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A number of things, explained in Act 1 Scene 7.
1. Once you get started killing, it might be hard to stop. "That this blow might be the be-all and the end-all here
2. If you go around killing kings, others may get the idea and kill you. "This even-handed justice commends our poisoned chalice to our own lips."
3. It's not nice to kill your close relatives, or a king you have sworn allegiance to. "As I am his kinsman and his subject, both strong against the deed."
4. It's even worse to kill someone who is a guest under your roof. "Who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself."
5. Duncan is a likeable old duffer; his murder will garner sympathy. "his virtues will plead like angels Trumpet-tongued against the deep damnation of his taking off."
6. Macbeth has only just been made Thane of Cawdor and would like to bask in that for a bit. "He hath honoured me of late, and I have bought golden opinions of all sorts of people which would be worn now in their newest gloss not cast aside so soon."
7. They might get caught. "If we should fail--?"
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Macbeth initially hesitates to kill Duncan because he is torn between his ambition to become king and his loyalty to Duncan as his king and cousin. He also considers the consequences of committing such a heinous act, as well as the potential backlash from his peers and the supernatural elements. Ultimately, it is Lady Macbeth who convinces him to go through with the murder.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agobecause of his loyality and duties as the king's servant to protect the king duncan.
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoHe can and does. He probably wouldn't have done if he had not been encouraged by his wife.
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Is this a fact Lady Macbeth really didn't want to kill Duncan?
She didn't want to kill him herself, because she said Duncan looked like her dad while he slept. She did have Macbeth murder Duncan nonetheless
Did Macbeth hesitate to murder Duncan?
Yes Macbeth did hesitate to murder King Duncan, he went through allot of mental turmoil about this decision. In his soliloquy he gave good reasons for not wanting to kill Duncan 1)he is not a bad king 2) he is there in double trust. In the end Macbeth did not want to kill Duncan but it was Lady Macbeth's persuasion that caused him to commit the act. In comparison Macbeth had no hesitate in killing Banquo and Lady Macduff.
Why did Lady Macbeth want to be unsexed?
lady Macbeth prays to be unsexed because she thinks her femininity makes her weak she is too kind and gentle she needs her kindness to be taken away so she can plan the murder and make Macbeth kill king duncan
Why did Macbeth want to kill banquo and his son?
Macbeth wanted to kill Banquo and his son because he feared that they were a threat to his throne. The witches had predicted that Banquo's descendants would inherit the throne, which posed a risk to Macbeth's own lineage. By eliminating Banquo and his son, Macbeth believed he could secure his power.
Which way did Macbeth want to kill duncan?
The three witches told MacBeth he was going to become king. He decided this needed a little proactivity on his part. Prompted by his wife, he killed Duncan to move things along a bit faster
How does Shakespeare show Macbeth?
There is a sort of conflict in Lady Macbeth's mind between what she wants to do (i.e. kill Duncan) and what she suspects rightly Macbeth will want to do (i.e. not kill Duncan). She therefore sets about persuading him to let her plan the murder, so she can overcome the objections she knows he will make.
Why does Macbeth worry that he has killed Duncan more for Banquo and sake than for his own?
Macbeth worries that he has sacrificed his own wellbeing by killing Duncan in order to secure power for Banquo's descendants. This is because the prophecies he received from the witches suggest that Banquo's lineage will inherit the throne, so Macbeth believes that he has acted against his own interests in the long run.
Is Macbeth strong enough to kill duncan?
Physically, yes. Mentally, no. His conscious doesn't want to kill a human being - it's just ethically wrong! But his wife, sees this differently.
Why didn't Macbeth kill duncan?
Because Lady Macbeth doesn't have the courage to kill the king. Therefore, she left the work to Macbeth because Macbeth was a soldier and because he the courage by killing the king because he has killed many people in wars and battles.
What does Macbeth accidentally take with him after murdering the king?
The daggers. He was supposed to leave them in Duncan's bedchamber to incriminate to grooms but he forgot. Lady Macbeth has to take them back, because Macbeth does not want to look at the murder scene again.
Why did Macbeth say that he had already talked to the murderers?
He is already guilty enough from killing Duncan and doesn't want to have more guilt by killing his friend Banquo. he think that the murderers would tell others that macbeth is the one who kill people
Why does Lady Macbeth question Macbeth Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth because she doesnt want to scare Macbeth in a way she wants to reveal his other side which will make him a coward?
Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth to provoke him into taking action. She challenges his masculinity and questions his resolve in order to manipulate him into following through with their plan to kill King Duncan.
