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MACBETH:
act 2
SETTING
Castle Inverness.
Castle Inverness.
SUMMARY
Act 2, scene 1: Fleance and Banquo greet each other, then Macbeth and a servant enter. Banquo tells Macbeth that the king is in bed and has been in a good mood, so much so that he gives Lady Macbeth a diamond, which he passes on to Macbeth. Banquo tells Macbeth that he had a dream about the witches, and they both agreed to speak about this dream at another time. Macbeth also promised Banquo that if he stuck with him, there would be something in it for him, and Banquo’s response was that he would do whatever Macbeth said, as long as he, Banquo, could do it with a clear conscience. Fleance and Banquo then leave, and Macbeth asks a servant to tell Lady Macbeth to strike the bell when his drink is ready. Macbeth then sees a dagger floating in the air, and he speaks to it, while taking out his real dagger. He then notes that there are blood splotches on the handle that weren’t there before, and Macbeth acknowledges that the dagger represents the murder that he is about to do. Macbeth notes that half the world is asleep and being deceived by evil nightmares, witches are offering sacrifices to their goddess Hecate, and an old man (Macbeth) walks silently to his destination. Macbeth then states that while he stands here talking, Duncan lives, and he acknowledges that the more he talks, the more he loses courage to carry out the murder. The bell then rings, indicating that his drink is ready, and he states that he is going now and reasserts that the murder will occur.
Act 2, scene 3: A drunk porter enters, and he hears knocking. He spends the time guessing who might be doing the knocking, maybe a farmer, a con man, or an English tailor. He finally opens the gate and lets in MacDuff and Lennox. The porter and MacDuff discuss the effects of drinking; it turns your nose red, it puts you to sleep, it makes you urinate, and it also has a confusing effect on your sex drive. MacDuff believes that all these effects happened to the porter last night, and he agrees, but says that he got even with the drink because he vomited it all out. Just as he asks if the porter’s master is awake, Macbeth enters. He asks Macbeth if the king is awake, and he responds that he is not awake as yet. MacDuff tells Macbeth that the king had requested that he wake him up, and he has almost missed the agreed-upon time. MacDuff exits to wake the king, and Lennox and Macbeth talk. Lennox asks Macbeth if the king is leaving today, and Macbeth responds in the affirmative. Lennox then explains that the night has been chaotic: with harsh, howling winds, people hearing cries of grief, screams of death, terrible voices predicting catastrophes, and the owl made noise all night. MacDuff then re-enters, upset, with the news of Duncan’s murder.
Lady Macbeth then enters asking what the fuss is about, but before MacDuff could tell her, Banquo enters with the alarming news of the king’s murder. Lady Macbeth is astonished that this cruel act has occurred in her home, and Macbeth now believes that, from this moment on, there is nothing worth living for. Malcolm and Donalbain, Duncan’s sons, then enter and Macbeth gives them the news of their father’s death. Macbeth reports that the guards who were supposed to have protected him killed him. Their hands, faces, and daggers were covered with blood, and they were confused. He killed them, and MacDuff asks him why he did that, and he said that he did it out of great anger. Lady Macbeth then asks to leave, and Macduff tells Macbeth to take care of the lady. Malcolm and Donalbain discuss, in hushed tones for their ears only, how they are both in danger and need to leave. Banquo then arranges with MacDuff, Macbeth, Malcolm, and Donalbain to meet and discuss the crime to see if they can figure anything out. Everyone except Malcolm and Donalbain leave, then they decide that Malcolm should go to England and Donalbain to Ireland because they will be safer apart. They believe that their closest relatives will most likely murder them and men will smile at them while hiding daggers.
Act 2, scene 4: An old man reflects on how bad the night of the king’s murder was, and Ross agrees, stating that today, the day after Duncan’s murder, is just as bad. The two discuss strange things that are happening in nature; a falcon was killed by an owl, Duncan’s horses - beautiful, swift, and the best of their breed - suddenly turned wild and broke out of their stalls; rumour is that the horses ate each other. Ross confirms that the rumour is true; he said that he saw it with his own eyes. MacDuff then enters, and he and Ross talk about the fact that Duncan was killed by his servants. Ross brings up the idea that the servants had no reason for killing the king, and MacDuff proposes that they were paid to betray their master. He then states that Malcolm and Donalbain have fled and are the prime suspects for the murder. Ross then exclaims that everything about the situation is unnatural and blames it on ambition that caused a son to kill a father; he then asserts that Macbeth will become king. MacDuff then confirms that Macbeth has already been named king and has left for Scone to be crowned, while Duncan’s body was carried to Colmekill to be placed in the tomb of his ancestors. They bid each other farewell with the news that Ross will go to Scone and MacDuff will go to Fife.
