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.
Act II, Scene 1 · Macbeth
Context
Alone after dismissing his servant, Macbeth suddenly sees a dagger floating in the air before him, its handle pointing toward his hand. He reaches for it but grasps nothing.
Analysis
The line break after 'clutch thee:—' forces a pause that enacts Macbeth's failed grasp—the dash hangs in the air just as the dagger does, unreachable. The contradictory 'I have thee not, and yet I see thee still' traps him in a paradox where sight and touch give opposite answers, destabilizing his confidence in his own senses right when he needs certainty most.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that the dagger represents Macbeth's loss of control over reality—he can no longer trust what he perceives, so every choice from this point forward is made in a fog of uncertainty he's created himself.