Strictly speaking, this soliloquy depicts the struggle of a high state official who is about to commit a coup d'etat by killing his king and taking over the throne. However, it is much more than a dishonest political manoeuvre. It also presents a personal moral conflict of a man who is well aware that once he draws the dagger, there is no way back.
Explanation:
(Continued) Just like the nonfiction excerpt implies, Shakespeare here transcends the sociopolitical boundaries of his own historical moment. Macbeth's soliloquy creates huge suspense and anticipates the bloodshed that is about to unravel, much to the taste of the early 17th-century audience. But it also presents a host of timeless, universal questions. By doing that, Shakespeare gives his audience and his king exactly what they want and writes a timeless play about power, greed and ambition, treachery, and (un)happiness.
