Unnatural deeds Do breed unnatural troubles.”—Locate and explain.
This line is from the famous sleep-walking scene of Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) tragedy “Macbeth” (1606). It happens in Act 5, Scene 1 in the play. In this scene, the Doctor speaks this line after he watches Lady Macbeth sleepwalking and talking about the murders.
In this scene, the Gentlewoman tells the Doctor that Lady Macbeth has been walking in her sleep. She acts like she is washing her hands, trying to remove blood that is not really there. She says things like Out, damned spot! out, I say! and “Here’s the smell of the blood still.”
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These lines show that Lady Macbeth is feeling guilty for helping Macbeth kill King Duncan and others. She is also going mad.
When the Doctor says, “Unnatural deeds / Do breed unnatural troubles,” he means that when people do terrible crimes, they face strange and painful suffering. The Doctor understands that Lady Macbeth is suffering in her mind. She is not sick in the body, but sick in her soul. She is going mad because of her guilt.
The audience knows that Lady Macbeth has done “unnatural deeds,” and she is revealing it in her subconscious mind. She has helped murder King Duncan, Macduff’s family, and Banquo. In her sleepwalking, she talks about how much blood King Duncan had. She says Macduff had a wife (and now she is no more), and Banquo is buried. These terrible acts have caused "unnatural troubles" for her, like sleepwalking, fear, guilt, and madness. Lady Macbeth cannot sleep peacefully. She fears darkness. Her mind is full of guilt and fear. The Doctor also says she needs a divine (spiritual) healer, not a doctor. He understands that only God can forgive her and heal her soul.
So, from this line, we understand that evil actions, like killing innocent people, bring serious mental suffering. It takes away peace and brings guilt, fear, madness, and death.
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