Question

macbeth key quotations & questions: act ii
scene/ line | quotation/passage | questions
scene 1 line 6 #1 | \a heavy summons lies like lead upon me, and yet i would not sleep. merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature gives way to repose!\--banquo | why does banquo have difficulty sleeping? why is sleep so important both in general and to the characters in the play?

Explanation:

• Banquo's sleeplessness stems from the witches' prophecies planting ambitious, disturbing ideas in his mind, which conflict with his sense of morality, making rest impossible.
• Universally, sleep is a basic human need for physical and mental well-being, a state of natural order. In Macbeth, sleep is a symbolic marker of moral purity: those who commit evil acts (starting with Duncan's murder) are robbed of sleep, as their guilt and fractured conscience prevent them from finding the rest that comes with a clear, unburdened mind. Banquo's struggle foreshadows the sleep loss that will plague Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after their regicide.

Answer:

1. Banquo cannot sleep because he is tormented by dark, ambitious thoughts stirred by the witches' prophecies, even as he tries to resist them.
2. Sleep is important generally as it symbolizes peace, rest, and moral order; in the play, it represents innocence and a clear conscience—characters who act immorally (like Macbeth and later Lady Macbeth) lose the ability to sleep, marking their descent into guilt and madness.