Volume-XII, Issue-II, March 2026 |
Decoding Shakespeare’s Macbeth: A psychosocial reflection and meditation Sarita Mal, SACT, Maharaja Srischandra College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
Received: 14.03.2026 | Accepted: 19.03.2026 | Published Online: 31.03.2026 | Page No: | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.02W. | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
The pangs of unrequited throne, Lady Macbeth’s guilt-ridden soul and Bellona’s Bridegroom’s dying attempt to escape Birnam Wood loom large in the darker world of Macbeth. Shakespeare, with his sorcery of language, presents a disrupted world of fear, passion and guilt. These triad (fear, passion and guilt) create a chaotic world which finds its solace in the death of the Macbeths. While discussing the psychological aspects of Macbeth, we cannot but recall A C Bradley’s Shakespearean Tragedy. Bradley’s reflection on Macbeth’s dilemma between the conscious mind and the conscience is illuminating. Following Sigmund Freud in Civilization and its Discontents, Joan M Byles in Macbeth: Imagery of Destruction has further highlighted Macbeth’s oscillation between superego and fear of castration. The image of blood is also a recurring theme in Macbeth. Critics have so far reflected upon the unbridled passion and vaulting ambition of the Macbeths. Their mind-within-mind is an open vista to be explored from different points of view. Three Witches on heath, the unseen dagger, Banquo’s ghost and Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalk take us to the untrodden psychic world of Macbeth. We are afraid, yet excited. Does any mental disease or illness pervade Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s mind? Is it fear or is it guilt? The explanation is sought for in this paper with a humble attempt to unwrap the shielded mind that hovers our unconscious too. | ||
Keywords: fear, passion, guilt, paranoia, psychosis |