At the beginning of Act II we see a torn Macbeth. He is constantly struggling with his conscience and the contemplation of Duncan dominates his every thought. a whole soliloquy is dedicated to Macbeth’s conscience;
‘Is this a dagger which I see before me....?’ Macbeth is obsessed with the thoughts of the murder he goes to reach for the dagger but it is a hallucination. Of course he can’t touch it but he realises that it is the dagger he is to murder Duncan with. It is beckoning him to Duncan’s door, covered in ‘gouts of blood.’ At this point in the play we as an audience feel the emotional turmoil Macbeth is going through, we pity him and the predicament he is in, he doesn’t know whether or not to go through with it. Macbeth turns the thought over and over and over in his head, comparing the murder to evil beings, he talks of Tarquin as a ghost and sees the murder as a withered man. But Macbeth then states ‘while I treat … he lives’ meaning as he talks Duncan is living. His thoughts have not made Macbeth support or prompt him into what he is going to do. We are still not sure whether he even wants to carry out the murder. Then as he is still trying to convince himself the bell rings, and Macbeth answers the call, finally moving from horrifying words to a horrible deed, BUT only when his WIFE’S bell tells him it's time.
This soliloquy makes us think twice about Macbeth’s character. He is a torn man, he has ambition but he also has a conscience. We are sadden and upset by the emotional turmoil he is putting himself through, however we also feel angered and irritated that Macbeth is still forced on by Lady Macbeth, for it was when he heard her bells that he got up, and is to cowardly to stand up for what he wants.
Following the murder of Duncan, Macbeth realises that the murder has put him in control of demon forces. Immediately after the death Macbeth is disgusted with himself saying ‘I have done the deed.’ he chooses not to say he has killed Duncan as if he is almost trying to avoid the subject. It shows that Macbeth is deeply ashamed of what he has done, he is remorseful which encourages us, as an audience, to pity and sympathises him even though he has just carried out, not only a crime against humanity but also a crime against God.
Perhaps it’s the thought of what he has done or the realisation of his sacrilegious crimes that causes Macbeth to feel particularly cut off from God, as before the murder we see him talking about all things divine and holy, but afterwards his words turn bleak, dark and unholy. The audience at this point might sense Macbeth’s deep remorse and still view him as a good man, who pushed by his wife, was made to do something he deeply regrets and may have led him to have suicidal thoughts demonstrated when he says, ‘If I had died before this hour I had liv’d a blessed time’ However, we as an audience can see it from another point of view.
Before the murder of Duncan we saw that Macbeth was given the option to back out, but to full of self dignity, and perhaps fearful of his wife, Macbeth gave up this chance. Subsequently, immediately after the murder Macbeth lies to Macduff about killing the guards, he said he killed them out of love for his king, claiming that he could not bear to let them live after they had taken the life of Duncan. This demonstrates to us that Macbeth still wants to fulfil the prophecy of him becoming king and is not willing to give it up by letting two guards pled their cases. He is no longer completely devastated by his actions as first indicated; instead he is once again led by Lady Macbeth who is ambitious to be queen.
By the end of act II our feelings towards Macbeth have greatly changed, from feeling enormous sympathy and pity towards him we are now angered by his actions which show the full extent of his greed and ambition so far by killing someone he apparently dearly loved.
We are given an example of Macbeth’s lust for power at the extent of everything else, he begins the play as a strong character greatly admired however by the end of act II Macbeth’s actions become more and more deceitful. The audience may identify Macbeth’s situation but may at the same time be angered and appalled at his cowardly attitude and lack of will power. He had many chances to assert himself with Lady Macbeth, but to proud and to fearful that he may look less of a man Macbeth gave in to his wife’s badgering and carried out carried on the deceit. It was Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s ambition and drive that spurred them on and by the end of act II one can’t help but feel that Macbeth has no one else but himself to blame.