Act 2, scene 1: Fleance and Banquo greet each other, then Macbeth and a servant enter. Banquo tells Macbeth that the king is in bed and has been in a good mood, so much so that he gives Lady Macbeth a diamond, which he passes on to Macbeth. Banquo tells Macbeth that he had a dream about the witches, and they both agreed to speak about this dream at another time. Macbeth also promised Banquo that if he stuck with him, there would be something in it for him, and Banquo’s response was that he would do whatever Macbeth said, as long as he, Banquo, could do it with a clear conscience. Fleance and Banquo then leave, and Macbeth asks a servant to tell Lady Macbeth to strike the bell when his drink is ready. Macbeth then sees a dagger floating in the air, and he speaks to it, while taking out his real dagger. He then notes that there are blood splotches on the handle that weren’t there before, and Macbeth acknowledges that the dagger represents the murder that he is about to do. Macbeth notes that half the world is asleep and being deceived by evil nightmares, witches are offering sacrifices to their goddess Hecate, and an old man (Macbeth) walks silently to his destination. Macbeth then states that while he stands here talking, Duncan lives, and he acknowledges that the more he talks, the more he loses courage to carry out the murder. The bell then rings, indicating that his drink is ready, and he states that he is going now and reasserts that the murder will occur.
- What did Duncan give to Lady Macbeth?
- Why did Banquo want to speak to Macbeth?
- What did Macbeth promise Banquo and what was Banquo’s response?
- What did Macbeth ask the servant to do?
- Describe the object that Macbeth saw floating in the air? What did this object represent?
- Quote the line that shows Macbeth is wavering in his mission to kill Duncan.
- Quote the line that shows that Macbeth is resolved to murder Duncan.
- Who drugged Duncan’s servants?
- Who set out the daggers for the murder?
- Who murdered Macbeth?
- Who returned the daggers to Duncan’s chamber?
- What advice did Lady Macbeth give Macbeth?
- Quote the line that proves that Duncan’s murderer felt guilty.
Act 2, scene 3: A drunk porter enters, and he hears knocking. He spends the time guessing who might be doing the knocking, maybe a farmer, a con man, or an English tailor. He finally opens the gate and lets in MacDuff and Lennox. The porter and MacDuff discuss the effects of drinking; it turns your nose red, it puts you to sleep, it makes you urinate, and it also has a confusing effect on your sex drive. MacDuff believes that all these effects happened to the porter last night, and he agrees, but says that he got even with the drink because he vomited it all out. Just as he asks if the porter’s master is awake, Macbeth enters. He asks Macbeth if the king is awake, and he responds that he is not awake as yet. MacDuff tells Macbeth that the king had requested that he wake him up, and he has almost missed the agreed-upon time. MacDuff exits to wake the king, and Lennox and Macbeth talk. Lennox asks Macbeth if the king is leaving today, and Macbeth responds in the affirmative. Lennox then explains that the night has been chaotic: with harsh, howling winds, people hearing cries of grief, screams of death, terrible voices predicting catastrophes, and the owl made noise all night. MacDuff then re-enters, upset, with the news of Duncan’s murder.
Lady Macbeth then enters asking what the fuss is about, but before MacDuff could tell her, Banquo enters with the alarming news of the king’s murder. Lady Macbeth is astonished that this cruel act has occurred in her home, and Macbeth now believes that, from this moment on, there is nothing worth living for. Malcolm and Donalbain, Duncan’s sons, then enter and Macbeth gives them the news of their father’s death. Macbeth reports that the guards who were supposed to have protected him killed him. Their hands, faces, and daggers were covered with blood, and they were confused. He killed them, and MacDuff asks him why he did that, and he said that he did it out of great anger. Lady Macbeth then asks to leave, and Macduff tells Macbeth to take care of the lady. Malcolm and Donalbain discuss, in hushed tones for their ears only, how they are both in danger and need to leave. Banquo then arranges with MacDuff, Macbeth, Malcolm, and Donalbain to meet and discuss the crime to see if they can figure anything out. Everyone except Malcolm and Donalbain leave, then they decide that Malcolm should go to England and Donalbain to Ireland because they will be safer apart. They believe that their closest relatives will most likely murder them and men will smile at them while hiding daggers.
