Imagination has always played an important role in shaping one's characteristics. We see imagination playing similar role in Macbeth's life before and after he murders King Duncan. Before murdering Duncan, Macbeth imagines a dagger leading him to the king's chamber. After murdering King Duncan, Macbeth hears some voices saying "Glamis hath murder"d sleep: and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more." It seems that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth guilty of what they have done and it is their conscious that is driving them crazy. Macbeth also sees some ghostly images of Banquo later in the play when he assassinates him. .
Just before Macbeth is about to kill Duncan, he sees a dagger before him. It is his conscious and it seems as if he is too tensed by the idea of killing the King. He imagines all the blood dripping from the dagger. He also sees the dagger directing him to King Duncan's chamber. While he is imagining the dagger, he also imagines the nature which seems dead and how the nightmares must be torturing King Duncan as he is asleep, "Now o"er the one half world, nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse the curtain"d sleep". Although Macbeth visualizes the entire horrifying thoughts (relating to killing Duncan) gush through his mind, he gets the deed done.
After Macbeth kills Duncan he hears some voices saying "Macbeth has murder"d sleep, therefore Macbeth will sleep no more". This again is his conscious as he and Lady Macbeth feel guilty about what they have done. Macbeth imagines that he has murdered the sleeping king Duncan and therefore stealing his own sleep. Although no ones knows about this deed, Macbeth feels extremely guilty and is not able to concentrate on what is going to happen next. He seems to have been lost in his own imagination. "I"ll go no more: I"m afraid to think what I have done; Look on't again I dare not. ".
The last key imagination that Macbeth envisions is the ghostly images of Banquo at the dinner table.
