Sleep is used as a way of torture and a way of killing someone in Act 1. On page 15 line 20, the witches are talking about revenge on a sailor whose wife refused to share her chestnut. As the witches plan their ways of torturing this man, sleep comes in as part of torture. The first witch says, lines 20-23, “Sleep shall neither night nor day. Hang upon him his penthouse lid. He shall live a man forbid.” So the Witches will torture him so much that he will not be able to sleep, and he will have a cursed life from now on.
Another mention of sleep is when Macbeth is discussing with Lady Macbeth their plan to get Duncan drunk and when he is sleeping, they will kill him and put his blood on the servants as to put blame on them. Sleep is used as a way of pain and torture in the book. This can be seen on page 43 lines 77-79 “ When in swinish sleep their drenched nature lies as in death, what cannot you and I perform upon th’ unguarded Duncan?”. So when Duncan is sleeping, he will be stepping into his own death.
Enrico, good initial comments and evidence on sleep. So, overall, is sleep a good thing? Is it used in a good or bad way? (Remember to use a citation after each line like (I.iii.20-23).)
Sleep is seen as a bad thing in Act 2. It is portrayed as torture and death. We can see that Banquo is having dark thoughts, it can be implied that it is because of the witches prophecies, and he is not being able to sleep very well. 2.i.8-11, “ A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, and yet i would not sleep: merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature gives way to in repose.” Also, sleep is seen as torture to Macbeth after he hallucinates of the floating dagger. He says that his dreams will go through the curtains of his bed, and enter his sleep. So Macbeth gives us a notice that he will be having nightmares because of the killing. Therefore he will be tortured by sleeping. This is seen by this quote, 2.i.61-63, “Now o’er the one half-world nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse the curtain’d sleep.” The Porter also mentions sleep as torture. He states that after drinking, you can only dream of having sex, but can not actually perform it.
After killing Duncan, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he heard someone scream Murder, and the other laugh. This can be seen that Macbeth is really affected by this killing, so he imagines the servants, even sleeping, know that he is a murderer. Also, Macbeth imagines that someone says he will not be able to sleep again. 2.ii.47-52 Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep,” the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care, the death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, chief nourisher in life’s feast.” This can be understood as a metaphor, because we want to sleep when we have many problems in just a short amount of time. We want to sleep so we can forget about it for a while, and get our heads right so we can think rationally about the problems. He also states that sleep is like a bath, and a feast. Macbeth wants to make us understand that sleep is also a main thing in life, such as eating and taking showers, the thing that gives life a meaning and the things we hope to have throughout the day. So life is only worth living if we sleep. So by killing Duncan, Macbeth feels that he took away an important thing in his life, that made it worth living. Sleep is also referred to as death by Macduff, when he discovers that the king is dead. Macduff tells Banquo, Malcolm and Donalbain to wake up the king, from his ‘sleep’. 2.iii.88-89, “Shake off this downy sleep, death’s counterfeit, and look on death itself!”. This is the same as saying that death and sleep are almost the same, but sleep allows us to feel renovated, while death is a horrid image.
Enrico, good analysis of sleep and use of evidence. Do you think that sleep itself is negative, or the lack of sleep is bad? Isn’t sleep described as “innocent” and a “nourisher”? (Remember to use paragraphs to improve organization of ideas!)
“But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer,Ere we will eat our meal in fear and sleep In the affliction of these terrible dreams That shake us nightly. Better be with the dead, Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, Than on the torture of the mind to lie In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave; After life’s fitful fever he sleeps well” (3. 2. 17-22). This quote comes back to an important theme; with every action there is a consequence. Also, that it is not wise to do something out of impulses and desires. Macbeth chose to kill Duncan out of the blue. He did not stop to think about it, and did not think about what could consequences of the act. He is being tortured by sleep, as he can’t sleep as he feels very guilty of having killed Duncan. Sleep is used as torture in act 3, and also stands as a consequence of the action of killing. The motif of sleep in Macbeth is showing how murder can affect on how well you sleep. In real life, sleep reborns us with energy, and is a good thing that everybody wants. In the play it is being used as torture, and it is something that Macbeth does not want to do, as he is having nightmares and feels very guilty and is going insane.
