Question

In Macbeth, what does the following line mean? "Nothing is but what is not."

Answer 1

There are two prevailing thoughts on this line by Macbeth. You have to remember this line comes at a pivotal moment for Macbeth. When he speaks this line, he is just beginning to turn to murderous thoughts. Up to this point, he has been a loyal subject to King Duncan.

Most scholars see this as an intentionally abstract line, reflecting Macbeth's internal hysteria. The line vaguely supports this confusion in two ways. One is that Macbeth's grasp on reality is slipping a little. "Nothing is real / but what is not" shows his first real slip into madness.

Secondly, it shows his single-minded obsession with the murder that runs as a narrative thread through the rest of the play. The only thing that is real is that, Duncan's death, hasn't happened yet. This interpretation also supports an earlier line when he keeps wondering whether fate, rather than direct action, would make him king. His greed and growing hunger for power push him to action though.