Macbeth Essay

A sociopath is:

“A person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme anti-social attitudes and behavior, particularly a lack of moral responsibility or social consequence”. (Webster’s Dictionary)

In Wikipedia, sociopaths are defined as manipulators and are thus considered to be seductresses, using their charm to attain what they need. They are also known to have a lack of remorse, consequence and empathy. These characteristics all appropriately describe Lady Macbeth. She portrays sociopathic behavior throughout the play Macbeth to acquire what she desires. Lady Macbeth’s behavior throughout the play Macbeth gives evidence that she is a sociopath. She has a lack of empathy and guilt which is a sociopathic quality.

Lady Macbeth has a lack of remorse and empathy like that of a sociopath. Throughout the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth demonstrates her sociopathic behavior by displaying her lack of regret and guilt. After Macbeth kills King Duncan, Lady Macbeth has a conversation with Macbeth.

Lady Macbeth: Are you a man?

Macbeth: Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that which might appall the devil.

(Act 3, Scene 4)

This quotation illustrates Lady Macbeth’s surprise to her husband’s anxiety in contrast to her calm behavior. She is yelling at her husband and questioning his manhood because he is feeling remorse and guilt for the crime he has been convinced to commit. As shown in the prior quotation, Lady not only feels no regret for the murder of Duncan, but she is questioning Macbeth’s manhood for feeling this way. In talking about the behavior of a sociopath, Dr. Robert Hare, the prominent Canadian researcher on the sociopathic personality, describes them as:

Interspecies predators who use charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence to control others and to satisfy their own selfish needs. Lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they cold-bloodedly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret.

As stated by Dr. Hare, a common mannerism of a sociopath is their lack of repent. Given that Lady Macbeth is able to be partial in organizing and committing a murder and sustain composure without regret, she shares a very large attribute of a sociopath. This important characteristic that both a typical sociopath and Lady Macbeth share, prove that Lady Macbeth is in fact a sociopath. Next to be discussed is impulsive nature.

Lady Macbeth shares similar attributes to a sociopath such as impulsiveness. Both lady and her husband Macbeth were impulsive characters. The extreme actions took after hearing the predictions of their future made by the three witches, shows the trait. The first prediction of the three witches was that Macbeth was to be king, this prediction had strong appeal to lady because in it coming true, would give her power as the queen. After hearing the predictions, Lady’s sociopathic and impulsive nature caused her to go to extreme measures in order to ensure the unfailing of the prediction. This resulted in her plotting the death of King Duncan, as well as the murder s of many more to come as a result of his death. Lady Macbeth finds out that King Duncan is spending the night at their house. This conversation takes place soon after Lady is informed of the three witch’s predictions.

O never shall sun that morrow see!
Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters. To beguile the time, look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue. Look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t. He that’s coming must be provided for; and you shall put this night’s great business into my dispatch, which shall to all our nights and days to come give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.
(Act 1, Scene 5 53-60)

The previous quotation is said by Lady Macbeth to her husband after she finds out that Kind Duncan is staying the night at their house. This conversation takes place soon after Lady is informed of the three witch’s predictions. The quotation is an example of her impulsive nature, because in learning about the predictions, lady does not stop to think before deciding to act towards the coming true of these predictions. Regardless of the possible consequences, Lady Macbeth is immediately ready to do something as immoral as kill kind Duncan, in order to get what she wants. Renato M.E Sabbatni, a neuroscientist states in regards to the attributes of a sociopath,

They display pathological egocentricity, shallow emotions, lack of insight, and poor control of impulsiveness (including a low tolerance for frustration and a low threshold for discharge of aggression).

In general, sociopaths act in an impulsive nature, just as lady Macbeth does in certain situations throughout the play, giving further proof that she is a sociopath.

Like a sociopath, Lady Macbeth is manipulative using her seemingly good attributes to perform devious actions. Throughout the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth uses manipulation to attain her desires. She wants to become queen and therefore she maneuvers her husband into doing whatever it takes to turn her wishes into reality. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth to kill King Duncan by making his seem like a coward for questioning doing so. She heavily influences him with her words, and makes him feel gutless for considering not going through with the murder the night that Duncan sleeps over.

What beast was’t, then, that made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man. Nor time nor place did then adhere, and yet you would make both. They have made themselves, and that their fitness now does unmake you. I have given suck, and know how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me. I would. While it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I sworn as you have done this.
(Act 1, scene 7 48-56)

In this quotation that is said by Lady Macbeth, she is using her words to force her husband to commit the crime that she cannot do herself. She is questioning his manhood, and saying whatever she can in order to ensure that the deed is done tonight, and he will not question the action again. As said in Wikipedia, a sociopath is a manipulator, using whatever attributes necessary to get what they want or feel they need. In convincing her husband to commit various murderous crimes, Lady Macbeth is demonstrating another characteristic of a sociopath.

Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth performs actions that are comparable to that of a sociopath. She has many facets that can be described as sociopathic traits. Proof of her sociopathic behavior is shown in the way she manipulates her husband to perform murderous deeds for her own wellbeing. Also, her impulsive actions when wanting power (becoming queen).Lastly, her lack of remorse after various deaths of innocent people, and the guilt she instilled upon her husband for feeling repentance after completing the deed. These matching characteristics prove that lady Macbeth is in fact a sociopath.