Examples Of Treachery In Macbeth

While Macbeth is awaiting the signal that King Duncan is sleeping, which will summon him to commit the murder, Macbeth is struck by a vision of a dagger. This “dagger of the mind” symbolizes Macbeth’s last minute doubt and the choice of committing the murder that he is still facing (2.1.38). Even within his vision, Macbeth does not have hold of the transient knife; he has not reconciled himself to the inevitability of his treachery even at this late point. The illusionary dagger is in stark contrast to the physical dagger Macbeth pulls from his side. The physical dagger represents the reality of the upcoming murder. He sees his dagger stained with “gouts of blood, / Which was not so before,” (2.1.46-47). With his physical knife, Macbeth is