- Who are the visitors that the porter lets in?
- Who was supposed to wake Duncan?
- Recount Lennox’s description of the night that Duncan was murdered.
- Who discovers Duncan’s body?
- How does Lady Macbeth react to the news of Duncan’s death?
- What does Macbeth tell MacDuff that he did to the ‘murderers’? Why?
- What decisions did Malcolm and Donalbain make and why?
Act 2, scene 4: An old man reflects on how bad the night of the king’s murder was, and Ross agrees, stating that today, the day after Duncan’s murder, is just as bad. The two discuss strange things that are happening in nature; a falcon was killed by an owl, Duncan’s horses - beautiful, swift, and the best of their breed - suddenly turned wild and broke out of their stalls; rumour is that the horses ate each other. Ross confirms that the rumour is true; he said that he saw it with his own eyes. MacDuff then enters, and he and Ross talk about the fact that Duncan was killed by his servants. Ross brings up the idea that the servants had no reason for killing the king, and MacDuff proposes that they were paid to betray their master. He then states that Malcolm and Donalbain have fled and are the prime suspects for the murder. Ross then exclaims that everything about the situation is unnatural and blames it on ambition that caused a son to kill a father; he then asserts that Macbeth will become king. MacDuff then confirms that Macbeth has already been named king and has left for Scone to be crowned, while Duncan’s body was carried to Colmekill to be placed in the tomb of his ancestors. They bid each other farewell with the news that Ross will go to Scone and MacDuff will go to Fife.
- What is the similarity between the night of Duncan’s murder and the day after the murder?
- List two examples of strange things that have been happening in nature.
- What news does Ross give MacDuff about Malcolm and Donalbain?
- What news does MacDuff give Ross about Macbeth?
- Where was Duncan’s body taken and why?
- Where are Ross and MacDuff planning to go when they leave Macbeth’s castle?
CHARACTERIZATION
Banquo is a good man and a good friend. He literally tells Macbeth that he will do whatever Macbeth wants as long as it’s within his conscience: “So I lose none In seeking to augment it, but I still keep My bosom franchised and allegiance clear, I shall be counselled.” (Act 2, scene 1, lines 26-29).
Macbeth
Macbeth is a good man, despite his ambition. His goodness is seen in the guilt that he feels about having to murder Duncan. This guilt takes the form of a floating bloody dagger that has him losing his fortitude to do the bloody task: “There’s no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs Thus too mine eyes … Whiles I threat, he lives. Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.”
Macbeth is ambitious. This ambition is seen in the fact that he fights the Elizabethan conditioning that the king is second only to God, and actually commits the murder. Try to imagine being told, all your life, that the king is your superior, and then being asked to kill him. This would be a most difficult task because it would seem unnatural to you. In order to override that feeling, you would need a very strong counterbalance, and in Macbeth’s case, his counterbalance is his ambition. It allows him to push past the conditioning that the king is to be revered and protected, because he is now focused on replacing Duncan.
The Great Chain of Being
Macbeth
Macbeth is a good man, despite his ambition. His goodness is seen in the guilt that he feels about having to murder Duncan. This guilt takes the form of a floating bloody dagger that has him losing his fortitude to do the bloody task: “There’s no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs Thus too mine eyes … Whiles I threat, he lives. Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.”
Macbeth is ambitious. This ambition is seen in the fact that he fights the Elizabethan conditioning that the king is second only to God, and actually commits the murder. Try to imagine being told, all your life, that the king is your superior, and then being asked to kill him. This would be a most difficult task because it would seem unnatural to you. In order to override that feeling, you would need a very strong counterbalance, and in Macbeth’s case, his counterbalance is his ambition. It allows him to push past the conditioning that the king is to be revered and protected, because he is now focused on replacing Duncan.
