Similarities Between Macbeth And A Modern Day Psychopath

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Look Beneath The Mask: The Parallels Between Macbeth and a Modern Day Psychopath
You have walked by a psychopath and never looked twice. The American Psychiatric Association estimates that approximately 1-3% of the world population can be classified as a psychopath (“Diagnostic and Statistical Manual”), which means you could have seen one at your local coffee shop this morning, while running on the treadmill at the gym, or just about any other public location you can think of. Psychopathy, known in the professional world as Antisocial Personality Disorder, has been around as long as humans have been alive. William Shakespeare used his literary genius to create a metaphor between his main character, Macbeth, and the characteristics of a psychopath. Shakespeare uses Macbeth as a canvas to …show more content…

Macbeth persuades three murderers to get revenge on Banquo, failing to tell them that it is his own impure intentions that desire Banquo’s blood to spill. This fraudulent behavior is a staple characteristic of a psychopath because “deceit and manipulation are central features of Antisocial Personality Disorder” (“Diagnostic and Statistical Manual”). A hysterical episode occurs after arranging the murder of Banquo, when Macbeth sees the bloody ghost of Banquo sitting in his own place at the table. Macbeth screams “Prithee, see there! Behold! Look! Lo! How say you? / Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too” (Shakespeare III.iv.69-70). Macbeth goes into a berserk and crazed state, trying to communicate with this spiritual presence that no other guest is able to see. Research indicates that these episodes are not uncommon in the behavior of psychopaths. Distinctively violent behavior is known to occur during a manic episode (“Diagnostic and Statistical Manual”). This is yet another indication of Macbeth’s psychopathic mental state, which at this point is completely

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