“Turn His Sleep to Wake:” Sleeplessness in Macbeth

Abstract

This thesis will consider how sleeplessness functions in Macbeth. Many consider Macbeth’s sleeplessness to be the product of his guilty conscience after he murders Duncan for the throne. While a case can be made for that argument, readings of the play that focus exclusively on Macbeth’s personal sleeplessness overlook the fact that virtually every character in the play experiences sleeplessness as well. Additionally, many of the unnatural events that mark Macbeth’s reign connect back to sleeplessness, suggesting the theme is more significant than merely denoting the emotional state of one character. Historical accounts of English life in Shakespeare’s time illustrate that sleep was a precarious state closely tied to safety and security; without the latter, the former became impossible. Elizabethans and Jacobeans also believed that physical and psychological ailments could be caused by one’s sleeping practices. In other words, good health was rooted in good sleep. These beliefs are evident in Macbeth, where universal sleeplessness becomes a symbol of Scotland’s vulnerable and treacherous state that Macbeth creates during his reign. Many readings of Macbeth suggest that not only is Macbeth guilt-stricken at the murders he commits, but that his actions are influenced if not overtly dictated by the play’s witches. By following the spread of sleeplessness and its remedy symbolized by Malcolm, it becomes clear that sleeplessness is not a supernatural or self-inflicted punishment inflicted upon Macbeth. Reading the play in this way strongly suggests that Macbeth is responsible for his own acts and that the influence of the witches is ultimately minimal.