In Act 3 of Macbeth, a change happens which affects the whole course of the play and leads to Macbeth’s downfall. The couple begin to drift apart. Together they have achieved a result:
“Nought’s had, all’s spent.” mourns lady Macbeth.
Macbeth invites Banquo to attend his banquet and elicits the information that Fleance will accompany Banquo on his ride that day. He hides his murderous intentions towards them in pleasantries and tells his wife to pay special attention to Banquo, hinting at bloody deeds to come. Now troubled that things are going too far, she tries to soothe him......
“You must leave this...”
But Macbeth is beginning to slide away from her sphere of influence. The banquet displays, for all to see, the divide between them--and Macbeth’s outer representation of madness. Up until now, the couple have worked as a team albeit with one partner more dominant than the other as Lady Macbeth has been the power behind the throne.
Macbeth’s peace of mind is now destroyed however, and guilt-ridden nightmares have stolen his ability to sleep. The restorative properties of a good night’s sleep can soothe a troubled mind but a person who lacks sleep for long enough will surely lose his sanity: he will lose the power of rational judgement.
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