Macbeth Ext 7: Macbeth Sees the Dagger Flashcards
(12 cards)
Act 2, Scene 1 – Macbeth Sees the Dagger
Macbeth hallucinates a dagger leading him to Duncan’s murder.
MACBETH
Go bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready,
She strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed.
(Exit Servant)
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-oppressed brain?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.
Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going;
And such an instrument I was to use.
Mine eyes are made the fools o’ the other senses,
Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still,
And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,
Which was not so before. There’s no such thing:
It is the bloody business which informs
Thus to mine eyes. Now o’er the one halfworld
Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse
The curtain’d sleep; witchcraft celebrates
Pale Hecate’s offerings, and wither’d murder,
Alarum’d by his sentinel, the wolf,
Whose howl’s his watch, thus with his stealthy pace,
With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design
Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth,
Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear
Thy very stones prate of my whereabout,
And take the present horror from the time,
Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives:
Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.
(A bell rings)
I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.
Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell.
(Exit)
What is happening in this extract (Macbeth sees the dagger)?
Macbeth hallucinates a dagger leading him to Duncan’s room. He tries to grab it, realises it’s not real, and then takes it as a sign to go ahead with the murder.
Why does Shakespeare use the dagger hallucination? (use ‘to reveal the importance of’)
To reveal the importance of Macbeth’s inner conflict and how his guilt shows up even before the murder.
Why does Shakespeare use the dagger hallucination? (use ‘to expose’)
To expose how Macbeth is being haunted by his ambition before he’s even done the deed.
Why does Shakespeare use the dagger hallucination? (use ‘to warn’)
To warn that ambition can twist your mind and make you see things that aren’t real — it clouds judgment.
How does the dagger invite Macbeth to murder Duncan?
It literally shows him the way to Duncan, and he says it’s ‘an instrument I was to use’ — it pushes him forward.
Why is it important Macbeth knows the dagger is not real before the murder?
It shows that the dagger is a product of Macbeth’s own mind. His guilt and fear are creating visions, showing he still has a conscience.
Why does Macbeth want silence in this moment?
He wants silence because the murder must be secret. He even asks the earth not to hear his footsteps — he’s paranoid and scared.
Where else in the play does Macbeth act based on visions?
Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost at the banquet, and he also visits the witches again later and sees more visions (like the bloody child).
Choose one theme that links to this extract and explain how.
Theme: Supernatural — The hallucinated dagger isn’t real, but it pushes Macbeth into action.
Choose another theme that links to this extract and explain how.
Theme: Ambition — Macbeth’s desire to be king is so strong it’s making him hallucinate and commit murder.
Extra challenge: Is Macbeth acting freely here, or is he being controlled?
Macbeth is struggling with his own mind. He sees the dagger, but he knows it’s not real — so it’s his own ambition and fear driving him. He’s choosing, but he’s deeply conflicted.
