Duncan to sleep because now that Macbeth has murdered the innocent Duncan he feels guilt and remorse about that and therefore that is not allowing him to sleep.
I agree Mary and Zach, Macbeth even confesses to not being able to sleep, so he walks the halls and imagines daggers leading him to the kings bedroom. He does hear voices, and I'm sure that he has insomnia because he is anxious and stressed about killing the king. His plan on killing the king has kept him up all night.
ReplyDeleteWhen Macbeth murders the king he murders sleep as well, to me that means that he is so guilty he will never sleep again. When he killed the king who was innocent and peacful, Macbeth killed him out of greed and power ,sleep is innocent and it clears your mind for the next day. Macbeth is now guilty and will no longer be able to clear his mind.
I would have to naturally wonder what will Macbeth do if he can never sleep, will he go as far as to confess of killing the king or will he kill himself first?
To answer your question Catie, I think that MacBeth could go as far as confessing his murder. Everyone knows that (and I am sure has experienced) when you get extremely tired, you tend to say random, absurd things, becoming “slap happy”. He might accidently let something slip.
ReplyDeleteI am very thankful that I do not have this disorder, because I am one cranky person if I do not receive the proper amount of sleep. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I am completely out until my alarm starts blaring. Freshman year, however, I would only receive about 4 to 5 hours a sleep a night and it did effect how I performed at school; I felt sluggish all the time.
When thinking of Macbeth's circumstance, the saying, "How do you sleep at night..." always comes in my mind. It seems to be a very appropriate saying for this act.
ReplyDeleteI believe regret, as strong as Macbeth's regret is now, is powerful enough to provoke insomnia for him. It seems reasonable for Shakespeare to take away the relief of sleep, in the sense that when you sleep, you escape your problems. Macbeth committed a horrific crime in which it seems logical for Shakespeare to punish him by taking away his only outlet. The quote that Zach provided gives further proof that the murder has taken away Macbeth's sleep.
In response to Zach's question:
I believe Macbeth compares sleep to Duncan because they are relatable to each other. In this circumstance both can be seen as innocent. Duncan is innocent, sleeping in his bed awaiting death. And sleep is innocent in the way that it is an escape from reality and reality's guilt and sin.
Do you think that Macbeth's inability to sleep is evidence that Macbeth has a conscious, given that he has regret for what he's done?
I like the point that Emily brings up a good point about insomnia taking away Macbeth's only outlet. It does seem just that since he murdered the sleeping king he would be unable to get a peaceful night again. It also brings to mind what Banquo says in scene 1 about how his dreams are not a relief but rather intensify his internal conflict.
ReplyDeleteTo answer Emily's question, I believe Macbeth does have a conscience. Shakespeare shows us this by showing Macbeth's hesitation to kill the king. He even says later that he wishes someone could wake Duncan, so he clearly regrets his deed. Since he has not yet been caught, this regret must stem from guilt, which could only come from his conscience.
I think Emily is right in supposing that he has a concious. how many times did he change his mind about killing the king in just the first act? Then again with the dagger he fears it when it appears covered in blood, and he cannot go back to frame the guards afterwards.
ReplyDeleteYet what about Macbeth's mental state, without the insomnia he's already commiting high treason and having hallucinations because some witches told him he could be great one day. If he's already seein things, how mad will he grow without sleep to restore him to his senses?
In response to the initial question, I would embrace insomnia. The inability to sleep would lead me to do so much. If I simply could NOT get to sleep for hours, I would do something else. Read, cook, build something, play an instrument, write a letter. I think I would rather have insomnia than be able to sleep so soundly. I feel like sleep is a waste of time. There's so many other things I could do in those five and a half hours I sleep. Oh, to think, but now, at least, I dream.
ReplyDeleteNow, bringing insomnia into Act II; sleep, I think most would agree, is a luxury. It is pleasant. It is a time to relax. I think "Macbeth does murder sleep" has two meanings. One, Macbeth cannot sleep with the guilt of what he's done. Like Emily said: "How do you sleep at night." And two, King Duncan will definitely be sleeping no more. He was killed in his sleep, that luxury I mentioned before. I think there's more guilt and cowardice in that fact alone; to kill a man when he's sleeping, how weak.
What do you think about the fact that Macbeth killed the King while he was sleeping? What does that say about his character?
Caitie, I loved your question, and Julie, I loved your answer to it. As high schoolers, we definitely can probably all relate to those restless nights when we need sleep the most. Likewise, we can relate to being slap happy.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to peek a little into mine and Caitlin's post on guilt (sorry!) and say that along with all of the "causes" listed for this post on insomnia, guilt also is a cause. I think that this answers Emily's question. Shakespeare makes it obvious that Macbeth is struggling with his intended actions and afterward is experiencing severe guilt. This insomnia is a part of that guilt.
To answer Zach's question about Macbeth comparing Duncan to sleep...both of them are innocent. Macbeth murdered and innocent man, and he thinks that he will no longer be able to sleep.. his sleep has been taken away...Its just like Macbeth comparing himself to the person that raped someone. They both took the life of innocent people. And like we said in class, it could be a forshadowing of whats yet to come of Macbeths destiny.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a hard life to have to live with insomnia. Right now, I normally get 4 to 5 hours sleep and thats hard enough. At least when I sleep, I sleep through the night most of the time. Not being able to control when I sleep would drive me crazy. I know it would affect my personality, and how I would act throughout the day.
I agree with many of the posters when they say that Macbeth is losing sleep due to the guilt caused by his actions. He murdered a good man for selfish reasons, leaving him feeling an overwhelming amount of guilt. So overwhelming that he may not be able to live with himself... or get a good night's sleep.
ReplyDeleteIf I had insomnia I agree with nick that I would get so much more done, I wish I didn't have to sleep because those other hours could be used so much more. I go to sleep at 9 every night and wake up at 5. I need that sleep and make sure no matter what I get everything I need to do in a day done so I can sleep, because it's important and keeps you healthy.
ReplyDeleteAnswering what Willy said, I think Macbeth will begin to go, crazy. We will begin to see him as someone else, tired confused and hateful. I might even say since he will get no sleep and he won't know who he is anymore, because his wife is pulling the stings, He will end up killing her, or himself. It's a little sad to see such a pure character with a bit of greed for power (which I don't think he would have acted upon if it wasn't for his wife)Become so lost and confused.
I believe that if someone has a severe disease that cant be cured by medicine, I know I would stuggle, just like every other human being im sure. It would be difficult. I agree with Nick and Merissa, I would definitly get alot more work done if I had insomnia, but the fact that I was restless, and would be tired the majority of my life, I just dont think I could handle that. I can barely handle being tired in school.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Nick's question, I do think Macbeth's conscious was still somewhat intact at that point. I think that he killed him in his sleep to keep suspsicion down,knowing it would be done while everyone in the palace was asleep, but I think he also killed the king while he was sleeping because Macbeth couldnt bare to have the man who thought so highly of him see him do this act. He still felt guilty and chose to act upon the deed this way.