The Id in Macbeth Essays

The Id in Macbeth Essays The Id in Macbeth Paper The Id in Macbeth Paper The id, according to Freud, represented innate desires such as hunger, sex, and anger. In looking at Macbeth one would assume that Lady Macbeth, being power- hungry as she was, would represent this component, however, these traits were evident in Macbeth himself. In Act II Machetes old drives him to kill Duncan and although his desire is shadowed by that of Lady Macbeth, ultimately he kills, demonstrating the part of Macbeth that is his old. As the play progresses Machetes old becomes Increasingly dominant. In act Ill, scene IV, Macbeth declares, We are yet but young In deed, foreshadowing that his most evil of actions are yet to come. The final act captures the essence of Frauds Idea of the old In Machetes statement While I see lives, the gashes do better upon them, meaning that Macbeth was willing to harm any life that was in his way. Masculinity is another symbol for the id throughout this play. Lady Macbeth questions Machetes masculinity several times at one point asking, are you a man? She also uses manhood when convincing Macbeth to kill Duncan. Later, when Macbeth decides to have Banquet killed he uses masculinity to convince the murderers. He says, ay, in the catalogue ye go for men/ As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs/Soughs, water-rugs, and deem-wolves are slept/ All by the name of dogs (actual sentences-96). In Machetes utilization of masculinity to convince the men to kill, It Is further supported that emasculation Is a symbol for the old. Since Lady Macbeth uses this method frequently, It Is evident why one would assume she represents the old, when In reality, she does not. Alternatively, Macbeth has recurring hallucinations that represent the decency in him. Is this a dagger which I see before me, he exclaims, hallucinating, the handle toward my hand, this hallucination occurring in act II supports the idea that perhaps Machetes hallucinations are metaphors for his superego. This represents the moral part of humans. It pulls a person to do the right thing, opposing the old. Although many critics disagree with the idea that Macbeth is a good person, these hallucinations show the existence of a superego, meaning he has some morality thin him. After he commits the murder Macbeth says Will all great Neptune ocean wash the blood clean from my hands? (Actual scene). This is another example of Machetes superego being revealed. The final component In Frauds theory Is the Idea of the Ego which Is the part that maintains a balance between the old and the Superego. Naturally, there would need to be some type of mediator between the two as they are polar opposites. Unnaturally Tort Machete Nils ego Is Tautly Ana ones up Dealing ten reason Tort ten destruction he causes. During the dinner in Act Ill Machetes old and Superego come in direct contact with one another and it results in madness. Macbeth has a hallucination of Banquet, a surfacing of his Superego, in the midst of his Ids every increasing power over him. Theoretically, when the Superego and the old conflict, or when the ego fails to maintain balance between the two, it results in anxiety. When told to take his seat, Macbeth, seeing a ghost of Banquet in his chair, replies with, the tables full. This is the first indicator of the internal collision that is about to occur. Machetes anxiety and unease is demonstrated where now his words and fear are uncontrollable. In this direct clash of Superego and d, Shakespeare reveals Machetes weak Ego in its inability to manage the two extremes within him. Ultimately Macbeth is a story about a man who is neither in conflict with his power-hungry wife, or his lack of character, but his inability to balance between two extremes fighting within him. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth about a man who had a flawed Ego and the calamity that occurred as a result.