“You lack the season of all natures, sleep” (3. 4. 42). Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he should forget what he has done, as it can’t be unchanged. “Things without all remedy should be without regard. What’s done is done” 3.ii.13-14. The quote from scene 4 shows how sleep is not natural to Macbeth, like the 4 seasons. He is not being able to sleep in comfort, as he has insomnia. Even with forcing himself to sleep, it is not good as he has nightmares. Sleep is used as torture in Act 3.
Enrico, good comments on how Shakespeare uses the lack of sleep as torture in the play, and I like your connection to the thematic topic of consequences. Do you think that any other character will be affected by lack of sleep in the play?
In act 4, Macbeth realized that he is feeling guilty about committing all of these murders. “That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies and sleep in spite of thunder” (4. 1. 84-85). This quote means that Macbeth is trying to sleep, even though he is tormented by thunder. Macbeth can’t sleep, as ‘thunder’ keeps him awake. Sleep is used as a way of torture in Act 4 also, as in all earlier Acts.
Shakespeare chooses thunder to point out that it’s the reason that’s keeping Macbeth awake, as to set a dark mood. It’s not actual thunder that is getting in the way of Macbeth’s sleep, as it is guilt. Thunder is used to represent that Macbeth’s guilt is so strong that it feels like thunder.
When he decides that he is going to kill Macduff to keep his throne, Macbeth states that he will put his fears aside and keep moving on with life, although he feels remorse about all the deaths he caused. This relates to the theme that supernatural forces control fate, as everything that the Witches warned Macbeth about, he has set out to do. Such as Duncan, Banquo, and later on, Macduff shall be dead as for Macbeth to complete him ambition of staying king.
“A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once The benefit of sleep and do the effects of watching!” (v.1.10-12). Lady Macbeth has been tortured in her sleep, because she feels guilty of taking part in Duncan’s killings. Even though she is sleeping, she sleepwalks talking about moments of the killings. She sees blood in her hand and washes her hand, as she wants to wash it off. The doctor says that it is bothering to be able to sleep, but at the same time be sleep-walking. Sleep is supposed to be a very deep, comforting feeling to release stress, however, it is mentioned as torture in the book. This connects to the theme that to every action, there is a consequence. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have acted without thinking straight, and just started killing people for their own benefits. They committed these murderers straightly for ambition, now they have to live with the consequences of guilt and the torture of not being able to sleep. Shakespeare does this to show how Lady Macbeth is out of control, she has been engulfed in guilt and is going mad. This gets us ready for her death.
“Not so sick, my lord, As she is troubled with thick-coming fancies That keep her from her rest” (v.3.46-48). The doctor explains to Macbeth that Lady Macbeth’s problem is her conscience, she is not actually sick. This is why Lady Macbeth can’t sleep, she has a heavy conscience. This relates to the theme that having uncontrolled ambition can lead to extreme actions, which can lead to extreme consequences, such as not being able to sleep because of guilt.
“Here let them lie Till famine and the ague eat them up” (v.5.3-4). Macbeth intends to let the Birnam Wood army die outside the gates, as he believes they will not get in. This relates to sleep, as death represents an infinite sleep. Macbeth uses ‘lie’ as laying down on the floor as dead. But ‘lie’ also means laying down on a bed and sleeping. Sleeping and death are very similar. Death means an eternal sleep, and sleep is a way to get our strengths back and recover from the long day. So the 10,000 soldiers will ‘lie’ on the floor in an eternal sleep. This expresses Macbeth’s confidence and ruthlessness toward the soldiers. He thinks he is immortal as he had not found anyone that was not born of woman.
In this act, sleep is a bad thing. Lady Macbeth is not being able to sleep due to her heavy conscience of killing Duncan. She is being able to sleep, but she sleepwalks and has nightmares. She is not being able to sleep peacefully, therefore she becomes mad, and dies. There is nothing the doctor can do for her, no medicine will cure her guilt. Sleep is also referred as death, as the soldier would ‘lie’ on the floor lifeless, just like they were sleeping.
