Macbeth Analysis

Pan Context: After receiving the prophecies from three witches. Before Macbeth commits to murder Duncan

Tone: confused in the phase of having uncertainty of proceeding his murder.

Structure: In the beginning of the passage, Macbeth is uncertain and hesitating himself of his decision on murdering Banquo. In later part of the passage, Macbeth eventually gains confidence and certainty of his will to murder.

Style:

1. Soliloquy 2. imagery of the dagger 3. personification of the dagger (use of pronoun “You”)

X-level: Macbeth faces at the dagger that is intangible (probably just an illusion made by Macbeth) and talks to it as it is alive, asking about its unusual existence and being motivated by it to commit a murder.

Y-level: Throughout the passage, Shakespeare presents the moment of Macbeth turning to an ego of a murderer to kill Duncan by showing the transition from Macbeth’s indecisive attitude to assured attitude of committing a murder.

Track Representative Example: The phases that Shakespeare used to present how Macbeth became confident and sure about murdering Duncan.

Zoom Specific Example 1: Macbeth’s uncertainty of murder “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable

As this which now I draw.” Macbeth has some doubts on the dagger that he is looking at although it appeared because of Macbeth’s eagerness to take the spot of King. Even Macbeth sees that the handle of the knife is pointing at him. (for the purpose of inviting him to use it)

Specific Example 2: Macbeth’s imagery of the dagger “I see thee still, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before.” The dagger is described by Macbeth that it is now covered with blood compared to the dagger that he saw earlier. This can directly symbolize death or murder because when a knife has blood marks on it, it means that the knife is used to stab someone. This is the phase of ensuring Macbeth of how the dagger should be used.

Specific Example 3: Reference to Tarquin “Whose howl’s his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design Moves like a ghost.” Macbeth refers to Tarquin who has committed a crime by sneaking into his wife’s bedroom in the middle of the night. The reason he does this is because he also wants to sneak into Duncan’s bedroom and murder him without being noticed by anyone.