In killing Duncan, Macbeth goes against nature. Macbeth destroys the natural way of life. This can be seen in “’Tis said they ate each other” (II iv 18) referring to when the horses started to eat each other. Further on in this scene Ross says “’Gainst nature still” This shows that a change to an unnatural world has taken place and this is after Macbeth has become King. This is important in creating horror as disorder is being created under the reign of Macbeth.
Disorder and chaos can, clearly, be seen in the banquet scene of Act 3 Scene 4. This scene clearly shows how order has been disrupted. This is because when the guests enter the banquet, they enter in an orderly fashion. This can be seen in the quote “You know your own degree; sit down: at first and last ” (III iv 1). This shows that everything under the reign of Macbeth, in the beginning, was under control. However, towards the end of the banquet, Macbeth is becoming distressed. He sees the ghost of Banquo and the banquet turns into chaos. As Lady Macbeth says in desperation “Stand not upon the order of your going But go at once” (III iv 119). The guests do not leave in an orderly fashion and we can see the hierarchical society being demolished. This helps build the horror and magnitude of what Macbeth does in murdering Duncan. He has single handily destroyed Scotland and he has made it a worse place than when it was under the reign of Duncan. This is evident when Ross says “Poor country;| It cannot be call’d our mother, but out grave.” (IV iii165-166). This shows that Scotland has become a country of fear and murder.
Another way in which Shakespeare creates horror is through lack of sleep. After Macbeth has conducted the murder of Duncan, he starts to experience sleepless nights. This can be seen in “Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more!” (II ii 35). He has lost the ability to sleep because he killed Duncan in his sleep. Therefore he will never be able to sleep again as he suffers from the guilt of his actions. This is also the case for Lady Macbeth who was also involved in the murder of Duncan. In Act 5 scene 1 Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk. “This is her guise;| and, upon my life, fast asleep.” (V i 18-19) Then, still a sleep, Lady Macbeth says “Wash your hands, put on your night-gown;| look not so pale” (V i 59-60) and “To bed, to bed: there’s knocking at the gate.” (V i 63) Both quotes show that Lady Macbeth is suffering from a guilty conscience as her mind is constantly re-living the night of Duncan’s murder. They also show a destabilizing effect the murder has had on the mind of Lady Macbeth. However the great magnitude of horror is seen when Lady Macbeth screams in vain, “Oh! Oh! Oh!” (V i 50). We clearly see that she is very distressed because there is a significant change of tone in her tone.
Shakespeare uses blood to show the horror and magnitude of Duncan’s murder. This can be seen in “This my hand will rather| the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red” (II ii 61-63). The word ‘multitudinous’ gives a sense of vastness and therefore if even the multitudinous seas could not wash the blood from Macbeth’s hands then absolutely nothing could remove it and subsequently his guilt would last forever . The blood is a constant reminder to Macbeth of the dreadful act he has committed. This vivid description and the use of rich vocabulary is a way that Shakespeare describes the horror of Duncan’s Murder and this adds to how Shakespeare conveys Macbeth’s extreme feelings of guilt. Blood also is used to show magnitude of the murder when Macbeth says “I am in blood, stepp’d in so far, that should I wade no more,| returning were as tedious as go o’er” (III v 136-138). We can, clearly, see that Macbeth is willing to go to any extent to get what he wants. This includes more murder and bloodshed. Therefore we can see that the murder of Duncan has opened the door to more deaths. Unfortunately, later on in the play in Act 4 scene 2 Macduff’s son is murdered. This scene shows us Macbeth’s cruelty in action as he hired the murderers to kill Lady Macduff and her son. It is a direct consequence of Duncan’s murder and it symbolises what Macbeth does in Scotland.
The witches also play their part in the magnitude and horror in this play. The opening scene of the play is when we see them for the very first time. The witches’ intentions are to spread confusion. They are also associated with disorder. This can be seen in “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” (I i 11) This quote clearly shows two opposite meaning therefore it creates confusion. This confusion enables Shakespeare to create an unnatural world in which the witches are in control.
As Macbeth comes to them for their equivocal predictions, he is sucked into their world and confusion. He is persuaded by the witches’ prophecies which is what brings the horror from the witches. This is because it is the witches who predict that Macbeth will one day become King. This can be seen when they chant “All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be King hereafter.”(I iii 50) Consequently the thought of this is what makes Macbeth murder Duncan.
The stress that Macbeth feels about murdering Duncan can be seen in Macbeth’s soliloquy in act 2 scene 1. He uses powerful language to demonstrate his feeling. This is evident in “Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse/ The curtain’d sleep; witchcraft celebrates” (II I 50-51). This language shows what the effect of the murder will be, including its magnitude.
Later in Act one scene 4 where Macbeth is planning the murder and he is keeping his plans secret, the horror can be seen from this quote “Let not light see my black and deep desires” (I iv 51). The word ‘black’ in this context represents evil and the fact that Macbeth is calling upon evil to become king also shows the magnitude of horror. In addition to this all but two scenes are set in darkness. The imagery of darkness shows us disorder, evil and chaos. The witches appearance, "secret, black, and midnight hags" also indicates their evil nature. The witches’ dark meeting place and dark appearance all emphasize their destructive nature.
In conclusion, we can see that the magnitude and horror is created when Macbeth murders Duncan in many ways.
