IntroductionToday there are many different types of mental illnesses known throughout the world; i.e. bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, paranoia, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, etc.; and many people who are able to diagnose such diseases when symptoms are shown in a person [Webmd.com]. But what about the 1600s, when such diseases were not yet known? In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, for example, Macbeth showed many signs of what today would be diagnosed as symptoms of schizophrenia, but he had no idea, nor did anyone around him, they just thought he was going crazy. What is schizophrenia you might ask? “Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others” (Joseph Goldberg). SymptomsMedline plus tells us that there are three main symptoms of the disorder; inability to distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality, incoherent conversations, and physical and emotional withdrawal. The most common and well-known symptom of schizophrenia is when people cannot distinguish between what is real and what is not [Medlineplus.com]. Schizophrenics often suffer from delusions and hallucinations. A delusion is a belief that is not true and a hallucination is seeing, hearing or sensing something that does not really exist [Schizophrenia.com]. Macbeth is considered to be a schizophrenic because he possesses all the symptoms mentioned above. Background Information According to Schizophrenia.com, schizophrenia can be traced back to ancient Pharaonic Egypt, in the second millennium BC. At one point in the story, all the people who were considered "abnormal", due to mental illnesses... halfway through the paper... of her womb before she could actually give birth, Macbeth then comes out of her delusional state, and we realize that everything he did was because of the witches, and that they made him go crazy and become a schizophrenic (Shakespeare 213). Conclusion Apparitions, eternally bloody hands, and ghosts all seem like key elements of a nightmarish dream. Imagine not being able to tell whether these things were real or just a figment of your imagination and you will know the position Macbeth was in. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth shows signs of what today would be diagnosed as symptoms of schizophrenia. He detached himself from reality and spoke in crazy, incoherent fragments of sentences. Although they were unable to identify Macbeth's mental illness in Shakespeare's time, now, after many years of research, it seems very certain that he was most likely a schizophrenic..