ACT TWO KEY POINTS AND QUESTIONS ACT TWO

ACT TWO: KEY POINTS AND QUESTIONS

ACT TWO SCENE I: KEY POINTS o There is an atmosphere of uneasiness as Banquo and Fleance comment on the total darkness of the night: “The moon is down”. o Banquo raises the subject of the witches, telling Macbeth that he dreamt of them and remarks on the truth of one of the prophecies. Macbeth immediately lies, saying “I think not of them …”. o When Macbeth is alone a vision of a dagger covered in blood appears to him. It is an hallucination caused by his horror at what he is about to do. The dramatic nature of this scene is very effective. Macbeth’s horror, the darkness, the eerie sense that everyone else is asleep, Macbeth’s fear of the sound of his own footsteps – they all serve to heighten the tension and suspense.

MACBETH: ACT TWO SCENE I Conflicted: Though Macbeth wants to avoid discussing the witches with Banquo, he is shrewd enough to keep him on side and vaguely promises him “honour”. On the one hand, Macbeth is a fundamentally kind and honourable person. He is aware that what he is planning to do is in act of unmitigated evil. On the other hand is his burning ambition, his overwhelming desire to be king. When he is alone, Macbeth is overwrought and his fears take visible shape in the vision of the dagger. Macbeth’s struggle with his conscience is embodied in his highly emotions state.

MACBETH: ACT TWO SCENE I Conflicted: Macbeth’s sensitivity to the horror of the deed is conveyed in his poetic speech. He imagines half the world in darkness, experiencing wicked dreams, he hears the cry of the wolf and guiltily fears even the sound of his own footsteps. There is also a sense in which Macbeth tries to distance himself from his own actions. The dagger appears to be leading him towards Duncan’s chamber, as though forces beyond his control were forcing him to commit this terrible crime. It’s as if the dagger is possessing him, making him feel less responsible for his own actions.

BANQUO: ACT TWO SCENE I In this scene Banquo is troubled and edgy. Like Macbeth, Banquo no longer seems to sleep the sleep of the innocent. He has obviously been struggling with temptation, telling Macbeth “I dreamt of the three Weird Sisters”. However, even contemplating the prospect makes Banquo uneasy and he openly admits his temptations whereas Macbeth pretends not to think of them. Banquo fights the temptation, Macbeth gives in to it. Macbeth makes quite an ambiguous statement to Banquo when he says: “If you shall cleave to my consent, when ‘tis, It shall make honour for you. ”

BANQUO: ACT TWO SCENE I It would appear that Macbeth is asking Banquo to stand by him and if he does, he will be rewarded. Banquo’s answer shows that he suspects a treasonable proposal but that he has no intention of accepting it: “So I lose none In seeking to augment it, but still keep My bosom franchis’d and allegiance clear I shall be counsell’d. ” Banquo is essentially honourable and wishes to keep his conscience clear and his loyalty intact.

ACT TWO SCENE II: KEY POINTS o Lady Macbeth awaits her husband’s return from Duncan’s chamber and her nervousness is obvious. Macbeth returns and strain, fear and tension is shown in their tense exchange of fearful questions and abrupt answers. o Macbeth notices the blood on his hands and becomes obsessed with the voices he thought he heard. His speech about sleep shows a clear awareness of the goodness and innocence he has destroyed. Because he has destroyed peaceful sleep his punishment is to “Sleep no more!” o While Macbeth is tortured by his conscience, Lady Macbeth asks matter-of-factly: “Who was it that thus cried? ” Macbeth is caught up with his imagination, while Lady Macbeth is very much concerned with the reality. o. Macbeth’s terrible sense of guilt is conveyed in the image of his bloody hands turning the green ocean red and he wonders: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean was this blood / Clean from my hand? ” Contrary to her husband, Lady Macbeth believes “A little water clears us of this deed”.

MACBETH: ACT TWO SCENE II Guilty Conscience: Macbeth is in a trance-like state after the murder, He becomes overwrought by his bloody hands, the evidence of his guilt. He is deeply troubled in not being able to answer “Amen” to the cry of one of the half-waking grooms. His conscience is embodied in the voice he imagines crying out: Macbeth shall sleep no more!” His thoughts about sleep show a deep sense of guilt, regret and recognition that his life has changed irrevocably.

MACBETH: ACT TWO SCENE II Guilty Conscience: In the grip of his conscience Macbeth cannot think rationally or act practically. His mistake in carrying away the daggers is a serious loss in self-control and his point blank refusal to return them shows a total loss of nerve. Macbeth is obsessed with the horror of the murder and seems oblivious of the danger of immediate discovery. While Lady Macbeth is facing reality, Macbeth is wishing the deed undone: “Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst”

LADY MACBETH: ACT TWO SCENE II Lady Macbeth shows remarkable composure in this scene. However, the effort is must cost her is indicated by the fact that she has to nerve her self with some of the drink she gives to the grooms. The softer side of her nature is shown in her acknowledgement that she could not kill Duncan herself because he resembled her father. The lady who claimed she could kill her own baby is not without heart after all. Lady Macbeth is totally practical here, concentrating on immediate considerations. She fears Macbeth’s thoughts: “Consider it not so deeply”. She may not understand his though process but she does understand that: “These deeds must not be thought After these ways; so, it will make us mad. ”

LADY MACBETH: ACT TWO SCENE II She shows immense self-control when she realises that Macbeth has mistakenly carried away the daggers. Though she could no commit the murder, now she rises to the occasion. She forces herself to do it because of her husband’s total loss of selfcontrol. Though she is cool and practical, the events of the night imprint themselves forever on her memory.

