The Personality of Murder in Shakespeare's Macbeth

Sigmund Freud, perhaps the most famed psychologist of all time, explained personality as a result of the interplay of three opposing forces within the mind. He postulated that every individual's personality is dependent on the outcome of a three-way battle between selfish instincts, moralistic conscious, and realistic thinking. More recent schools of thought support other models of personality development such as the social learning theory, which states that personality is simply learned through interaction with other people (almost as if it were a chemical reaction), and the humanistic theory, which suggests personality is controlled by a process of inner-directed growth toward self-improvement. One of William Shakespeare's most popular plays, the tragedy of Macbeth, serves as an interesting medium for the study of these three theories of personality.

First, let's examine Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality as applied to the character of Macbeth. If we are to confirm this theory, a battle between three forces must be seen to take place in Macbeth's mind. It does--in fact, the three factors match Freud's categories exactly: Macbeth's consuming desire to become king of Scotland (selfish instincts), the belief that he won't become king unless he murders Duncan (realistic thinking), and his hesitance to take the king's life in order to further this selfish scheme (moralistic conscious). Freud, however, also insists that every human being is born with an inherent desire to harm others, and while Macbeth is clearly the villain of the play, and is responsible for the death of several characters, he takes no pleasure in it. In fact, he seems repulsed by his own actions, and were it not for the persistent prodding of his bloodthirsty wife, he might very well have abandoned his evil ambitions before they brought him to ruin.

Another theory of personality development is social learning theory, derived from the work of Gabriel Tarde, which proposes that personality is developed primarily through imitation. Advocates of this ideology would argue that Macbeth's personality, as well as his questionable method of succession, was not the result of some strange clash of forces within his mind, but was, in fact, simply learned behavior. This is a very plausible theory--and one which history seems to support. Of the nine kings that preceded the historical Macbeth, all but two were murdered, either directly by their successors or as the result of some type of feud. Self-efficacy, a social learning term, pertains to the belief that one is capable of doing what is necessary to attain one's goals. Following the example set by his predecessors, Macbeth displays a great deal of self-efficacy, fulfills the witches' prophecy, and becomes king of Scotland.

A third major theory of personality is the humanistic school, which sees human beings as basically good, but paints a picture of society as a frequently destructive force that tends to create unattainable self concepts; these unrealistic expectations gradually warp the individual personality, leading to bitterness and, if left unchecked, sometimes aggression. Following this model, the witches would represent society. Their prophecy creates an unrealistic self image in Macbeth which warps his basically good nature and leads him to act violently. Humanists, however, stress the tendency of the individual personality toward growth and self-actualization. They believe that the progressing self is capable of holding its own against the forces of society, allowing itself to be molded, but not confined. This particular aspect of humanistic theory does not coincide with the general development of the play.

In concluding, it is interesting to note that the word "personality" originated from the Greek term persona, which may be translated as mask. It is significant, perhaps, that while modern readers may describe the mask as a device used to disguise one's identity, it was, in the ancient theatrical tradition, rather a convention utilized to typify a specific character. Shakespeare's Macbeth is perhaps a typification of the reluctant murderer, a weak man with no real ambition to harm others, but led astray by the dark forces that surround him--and no matter which theory of personality is applied to his actions, it is, in the end, his own inability to tame the external or internal forces that rage about him which leads Macbeth to his tragic and bloody end.

Walter Wykes is a playwright and actor. He has had over thirty plays produced across the United States and internationally. Four times he has received the American College Theatre Festival's Award for Excellence in Playwriting. For further study of Shakespeare's Macbeth, he recommends http://www.theatrehistory.com