Final answer:
Macbeth imagines he hears a voice saying 'Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep,' indicating his guilt and foreshadowing his psychological turmoil following King Duncan's murder.
Step-by-step explanation:
After Macbeth murders King Duncan in Shakespeare's tragedy, he hears or imagines hearing a haunting voice while he is still in Duncan's chamber. This imagined voice portends deep guilt and psychological turmoil over his regicide. Macbeth shares with Lady Macbeth that he thought he heard a voice crying, 'Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep', a metaphorical statement indicating that Macbeth has disrupted the natural order and his ability to find peace and rest. This voice continues to announce that neither Glamis nor Cawdor will sleep and that Macbeth shall sleep no more, the titles representing his past, present, and possibly future identities, all now stained by his heinous deed.
The phrase 'Sleep no more' and the belief that Macbeth has murdered sleep serve as manifestations of Macbeth's guilt and his recognition of the irreversible nature of his actions. Moreover, this auditory hallucination marks the beginning of Macbeth's descent into madness, foreshadowing the psychological torment that will plague both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth throughout the play. The symbols of sleep and the natural disturbances discussed earlier in the play, such as the screaming owl and Duncan's horses eating each other, all contribute to the theme of the chaos that Macbeth's actions have brought upon Scotland.
The presence of supernatural elements, like the witches' prophecies and the disturbed nature, illustrate the disturbance of the moral and natural order in the play. Macbeth's imagination becomes a battleground for his guilt and his ambitions, revealing his inner conflict and the psychological consequences that come with the pursuit of power at any cost.