Act II scene I is the scene in which Macbeth prepares himself for his murder of Duncan, King of Scotland. It is a very significant scene as it is both when Macbeth makes the final decision to kill Duncan, and when he first lies to Banquo. Macbeth starts to be portrayed as a bad character rather than his previous "opportunistic" mettle.
Act II scene I is set in the courtyard of Macbeth's Castle in Scotland. The scene opens with Banquo and his son Fleance entering the courtyard in the company of a torchbearer. The first three lines are used by Shakespeare to define the time aspect of the setting; that it is night and later than twelve. Lines four through nine see Banquo explaining his uneasy feeling about the night. Alliteration is used in such instances.....
