Motifs of sleep in Macbeth ("Oh, my mind is full of scorpions" is one of the most powerful passages ever written by William Shakespeare (Shakespeare 3.2.37). Shakespeare, here, uses the motif and imagery of sleep in Macbeth In this play, the motif of "sleep" can be noticed throughout the play, making it an important part of the play. It was first introduced by the curse of the. witches on the sailor, which foreshadows the insomnia experienced by the characters later in the play: I will empty him dry as hay; Sleep shall neither night nor day cling to the lid of his penthouse; a forbidden man will live (Shakespeare 1.3.19-22).)(Traditionally, the motif itself symbolized calm and peace of mind; if a person is unable to sleep, they are usually in a troubled psychological state and tortured. This idea is adapted by Shakespeare to demonstrate and associate the troubles suffered by many important characters in Macbeth.) (E.g. , Banquo cannot sleep because of the witches' prophecy; Lady Macbeth sleepwalks because she is consumed by guilt; Macbeth, which is probably the greatest example developed by the famous playwright, has various reasons as the play progresses as to why he cannot sleep.)(Banquo is a character introduced by Shakespeare with the motif of sleep. His head was full of distressed feelings that it affects his quality of sleep.) (The night of King Duncan's murder, although Banquo feels tired and sleepy, he cannot sleep: A heavy invocation rests. like lead on me, and yet I would not sleep, Merciful powers, Restrain within me the cursed thoughts which nature gives place to rest (Shakespeare 2.1.8-11) In these lines, Banquo shows that he is doing things! nightmares and that he was very troubled but he didn't mention what... ... middle of paper ...... in the room He had many reasons why he couldn't sleep, but the one which affected him most was his guilt over Duncan's murder.) (In this play, there are Many main characters who are unable to sleep because of their worried mental state: Banquo dreams of the witches' prophecy; Lady Macbeth sleepwalks because of her overwhelming guilt; Macbeth is not able to sleep due to several problems he faced.) (In Macbeth's world, the motif of sleep was primarily associated with guilt and fear. As the characters experienced these things , they were usually eager to show the extent of their suffering, their guilt and their fear.) (Sleeping, as we know, is one of the most basic and natural things that human beings must do to survive. This Only by applying this concept to Macbeth can we fully understand the horror of the inability to sleep suffered by the characters in the play..)