Macbeth Characters and Motifs 
Sleep is used as a way of torture and a way of killing someone in Act 1. On page 15 line 20, the witches are talking about revenge on a sailor whose wife refused to share her chestnut. As the witches plan their ways of torturing this man, sleep comes in as part of torture. The first witch says, lines 20-23, “Sleep shall neither night nor day. Hang upon him his penthouse lid. He shall live a man forbid.” So the Witches will torture him so much that he will not be able to sleep, and he will have a cursed life from now on.
Another mention of sleep is when Macbeth is discussing with Lady Macbeth their plan to get Duncan drunk and when he is sleeping, they will kill him and put his blood on the servants as to put blame on them. Sleep is used as a way of pain and torture in the book. This can be seen on page 43 lines 77-79 “ When in swinish sleep their drenched nature lies as in death, what cannot you and I perform upon th’ unguarded Duncan?”. So when Duncan is sleeping, he will be stepping into his own death.
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Enrico, good initial comments and evidence on sleep. So, overall, is sleep a good thing? Is it used in a good or bad way? (Remember to use a citation after each line like (I.iii.20-23).)
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Sleep is seen as a bad thing in Act 2. It is portrayed as torture and death. We can see that Banquo is having dark thoughts, it can be implied that it is because of the witches prophecies, and he is not being able to sleep very well. 2.i.8-11, “ A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, and yet i would not sleep: merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature gives way to in repose.” Also, sleep is seen as torture to Macbeth after he hallucinates of the floating dagger. He says that his dreams will go through the curtains of his bed, and enter his sleep. So Macbeth gives us a notice that he will be having nightmares because of the killing. Therefore he will be tortured by sleeping. This is seen by this quote, 2.i.61-63, “Now o’er the one half-world nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse the curtain’d sleep.” The Porter also mentions sleep as torture. He states that after drinking, you can only dream of having sex, but can not actually perform it.
After killing Duncan, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he heard someone scream Murder, and the other laugh. This can be seen that Macbeth is really affected by this killing, so he imagines the servants, even sleeping, know that he is a murderer. Also, Macbeth imagines that someone says he will not be able to sleep again. 2.ii.47-52 Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep,” the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care, the death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, chief nourisher in life’s feast.” This can be understood as a metaphor, because we want to sleep when we have many problems in just a short amount of time. We want to sleep so we can forget about it for a while, and get our heads right so we can think rationally about the problems. He also states that sleep is like a bath, and a feast. Macbeth wants to make us understand that sleep is also a main thing in life, such as eating and taking showers, the thing that gives life a meaning and the things we hope to have throughout the day. So life is only worth living if we sleep. So by killing Duncan, Macbeth feels that he took away an important thing in his life, that made it worth living. Sleep is also referred to as death by Macduff, when he discovers that the king is dead. Macduff tells Banquo, Malcolm and Donalbain to wake up the king, from his ‘sleep’. 2.iii.88-89, “Shake off this downy sleep, death’s counterfeit, and look on death itself!”. This is the same as saying that death and sleep are almost the same, but sleep allows us to feel renovated, while death is a horrid image.
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Enrico, good analysis of sleep and use of evidence. Do you think that sleep itself is negative, or the lack of sleep is bad? Isn’t sleep described as “innocent” and a “nourisher”? (Remember to use paragraphs to improve organization of ideas!)
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“But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer,Ere we will eat our meal in fear and sleep In the affliction of these terrible dreams That shake us nightly. Better be with the dead, Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, Than on the torture of the mind to lie In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave; After life’s fitful fever he sleeps well” (3. 2. 17-22). This quote comes back to an important theme; with every action there is a consequence. Also, that it is not wise to do something out of impulses and desires. Macbeth chose to kill Duncan out of the blue. He did not stop to think about it, and did not think about what could consequences of the act. He is being tortured by sleep, as he can’t sleep as he feels very guilty of having killed Duncan. Sleep is used as torture in act 3, and also stands as a consequence of the action of killing. The motif of sleep in Macbeth is showing how murder can affect on how well you sleep. In real life, sleep reborns us with energy, and is a good thing that everybody wants. In the play it is being used as torture, and it is something that Macbeth does not want to do, as he is having nightmares and feels very guilty and is going insane.
