to heaven or to hell" (Shakespeare 1051). Giving us different perspectives of their character's state of mind as they engage in reality permits us to form an interpretation of the character but not a definitive one. We see that Macbeth perceives the bell this way but someone else may very well not. It is Macbeth's ambition, we interpret, that leads him to view the sound from this particular perspective. Mustapha (4) points out this aspect of realism when he notes, "Psychological realism allows for the theoretical possibility of infinite meanings and it recognizes the impossibility of the reader's 'mastering' a text, but gives the reader the freedom to establish a single, though partial, interpretation."
Carolyn Asp (153-154) maintains that Macbeth reveals gender stereotypes through its psychological realism that have opposite effects on the psychological state of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Viewing the qualities associated with her sex as weak, Lady Macbeth attempts to adopt a masculine stance in terms of aggression, violence, and courage. Macbeth, as a man, adopts his role with greater ease, but the adoption of these perceived stereotypes by each character will cause them to disintegrate psychologically. As Asp writes of Macbeth:
Unlike his wife's role-assumption, Macbeth's is not in conflict with his nature; rather [...] it tempts him to exercise godlike power through the violence it calls courage and aspire to freedom from invulnerability from mortal danger. But because it releases anarchic forces within him and allows him to give full play to his intense egoism, it seals his doom both psychologically and socially. (154)
We clearly see this psychological disintegration in Macbeth as the drama unfolds. As he explains to Lady Macbeth after killing Duncan in his bed:
I heard a voice cry, 'Sleep no more!
Macbeth doth murther sleep!
[...] Stil...