Lady Macbeth herself says she would have killed Duncan if he had not resembled her father as he slept. This line appears in Act II, scene 2, when she explains why she didn’t kill him herself: Had he not resembled/My father as he slept, I had done’t. [web results cited in this turn: acting from Shakespeare's text and common study resources] Direct answer:
- The stated reason Lady Macbeth gives for not killing Duncan herself is that Duncan looked like her father when he was asleep. This resemblance arouses a familial compassion and moral conflict, preventing her from following through with the murder herself. [web results]
