Hence, Macbeth is psychologically unprepared to murder an enemy without a moral justification, nevertheless, the illusions and the literal beckoning of the dagger to King Duncan’s chamber will, in due course, conquer his sense of right and wrong. Shakespeare evokes a vision, anticipating the course of Macbeth’s future; ‘Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going’. The use of the past tense specifies to the audience that Macbeth was already on the murderous path, even prior to the hallucinations of the dagger dripping with blood. Therefore, the dagger illusion is a tool of impulsion, compelling Macbeth to commit more evil acts; the handle is pointing towards his hand and the tip is pointing towards Duncan. Consequently, Shakespeare’s dagger is identified as a metaphor for Macbeth’s ‘Vaulting’ ambition; the fatal flaw, which leads to his downfall.
At the start of the soliloquy, Shakespeare’s use of rhetorical questions verifies Macbeth’s uncertainty of murder and his perplexed mind due to the illusion of the dagger:
‘Is this a dagger, which I see before me,
The handle before my hand?
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.’
He definitely realizes that murder is immoral and wrong. This realization is established by his queries, as he cannot identify which sense has betrayed him; is it a real dagger or a ‘dagger of the mind, a false creation / Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain’?
Towards the end of the soliloquy, Macbeth’s confusion subsides and in turn, his decisiveness begins to emerge, as there is fearlessness in the language Shakespeare uses. The adjectives ‘dark’ and ‘wicked’ reinforce the notion that Macbeth is beginning to embody another persona. His confidence and manliness increases by the calling upon of the evil forces. He uses images of ‘dead…witchcraft, Hecates offering…withered…wolf…Wicked’. These images are sinister, evil and describe his interpretation of the supernatural. The important thing to understand is that there is a definite change in emotion:
‘ Now o’er the one half-world Nature seems dead…’
As it is night, half of the world is in darkness and everything appears to be dead. This is Macbeth’s first reference to darkness; his acknowledgement of the time of day. Occurrences that have an evil aspect tend to occur in the long, endless night, thus his reference to darkness is an indirect indication of evil and unlawful deeds. The supernatural raise evil spirits by fabricating evil brews and they are also capable of altering destinies, by means of manipulative knacks. Hence, the supernatural take on the role of nature by having the power to control individual fortunes and deaths. This power forces nature to become dormant and ‘dead’, as it is of no significant usage. Overall, his increased involvement with ‘instruments of darkness’ weakens his rational state of mind and compels him to commit murderous acts. Macbeth will almost certainly attain the incapability to distinguish between right or wrong to the point whereby he is unable to recall ‘the taste of fears’.
At the end of the soliloquy, Macbeth is decisive, in regard to the path he wishes to take-the path that will direct him to inevitable death:
‘I go and it is done. The bell invites me.
Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell’
Lady Macbeth rings the bell, and the bell is a signal for Macbeth to commit his first crime. The sound of the bell reminds Macbeth of Lady Macbeth’s presence, and her adamant craving for power. It is his final form of encouragement because if he does not commit the evil deed, he will have to face Lady Macbeth’s menacing, verbal abuse on his lack of manliness. The bell also indicates to the audience that this is the end of Kind Duncan’s life journey. Macbeth’s decision to murder the King at the end of the ‘floating dagger’ siloquy is confirmed in the succeeding soliloquy:
‘ For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind;
For them, the gracious Duncan have I murdered…’
The emergence of his decisiveness results in the unethical events that follow. Shakespeare’s usage of the word ‘gracious’, in referring to Duncan, suggests that Macbeth feels guilty. Yet his decisiveness in maintaining on the murderous path does not subside, as a result of his regret and remorse.
In conclusion, there is a huge contrast between the Macbeth who is ambivalent and uncertain to the Macbeth who is somewhat decisive in the path he requests to take. This contrast is established through the use of Shakespearean language. In the beginning of the ‘dagger’ soliloquy, Macbeth considers the enormity of the action he is about to commit and reflects on the deep consequences it will have on his own and Duncan’s future. Although, his secret ambition is pricked, he still realizes the negativity of his evil thoughts. However, towards the end of the soliloquy, his ambition gets the better of him, thus he chooses a murderous path-a narrow path to inevitable hell. The first indication of his change of character is acknowledged, through Macbeth’s references to the supernatural and darkness. The dark and unpleasant vocabulary Shakespeare uses clarifies his state of mind. By the end of the soliloquy he is decisive, and hence Macbeth’s fate is sealed. He is doomed.
