What's the meaning of "reflected back upon" in the following context?

The passage is an excerpt from an 1823 essay on Macbeth by Thomas De Quincey:

From my boyish days I had always felt a great perplexity on one point in Macbeth. It was this: the knocking at the gate, which succeeds to the murder of Duncan, produced to my feelings an effect for which I never could account. The effect was, that it reflected back upon the murderer a peculiar awfulness and a depth of solemnity; yet, however obstinately I endeavoured with my understanding to comprehend this, for many years I never could see why it should produce such an effect.

I know "reflect on" means "To consider or think back on something," but I think this meaning doesn't fit here in the above passage.

Can we equate "reflect back upon" with "produce in"? I mean, "it [the knocking] produced in the murderer a peculiar sense of awfulness..."? Does it have anything to do with the writer feeling sympathy for the murderer?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reflect

1: to prevent passage of and cause to change direction a mirror reflects light
2: to give back or exhibit as an image, likeness, or outline : MIRROR
the clouds were reflected in the water
3: to bring or cast as a result
his attitude reflects little credit on his judgment
4: to make manifest or apparent : SHOW
the painting reflects his artistic vision
the pulse reflects the condition of the heart
5: REALIZE, CONSIDER
6: to bend or fold back
7archaic : to turn into or away from a course : DEFLECT
intransitive verb

There a lot of meanings there to consider. The problem with 5 is that is requires a sentient subject, and knocking on the gates is not something that one normally treats as capable of thought. I think it's more likely somethings along the lines of 3 is meant.