The Great Chain of Being
Macbeth is deceptive. He is able to lie very convincingly about killing Duncan’s ‘murderers’: “Th’ expedition of my violent love Outrun the pauser, reason … there, the murderers, Steeped in the colors of their trade, their daggers Unmannerly breeched with gore. Who could refrain, That had a heart to love, and in that heart Courage to make ‘s love known?” (Act 2, scene 3, lines 106-107, 110-114). This highlights a level of deception that seems very cold because he literally murdered Duncan, then turned around and murdered the servants, then lied so very convincingly about it all.
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth is both cruel and organized. Her cruelty is demonstrated in how she berates her husband for being afraid to return to the king’s bedchamber to return the daggers: “Coward! Give me the daggers. Dead and sleeping people can’t hurt you anymore than pictures can. Only children are afraid of scary pictures. If Duncan bleeds I’ll paint the servants’ faces with his blood. We must make it seem like they’re guilty.” (Act 2, scene 2, lines 50-55). This is cruel because she is behaving as if Macbeth did not break his conditioning, a difficult task in the first place, to kill the king. Arguably, he is a soldier who routinely kills people on the battlefield, but the context is different in this situation. He has killed the king of Scotland, a role that he has been bred to revere. The king is viewed as a divine intermediary; the only entity above the king is God. So, for Macbeth to kill him in the first place is hard; to ask him to go back and put the daggers back in their place, after he has committed the murder, is even harder. The fact that she is organized, and by extension task-oriented, is seen in her insistence that the daggers be returned to the chamber to ensure that the guards get blamed for the murder.
Lady Macbeth is deceptive. This deception is seen in her reaction to the news of Duncan’s death: “Woe, alas! What, in our house?” (Act 2, scene 3, lines 84-85). She knew what was happening in her house; she organized and manipulated her way to this point in the plot, then she coldly turned around and feigned surprise. This is the definition of deceptive.
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth is both cruel and organized. Her cruelty is demonstrated in how she berates her husband for being afraid to return to the king’s bedchamber to return the daggers: “Coward! Give me the daggers. Dead and sleeping people can’t hurt you anymore than pictures can. Only children are afraid of scary pictures. If Duncan bleeds I’ll paint the servants’ faces with his blood. We must make it seem like they’re guilty.” (Act 2, scene 2, lines 50-55). This is cruel because she is behaving as if Macbeth did not break his conditioning, a difficult task in the first place, to kill the king. Arguably, he is a soldier who routinely kills people on the battlefield, but the context is different in this situation. He has killed the king of Scotland, a role that he has been bred to revere. The king is viewed as a divine intermediary; the only entity above the king is God. So, for Macbeth to kill him in the first place is hard; to ask him to go back and put the daggers back in their place, after he has committed the murder, is even harder. The fact that she is organized, and by extension task-oriented, is seen in her insistence that the daggers be returned to the chamber to ensure that the guards get blamed for the murder.
Lady Macbeth is deceptive. This deception is seen in her reaction to the news of Duncan’s death: “Woe, alas! What, in our house?” (Act 2, scene 3, lines 84-85). She knew what was happening in her house; she organized and manipulated her way to this point in the plot, then she coldly turned around and feigned surprise. This is the definition of deceptive.
TECHNIQUE
Pathetic Fallacy: The inclement weather coincides with the death of Duncan, as reported by Lennox: “The night has been unruly. Where we lay, Our chimneys were blown down and … The obscure bird Clamored the livelong night. Some say the Earth Was feverous and did shake.” (Act 2, scene 3, lines 49-50, 54-56). So, the murder of Duncan is a treacherous act because the only person above the king is God. This means that his death was catastrophic and the weather reflected this. This technique continues in scene 4, when the audience learns that the day after Duncan’s death is the same. It is filled with nature acting strangely: “Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man’s act, Threatens his bloody stage. By th’ clock ‘tis day, And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp.” (Act 2, scene 4, lines 5-7). So it is dark when it should be light and even the animals are acting strangely: “A falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place, Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed.” (Act 2, scene 4, lines, 13-14), and “Duncan’s horses … Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out, Contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would Make war with mankind” (Act 2, scene 4, lines 14, 16-18). So owls have become predators and horses are going mad. Nature is simply echoing the disruption of the great chain of being that dictates that the king is the highest being in the realm of man, so for him to be murdered is a great disruption, heralding the chaos that is unfolding.
