Final answer:
Macbeth sees a bloody dagger leading him towards Duncan, symbolizing his murderous intentions and internal conflict. He acknowledges the possibility that the dagger is just a hallucination, indicating his anxiety and guilt over the imminent act of regicide.
Step-by-step explanation:
In his soliloquy after Banquo leaves, Macbeth tells the audience he sees a bloody dagger leading him towards Duncan, whom he plans to murder. Macbeth questions whether the dagger is real or a figment of his imagination, brought on by his fevered ambition and the weighty influence of his wife's and his own desire for power. He explains his sight by musing that it could be a manifestation of his guilt and anxiety about the morbid deed he is about to commit, a vision induced by his compromised mental state.
Macbeth's troubled psyche is revealed through the following lines:
Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
This internal turmoil is a crucial element in Shakespeare's exploration of the themes of power, ambition, and guilt.