![]() The symbol of sleep also appears in the famous soliloquy in which Macbeth contemplates whether or not to kill Banquo. He is saying that after he killed Duncan, he can no longer enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep because his conscience will not allow it. ![]() Macbeth is using the word “sleep” to refer to conscience. For example, after Duncan’s murder, Macbeth says “Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep” (II.ii.57-58). Throughout the play, there are numerous references to sleeping and waking. In this way, his murder can be seen as an act of cowardice on Macbeth’s part. He is unaware of the danger he is in and unable to defend himself. Just as one is vulnerable when they are asleep, so too is Duncan vulnerable when he is killed in his sleep. In this way, sleep becomes a metaphor for innocence. She is saying that if Duncan hadn’t looked so much like her own father, she would have been able to kill him. Here, Lady Macbeth uses the word “sleep” as a euphemism for death. Lady Macbeth says, “I would’ve done it had he not resembled / My father when he slept” (II.ii.15-17). This imagery recurs frequently in discussions about Duncan and his murder. One way to interpret Shakespeare’s employment of the word “sleep,” is as a metaphor for purity. The term “sleep” is used throughout Macbeth in a variety of ways. His ghost then comes back to haunt Macbeth, further emphasizing the connection between sleep and death. This is seen in the character of Banquo, who is murdered in his sleep. Her husband, on the other hand, sleeps soundly despite his many crimes.įinally, sleep can also represent death. In the play, Lady Macbeth is unable to sleep because she is tormented by her guilty conscience. In the play, sleep is often contrasted with wakefulness, and the characters who are able to get a good night’s sleep are usually those who are at peace. Sleep is a key motif in Macbeth, and it symbolizes a number of things.
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