Macbeth is aware that he is loathed by his people and that his very name, as Malcolm puts it, “blisters our tongues” (4.3.12). He has known virtually from the beginning—from before he treacherously killed Duncan—that he is unfit to be king. He bears all the trappings of his exalted station, but they sit awkwardly upon him, only calling attention to his unfitness.
