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 as "husbandry in heaven" (Line 4) and "lies like lead" (6) to further draw...