Symbolism
The floating, bloody knife symbolizes Macbeth’s deep remorse for the act of murdering the king. It is something that he must do to ensure that he becomes king, but it goes against the norms of Elizabethan society to ignore the chain of being. This hierarchical structure states that only God is above the king, and everyone else is beneath him. Macbeth has to scramble that programming in order to kill Duncan and take the throne. It is this scrambling that produces the floating, bloody dagger.
Symbolism
The floating, bloody knife symbolizes Macbeth’s deep remorse for the act of murdering the king. It is something that he must do to ensure that he becomes king, but it goes against the norms of Elizabethan society to ignore the chain of being. This hierarchical structure states that only God is above the king, and everyone else is beneath him. Macbeth has to scramble that programming in order to kill Duncan and take the throne. It is this scrambling that produces the floating, bloody dagger.
CONFLICT
Man versus himself because Macbeth is essentially debating with himself about whether or not to go through with the murder. This reveals that despite the fact that he is inherently violent and ambitious, the guilt that he feels about the murder that is about to occur highlights that he is also good.
Man versus himself because Macbeth is essentially debating with himself about whether or not to go through with the murder. This reveals that despite the fact that he is inherently violent and ambitious, the guilt that he feels about the murder that is about to occur highlights that he is also good.
The conflict is man versus man, in the form of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They are at odds because, despite the fact that Macbeth has successfully murdered Duncan, he has made the mistake of taking the daggers with him from the scene of the crime. Lady Macbeth insists that he must return them to the scene of the crime, but Macbeth refuses out of fear. So, Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to fix the issue, and Macbeth refuses to do so.
THEME
The theme that is highlighted in Act Two is ambition. This is the case because it takes great ambition, on the part of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, to so cruelly plan and execute the murder of King Duncan. They did not even have the excuse of saying that King Duncan was a bad king; in fact, he was a very good king who was loved by all. So, their ambition was so potent that it burnt away any guilt associated with killing a good man, or the extreme guilt that should have been the result of even thinking of killing the king, someone who was inferior only to God and the angels. So their ambition was higher than treachery.
Guilt is another theme that is highlighted in Act Two. This is seen when Macbeth acknowledges his loss of courage to carry out Duncan’s murder, “I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition.” (Act 1, scene 7, lines 25-27, p.40). He feels guilty before he even commits the act. This guilt comes from the fact that all Elizabethan citizens are bred to believe that the only force greater than the king is God. Macbeth’s guilt at the very prospect of killing King Duncan is a symptom of his attempts to break this conditioning. Concrete guilt, after King Duncan’s murder, is seen when Macbeth looks at his hands and wonders if all the water in the ocean can wash the blood from them, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?” (Act 2, scene 2, lines 57-58, p.60). This highlights the level of guilt that he feels because he believes that his hands literally cannot get clean. Macbeth answers himself by stating that his hands would stain the waters scarlet, “No, this my hand would rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red.” (Act 2, scene 2, lines 59-60, p.60).
Guilt is another theme that is highlighted in Act Two. This is seen when Macbeth acknowledges his loss of courage to carry out Duncan’s murder, “I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition.” (Act 1, scene 7, lines 25-27, p.40). He feels guilty before he even commits the act. This guilt comes from the fact that all Elizabethan citizens are bred to believe that the only force greater than the king is God. Macbeth’s guilt at the very prospect of killing King Duncan is a symptom of his attempts to break this conditioning. Concrete guilt, after King Duncan’s murder, is seen when Macbeth looks at his hands and wonders if all the water in the ocean can wash the blood from them, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?” (Act 2, scene 2, lines 57-58, p.60). This highlights the level of guilt that he feels because he believes that his hands literally cannot get clean. Macbeth answers himself by stating that his hands would stain the waters scarlet, “No, this my hand would rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red.” (Act 2, scene 2, lines 59-60, p.60).
Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
No Fear Shakespeare: Macbeth. 2003 Spark Publishing, Canada.
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/macbeth-powerpoint-80354614/80354614?nway-content_model=A
https://literarydevices.com/
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.563773/full
No Fear Shakespeare: Macbeth. 2003 Spark Publishing, Canada.
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/macbeth-powerpoint-80354614/80354614?nway-content_model=A
https://literarydevices.com/
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.563773/full
