Your answer depends on where you are in the play. So, I'll
focus on the first example. In the beginning Macbeth learns from the witches that he
will become the next Thane of Cawdor and will eventually become king of Scotland. When
Macbeth is pronounced the Thane of Cawdor, he immediately assumes that the next
prophecy--his becoming king--will come true.
I am Thane of
Cawdor:
If good, why do I yield to that
suggestion
Whose horrible image doth unfix my
hair
And make my seated heart knock at my
ribs,
Against the use of nature? Present
fears
Are less than horrible
imaginings.
The thought of
murdering Duncan has crept into his mind, and the thought of committing such an action
horrifies Macbeth. He, like Lady Macbeth, knows the "nearest way" to become king is to
slay Duncan, but unlike Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is afraid to consider such a deed. This
fear becomes quite ironic as the play develops, for Macbeth begins to kill without such
hesitation.
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