What is This I See Before Me? :: essays research papers

What is This I See Before Me? Macbeth’s visions seem to be a manifestation of his growing guilt and insatiable ambition. He is being driven to madness by his own actions. The first time we see this phenomena is just before Macbeth goes to kill Duncan; at this time he refers to a bloody dagger that seems to be floating in the air before him. This is a prelude to all that will come. Just after he commits his first murderous sin Macbeth claims to hear voices in the chambers crying out, â€Å"sleep no more, Macbeth does murder sleep† and, â€Å"Macbeth shall sleep no more† (57). These mystic voices turn out to be quite prophetic. Again after Macbeth has ordered the murder of Banquo he sees a vision of the dead mans ghost sitting at Macbeth’s table, in fact in his very chair, a gesture that can be seen to have more that one meaning. All of these visions seem to be nothing more than fabrications of his own tortured conscience. They serve as vehicles for his uncouth desires and as reminders o f his unhappy deeds. It seems that the two people most affected by these hallucinations are Macbeth and his wife. He obviously is most directly affected but after a while it becomes clear that they are taking there toll on her as well. Three of the major visions or hallucinations in the play were the dagger, the voices, and Banquo’s ghost. â€Å"Is this a dagger I see before me the handle towards my hand? Come let me clutch thee† (51). Macbeth speaks these words as he stands waiting for the correct time to carry out his first gory deed. â€Å"Covered with blood and pointed toward the king’s chamber, the dagger represents the bloody course on which Macbeth is about to embark.† (Macbeth Study Guide) It also seems to be a catalyst for his desire to kill Duncan in order to inherit the kingship. Macbeth sees the dagger as a sign that he shall proceed with this wicked night. â€Å"Thou marshal’st me the way that I was going, and such an instrument I was to use†. (53) The primary difference between this hallucination and those that followed is that this time Macbeth knows that it isn’t real. He seems fascinated by it, but aware that it is only a â€Å"dagger of the mind, a false creation† (53). He even suggests that it is a product of a â€Å"heat-oppressed brain† (53).