Shakespeare Reveals of Macbeth's State of Mind in Act One Scene Three

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Shakespeare Reveals of Macbeth's State of Mind in Act One Scene Three

Macbeth's state of mind is revealed through Macbeth's soliloquies. As

Macbeth speaks "aside" he reveals to the audience his plans to murder

to Duncan. Macbeth says that the "horrid image", referring to that of

him murdering Duncanfills him with utter fear. Macbeth's desire to

become king is "swelling", meaning growing in size. The word

"soliciting" meaning temptation, shows how he cannot stop thinking

about the "imperial theme" which means the topic of becoming king.

These terrible, "fantastical", meaning imaginary, thoughts shake

Macbeth as his "fixed heart" knocks at his ribs and "shakes so" his

"single state of man" meaning his unitary condition, that he cannot

think about anything else and has become completely possessed. Macbeth

suggests that his actions and thoughts are "against the use of

nature", which means that they are not normal and contrary to his

normal condition. While Macbeth is speaking to the audience, Banquo

notices him in this state. He describes Macbeth as being "rapt",

meaning entranced. This shows that Macbeth is so wound up in his own

murderous thoughts that he thinks of nothing else.

Macbeth shows himself to be two-faced in this scene. During the time

in which he is talking to himself, he is full of treachery and

surprise. However when he turns and speaks again to Banquo, he is very

acts innocently and claims that in the meantime he and Banquo should

speak their "free hearts" to each other, which means that they will be

in full honesty with each other.

When this scene starts, Macbeth does not know who the witches are.

During the course of the scene, the witches are responsible for

sparking Macbeth's murderous ambition to become king. The witches seem

to have control over Macbeth. This is shown when, at the end of the

first scene in the play, the witches penultimate line is "Fair is foul

and foul is fair", then when we first see Macbeth in the play, his

first line is, "so foul and fair a day".

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