Context:
Macbeth is a complex character. He has aggression and determination which make him a successful warrior. However he is also fearful, with a sense of guilt, which leads him to lean on his wife. These contrasts in his character and his attempts to resolve them are what make him human.
Did you know? Shakespeare writes in The Rape of Lucrece of lust and murder waking at night when there are no stars but only wolves and owls. The villain, Tarquin, like Macbeth, is 'madly toss'd between desire and dread'. Macbeth thinks of Tarquin when he is about to comit the murder of Duncan.
