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Shakespeare's "Macbeth": Why is Act 1 Scene 7 important?

 

            Ever since the witches" prophecies saying that Macbeth will be given the title the Thane of Cawdor and will later become king, Macbeth's obsession with the idea of being king and his desires to become so grow, leading to his plot of murdering the current king, Duncan. Macbeth is not completely certain about his plans, however, and the last scene of the first act in Shakespeare's famous tragedy: "Macbeth" shows the great doubt in Macbeth's mind about murdering his king, his close relation and his guest. The scene, that brings the long opening act to a close, is a scene of great importance in the play for many reasons.
             Firstly, one of the reasons that the scene is so important is that it establishes the doubt and therefore good conscience and sense of morality of the main character, Macbeth: it shows he knows right from wrong. Despite the fact that he is filled with great ambition to become more powerful, he still shows he has some feelings about the consequences and some natural second thoughts. These doubts are expressed at the very beginning of the scene, where it opens to Macbeth's soliloquy, who, wrestling with his conscience, considers the consequences of the murder on himself and also that he, as a relation of, a subject of and the host of Duncan owes his king so much. He then thinks of Duncan's great qualities, both as a king and a person: anyone to murder such a great king would be surely damned. He realises that although he will become king there will be disastrous consequences. He knows that he will have to pay for what he will do and that the cost will be high but he still cannot shrug off the desire inside him. Finally, at the end of his soliloquy, he has lost his nerve and, although not getting rid of his deep desires, resolves that he will not continue any further with his and his wife's plans and, when she arrives, tells his wife so. .
             Lady Macbeth is very disappointed in her husband and taunts him to act on his desires.


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