Notes

How does war truly shape a man? What burning imprints on the human psyche are branded by the memory of blood and turmoil? Could it be that these horrors are enough to justify the most heinous act of betrayal in the world of Shakespeare? As our society continues to re-evaluate the works of Shakespeare through the lens of modern psychology, we begin to ask ourselves whether or not the heinous actions of Macbeth are brought about by the underlying mental sickness of PTSD. The acclaimed actor Michael Fassbender, through a thorough analysis, concluded that this assertion was quite true and subsequently integrated this conclusion in Justin Kurzel's modern reimagination of the play. Due to Macbeth's famous persona as a battle-hardened Scottish thane, it seems logical to conclude that Macbeth's shocking murder of King Duncan was caused by this mental sickness. Although, after carefully analyzing the text itself, it can be seen that although Macbeth most certainly did not kill Duncan as a result of PTSD. However, it is plausible that Macbeth suffered from another form of mental sickness later on throughout the play.