Shakespeare uses language to show that Macbeth’s state of mind is starting to deteriorate. He has doubts about several actions throughout the play and it all starts with “The Dagger”. Ultimately, the disease of ambition with which he is infected, drives him to kill King Duncan and from here on in in the play, he is internally destructing. Macbeth originally faced a dilemma as whether to kill the King or not.

The reason why Macbeth faced the dilemma of whether to kill King Duncan is that he believed tat justice will prevail, meaning that he will have to face the consequences of his actions. This is evident when he reveals that “even-handed justice” will force him to drink from his own “poisoned chalice”. This means that Macbeth understands the severity of regicide further showing how ambition is like a disease and can overpower the thought of wrong-doing. Shakespeare has done this in order to show us the audience how mentally weak Macbeth is and that ambition leads to internal destruction. This is the first point in the play where Macbeth’s mental state begins to deteriorate.

The second moment in the play where the deteriorating Macbeth is clearly evident is when he sees the ghost of Banquo. In Act 3 Scene 4, Macbeth and all the other noble people within Scotland are having a banquet to celebrate the coronation of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. During this banquet, Macbeth had sent some murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance (his son). Now that Banquo is dead, Macbeth begins to hallucinate as he stands up to give a speech, he encounters the ghost of Banquo that only he can see. This is evident when Macbeth says “The table’s full” clearly pointing in the direction that Macbeth is starting to deteriorate mentally. Shakespeare has done this in order to show the audience that psychological impacts that the guilt is having on Macbeth and how his deterioration from earlier on in the play is getting worse.

The final moment where Macbeth deterioration is clearly evident and potentially has tipped him over the edge is when Macbeth is told in Act 5 Scene 5 by the Seyton that Lady Macbeth has just committed suicide (my theory is that she jumps off the castle) and at this moment, time stops for Macbeth. He is his own little paradox. It is at this point in the play when we see what all of hassle he went through was for. It is shown that Macbeth did all of this for his wife when he says “Life’s but a walking shadow” signifying that life is only lived for a short while and that you have to make the most of it. He life hasn’t ended as of yet but now his one love, his soul and his companion has gone, half of him has gone as well. Another reason why half of him is gone is because he has lost the iambic pentameter he is accustom to. This is clearly demonstrated when he says “She should have died hereafter;”. This is quoted from the start of the speech and is very interesting because it starts in iambic pentameter and the audience at the time would’ve known that he started like this. However, he doesn’t complete the iambic pentameter and that would have shocked the audience as he is the King of Scotland. In this quote he has spoken in iambic quatmeter. The last person who spoke out of the “higher class” rhythm is no longer there, could this be the start of his demise as well? It feels as though his demise is almost complete.