ACT TWO SCENE III: KEY POINTS o The porter who finally emerges to answer the knocking at the gate imagines that he is a porter of hell, a very obvious symbol for the castle which has become hell. o Macbeth calmly greets Macduff but Macduff’s horrified reaction to the murder of Duncan beings home the awful reality of what Macbeth has done. Macbeth does not betray himself, asking “What’s the matter? ”. He now has sufficient self-control to try to mask his crime. Lady Macbeth also puts on a good act of not knowing anything. o Yet when Macbeth makes the rash decision to murder the sleeping grooms he raise some suspicions. Macduff cannot understand his rationale. As he tries to explain to Macduff why he murdered the grooms, his speech is somewhat suspect because of the exaggerated degree of stress. Once again it is Lady Macbeth who comes to aid choosing this moment to faint and draw attention away from her husband at this critical moment.

MACBETH: ACT TWO SCENE III Guilty Conscience: Yet again Macbeth loses his self-control, murdering the grooms which was not part of the original plan. In comparison to Banquo and Macduff who do not give such easy expression to their very real sorrow, Macbeth’s grieving seems contrived. Macduff is the only to challenge Macbeth, asking him why he killed Duncan’s guards: “Wherefore did you so? ”

BANQUO: ACT TWO SCENE III Banquo is noticeably silent in comparison to Macduff. In light of his previous conversation with Macbeth, there is little doubt hat Banquo must at least suspect the truth on learning of Duncan’s murder. It is Banquo who proposes to the others that they meet to discuss and investigate his murder: “… let us meet And question this most bloody piece of work”

LADY MACBETH: ACT TWO SCENE III Lady Macbeth has little to say in this scene but she does a convincing job of acting surprised. Lady Macbeth is as shocked as Macduff and Banquo that Macbeth has killed the grooms as this was never part of their plan. When she fears that Macbeth is saying too much and in danger of revealing his involvement, Lady Macbeth almost certainly deliberately diverts attention by fainting, ending the conversation.

MACDUFF: ACT TWO SCENE III On discovering Duncan’s body, Macduff is so upset that he is unable to describe the tragedy: “… Do not bid me speak” Macduff is the only one to question Macbeth’s bizarre decision to kill the two suspects before they can be questioned. He shows integrity of character.

ACT TWO SCENE IV: KEY POINTS o In this scene an old man, representing the ordinary people of Scotland, discusses the murder of Duncan with Ross. They describe the unnatural events which seem significant in light of the crime. o Nature is disturbed, the natural order of things reversed. A falcon was killed by an owl. Duncan’s beautiful horses turn wild and eat each other. It is dark even though it is daytime. This is all related to Duncan’s murder: “Tis unnatural, / Even like the deed that’s done”. o We are told that Macbeth has already been named king, that Duncan’s two sons have fled the country and have been accused of the crime. Macduff refuses to go to the coronation with Ross and fears that conditions in Scotland will be worse under the new king. o Scene IV is short but very important. It tells us of the success of Macbeth’s schemes and gives an indication of the future importance of Macduff’s character.

MACDUFF: ACT TWO SCENE IV Macduff’s intention to go to Fife instead of attending the coronation indicates his suspicions about Macbeth. Though he doesn’t say it outright, he clearly suspects Macbeth was involved in the murder. He expresses his unease about the future: “Lest our old robes sit easier than our new!”. In the previous scene, all thanes joined Banquo’s vow that they would “questions this most bloody piece of work”. But none of them act on such suspicions. Like Ross, they all go to the coronation. It is only Macduff who shows himself to be a man of principle by his refusal to acknowledge the kingship of a man he does not trust. His failure to attend would be interpreted as a grave insult to the new king and so he puts principles before personal advancement.

ACT TWO: REVISION QUIZ www. kahoot. it

ACT TWO QUESTIONS 1. In Act Two Scene I, do you think the appearance of the dagger is a supernatural phenomenon like the witches or is it a product of Macbeth’s imagination? Give reasons for your answer. 2. Show there is a clear contrast between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Act Two Scene II. 3. In Act Two Scene II Lady Macbeth returns the daggers to Duncan’s chamber but could not kill Duncan herself. What does this tell us about her character? 4. Discuss Shakespeare’s use of sleep and water imagery in Act Two Scene II. 5. Do you think that Macbeth acts well when the murder of Duncan is discovered in Act Two Scene III? Give reasons for your answer. 6. Why do you think Lady Macbeth faints in Scene III? 7. What unnatural events are described in Act Two Scene IV? What is the significance of these events? 8. Discuss the importance of the fact that Macduff does not go to Scone.

ACT TWO: KEY QUOTES q“Is this a dagger which I see before me? ” Macbeth q“… the bell invites me. / Hear it not Duncan; for it is a knell / That summons thee to heaven or to hell” Macbeth q“That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold” Lady Macbeth q“Had he not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done’t” Lady Macbeth q“I could not say ‘Amen’, / When they did say ‘God bless us!” Macbeth

ACT TWO: KEY QUOTES q“These deeds must not be thought” Lady Macbeth q“Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep” Macbeth q“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? ” Macbeth q“A little water clears us of this deed” Lady Macbeth q“Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst” Macbeth