“You lack the season of all natures, sleep” (3. 4. 42). Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he should forget what he has done, as it can’t be unchanged. “Things without all remedy should be without regard. What’s done is done” 3.ii.13-14. The quote from scene 4 shows how sleep is not natural to Macbeth, like the 4 seasons. He is not being able to sleep in comfort, as he has insomnia. Even with forcing himself to sleep, it is not good as he has nightmares. Sleep is used as torture in Act 3.
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Enrico, good comments on how Shakespeare uses the lack of sleep as torture in the play, and I like your connection to the thematic topic of consequences. Do you think that any other character will be affected by lack of sleep in the play?
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In act 4, Macbeth realized that he is feeling guilty about committing all of these murders. “That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies and sleep in spite of thunder” (4. 1. 84-85). This quote means that Macbeth is trying to sleep, even though he is tormented by thunder. Macbeth can’t sleep, as ‘thunder’ keeps him awake. Sleep is used as a way of torture in Act 4 also, as in all earlier Acts.
Shakespeare chooses thunder to point out that it’s the reason that’s keeping Macbeth awake, as to set a dark mood. It’s not actual thunder that is getting in the way of Macbeth’s sleep, as it is guilt. Thunder is used to represent that Macbeth’s guilt is so strong that it feels like thunder.
When he decides that he is going to kill Macduff to keep his throne, Macbeth states that he will put his fears aside and keep moving on with life, although he feels remorse about all the deaths he caused. This relates to the theme that supernatural forces control fate, as everything that the Witches warned Macbeth about, he has set out to do. Such as Duncan, Banquo, and later on, Macduff shall be dead as for Macbeth to complete him ambition of staying king.
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Enrico, some good analysis here, but I would like to see you use more evidence (quotes!) to support your analysis.
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“A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once The benefit of sleep and do the effects of watching!” (v.1.10-12). Lady Macbeth has been tortured in her sleep, because she feels guilty of taking part in Duncan’s killings. Even though she is sleeping, she sleepwalks talking about moments of the killings. She sees blood in her hand and washes her hand, as she wants to wash it off. The doctor says that it is bothering to be able to sleep, but at the same time be sleep-walking. Sleep is supposed to be a very deep, comforting feeling to release stress, however, it is mentioned as torture in the book. This connects to the theme that to every action, there is a consequence. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have acted without thinking straight, and just started killing people for their own benefits. They committed these murderers straightly for ambition, now they have to live with the consequences of guilt and the torture of not being able to sleep. Shakespeare does this to show how Lady Macbeth is out of control, she has been engulfed in guilt and is going mad. This gets us ready for her death.
“Not so sick, my lord, As she is troubled with thick-coming fancies That keep her from her rest” (v.3.46-48). The doctor explains to Macbeth that Lady Macbeth’s problem is her conscience, she is not actually sick. This is why Lady Macbeth can’t sleep, she has a heavy conscience. This relates to the theme that having uncontrolled ambition can lead to extreme actions, which can lead to extreme consequences, such as not being able to sleep because of guilt.
“Here let them lie Till famine and the ague eat them up” (v.5.3-4). Macbeth intends to let the Birnam Wood army die outside the gates, as he believes they will not get in. This relates to sleep, as death represents an infinite sleep. Macbeth uses ‘lie’ as laying down on the floor as dead. But ‘lie’ also means laying down on a bed and sleeping. Sleeping and death are very similar. Death means an eternal sleep, and sleep is a way to get our strengths back and recover from the long day. So the 10,000 soldiers will ‘lie’ on the floor in an eternal sleep. This expresses Macbeth’s confidence and ruthlessness toward the soldiers. He thinks he is immortal as he had not found anyone that was not born of woman.
In this act, sleep is a bad thing. Lady Macbeth is not being able to sleep due to her heavy conscience of killing Duncan. She is being able to sleep, but she sleepwalks and has nightmares. She is not being able to sleep peacefully, therefore she becomes mad, and dies. There is nothing the doctor can do for her, no medicine will cure her guilt. Sleep is also referred as death, as the soldier would ‘lie’ on the floor lifeless, just like they were sleeping.
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