Has Macbeth gone mad in Act 2 scene 1?

Has Macbeth gone mad in Act 2 Scene 1?

            Macbeth has gone mad in Act 2 Scene 1 because he is anxious about murdering King Duncan. Macbeth is hallucinating that there is dagger in front of him. He says, “Is this a dagger which I see before me/ The handle toward my hand?” (2.1.33-34). By this, Macbeth means he is unsure of whether or not the dagger is actually there. At this point it seems that Macbeth is going mad to the point of having multiple personalities. This may be true because Macbeth’s character in the beginning of the play was a valiant, noble man serving his king to and has changed to an easily manipulated, soon to be murderer. Macbeth’s delusions about the dagger prove that he has gone mad. He says, “A dagger of the mind, a false creation/ Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” (2.1.38-39). When Macbeth says this he is telling himself that he is crazy for wanting to kill the king and admitting that he is not well in the head. Therefore, Macbeth has gone mad in Act 2 Scene 1. 

Macbeth 2.1. Dagger Scene Portrayal

Macbeth 2.1 Dagger Scene Portrayal

            In Macbeth Act 2 scene 1, I would portray the dagger as a delusion to Macbeth. I would portray the dagger as a delusion because Macbeth has gone insane. He proves his insanity when he says, “I have thee not, and yet I see thee still,” (2.1.35). He is hallucinating this dagger but he does not actually have it in his hand. Macbeth claims this dagger is leading him to murder King Duncan. Macbeth says, “Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going/ And such an instrument I was to use,” (2.1.42-43). He is saying that he is going to murder King Duncan with a blade just like the one he is imagining. Macbeth believes that the dagger is being shown as a symbol of the murder he is about to commit. Macbeth says, “It is the bloody business which informs/ Thus to mine eyes,” (2.1.48-49). I believe Macbeth sees the illusion of the dagger because it is a way of his conscious showing him the bloody dagger will soon be within your hands if you murder your King. Hence, that is why I would portray the dagger as an illusion to Macbeth in Act 2 scene 1.