Paranoia in Shakespeare's Macbeth's

The core theme throughout the plot of Shakespeare's Macbeth is power. The pursuit of power
and the defense of power once it has been obtained are the two primary goals of the protagonist,
Macbeth. Macbeth experiences fear for his life after he becomes king, and his initial pursuit of power
eventually leads him to become extremely paranoid and mentally unstable.
Macbeth's fear, paranoia, and mental instability all stem from a single action: the murder of king
Duncan. After the murder, Macbeth is clearly in a state of fearful confusion. He forgets to leave the
murder weapon in Duncan's chamber, and is too afraid to return it himself. Hearing a knocking outside,
Macbeth says Whence is that knocking? How is t with me when every noise appals me? What hands
are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes. His statement clearly demonstrates his paranoia, which is
present even mere minutes after his crime. He mentions how every noise makes him fearful, and how
he doesn't even recognize his own hands after the murder he has committed. His reaction to committing
murder suggests that his paranoia stems from more than just the need to protect his position as king,
and that he feels guilty about his previous actions.
In later scenes, Macbeth appears to have overcome any previous feelings of guilt. He embraces
his role as a tyrant, yet is still unable to rid himself of his paranoid mentality. He sees almost everyone
as a threat, and ends up sending murderers to kill Banquo, Fleance, and Macduff's family (although
Fleance manages to escape alive). Before he sends murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance, Macbeth
states To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty
of nature Reigns that which would be feared. 'Tis much he dares. The word 'thus' is referring to
Macbeth's position of kingship, and how being king is irrelevant if one cannot be king safely. He
expresses his fear that Banquo may attempt to murder him, just as he murdered Duncan.
Macbeth still doesn't feel secure after Banquo is out of the way. Even after consulting the
witches and knowing that no man of woman born can harm him, he still feels the need to remove

Macduff's family from the picture. Throughout the course of the play, it seems that Macbeth is
overreacting to a lot of perceived threats. However, it seems that apart from the initial murder of
Duncan, which was clearly morally wrong, Macbeth's actions to protect his kingship are all mostly
justified. Malcolm and Macduff are clearly seen to be conspiring against him, and Banquo makes
multiple statements that suggest he is one of Macbeth's enemies. A position of kingship acquired
through bloodshed is a precarious position indeed, and Macbeth's position is no exception.
Macbeth's paranoia prevents him from ever having a chance of being a successful king.
Immediately murdering anyone who disagrees with you is incredibly unbecoming, and Macbeth's
position was essentially doomed from the beginning of him kingship. A good king has the best interests
of the nation as a primary goal, whereas Macbeth was only concerned with personal power.
It is somewhat interesting to note what lengths people in positions of power are willing to go to
protect those positions. Macbeth really only made a single decision that was morally wrong, but was
forced into a downward spiral of evil actions in order to protect his life. Similar examples of this
phenomenon occur widely throughout history, including during the French Revolution (Robespierre's
Reign of Terror) and World War II (Hitler's descent into fanaticism).
Macbeth's paranoia is entirely justified, and his death at the end of the play proves he may not
have been paranoid enough. Anyone in a position of power, especially if that position was acquired
through illegal means, should have a healthy degree of paranoia. Macbeth cannot truly be held
accountable for the actions he took to protect his position, only for the morally wrong actions he took
to obtain that position.