Soliloquy: "Is this a dagger?"

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The character Macbeth, from the play of the same name, is portrayed as a typical honourable, courageous servant to his King, Duncan, in the opening scenes of Macbeth. However, we soon learn that things are not as they seem, as malevolent forces, in the form of three "weird sisters", and Macbeth's own wife are at work. Macbeth is told by the Weird Sisters that he is destined to become king of Scotland, and that he will first become Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth, a man appreciative of his current situation as a respected trusted servant to his king, is startled by these revelations, and has many questions for the Sisters, none of which receive an answer. In spite of the confusion that this causes within him, the first part of the prophecy does indeed come true, as Macbeth is awarded with the title: Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth introduces the "appearances are deceptive" theme by asking the question:

Why do you dress me in borrowed robes? in relation to his appointment. Later, Lady Macbeth is made aware of the situation, and her self-admittedly evil manner is clear for all to witness, as she uses her obvious control over her husband's emotions to her advantage, namely becoming the wife of a king. She implants the idea of seizing the throne into Macbeth's mind, and although his brain disagrees, he knows that deep within his soul, he needs to be king. However, the self-doubt that plagues Macbeth throughout the play prevents him from committing the crime without deep consideration, as it would appear unlikely that the murder Might be-all and the end-all, as he wouldn't be able to live normally with that on his conscience. His final conversation with Lady Macbeth concludes, and it would appear that his mind is made up: he is going to kill Duncan.
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In Act 2.1, we are given an insight into the mental state of Macbeth. His soliloquy is a turning point in the production, as Macbeth metamorphoses from the character of a "role model" into that of a decidedly wicked human being. Macbeth, now determined to commit the regicide, experiences a hallucination, of a floating dagger, to which he asks: Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation. It seems as though he is willing the vision to guide him to his treacherous deed: Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going...and such an ...

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