Within the play Macbeth is faced with many trials and tribulations that show us his ever changing state of mind.  Through Macbeth, his manhood is constantly questioned by Lady Macbeth who shows herself to be, in private, an evil and dominant character over Macbeth, for she does not believe that Macbeth has the cruel heart needed to rule as king however she knows she does. The constant narration of Macbeth’s fear, dictated by Lady Macbeth troubles him.

We first see this within Act 2 when Macbeth makes the decision to kill Duncan, after he has been told he shall be king by the witches. Before he does so he cries out “Starts, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires,” this is a plea to heaven by Macbeth and for God(the stars) to look away and not let him be judged by his killing of Duncan(killing Duncan is also the black and deep desires). Not only does he ask for “the stars” to look away but also he asks himself to look away, “The eye wink at the hand. Yet let that be, which the eye fears when it is done to see“. Macbeth knows what he is doing is treason but he shows in denial that it is wrong.

In Act 2 scene 1 Macbeth creates a justification before committing murder, “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.” What this is saying is that from his imagination Macbeth has created a dagger, “The handle toward my hand?” which draws him to the perception that he can blame his treason on a dagger. That its handle was facing him telling him to do it, but we know it to be a figment of his mind.

Not only is Macbeth’s deteriorating state of mind shown through what he says but also by how he says it. Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter throughout the play, and only breaks this if the person speaking is of lower status e.g. a servant. However this technique was used first on Lady Macbeth when she is seen sleep-walking by the doctor and her gentlewoman. At points through this Lady Macbeth outbursts “Out, damn’d spot! out, I say! One; two: why, then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow’r to accompt? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” This quote is all said in broken text with no rhythm as Lady Macbeth almost reveals to the two onlookers of their plot of the kings demise. This technique is also used to instantly show us how distraught Macbeth is, with one of the opening lines being “To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,“. Almost straight away we are told through rhythm that there is a considerable drop in, not his social position but, like Lady Macbeth, a drop in his ability to conduct himself after being hit with wave after wave of conscious and unconscious trauma through him controlling the end of other character’s lives.

Shakespeare also uses dramatic irony in his play to tell the audience a new part to the story or to let us see things that characters cant. In Act 3 scene 4, after Macbeth is told that Banquo’s sons shall be kings and so in taking precautions he has Banquo killed by “the murderers”, the ghost of Banquo has appeared in the great banquette hall in Macbeth’s seat. However, only Macbeth can see his once best and most trusted friend whom he had killed sat there. This is our first experience, in the case of Macbeth, to see dramatic irony used to physically show Macbeth’s state of mind rather than it be through verse after verse of soliloquy.

Paradoxes become common place