Methought I heard a voice cry, 'Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep - the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravelled 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.'
Still it cried 'Sleep no more' to all the house;
'Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor
Shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more.'
The fact Macbeth believes he is hearing this voice supports the idea that he is guilty over his murderous deed, he feels judged and not only this, he is afraid.
The belief he will never sleep again stems from how hurt his mind is from having killed his King. The line "innocent sleep" does not just state Macbeth is not innocent but it may be referring to the innocence of Duncan and the innocence of sleep itself, the very innocence Macbeth has violated and killed "Macbeth does murder sleep". Macbeth goes on to list the good things of sleep "sore labour's bath,", 'sleep' is a thing of nurture, healing and warmth and this accentuates Macbeth's sin in "killing" it. Macbeth has killed sleep and through doing it, he will never experience again all the good things to do with it "Macbeth shall sleep no more." this line can also be interpreted as Macbeth now becoming paranoid and an insomniac through fear of being murdered in his own sleep.
The human necessity for sleep and Macbeth's proclaimed inability to have it makes Macbeth seem inhuman, as if the murder of Duncan has transformed him into a monster, similar to Lady Macbeth's desire to transform sexes. The idea of supernatural transformation is reinforced by the musical pace of the lines that likens Macbeth to making a chant which would make the link that he is now an otherworldly being like that of the evil Three Witches.
No comments:
Post a Comment