Macbeth Act 2
Summarize the scene (scene 1)
- Banquo has a bad feeling/can't sleep - Macbeth is going towards the floating dagger he sees - Macbeth feels guilt and remorse
Summarize the scene (scene 4)
- Duncan's sons fled - Kingship was passed to Macbeth - Duncan has been buried
Summarize the scene (scene 3)
- King Duncan is found dead - Macbeth acts like he doesn't kill Duncan - Macbeth announces that he killed the guards
Summarize the scene (scene 2)
- Lady Macbeth puta daggers back and smears blood on guards - drugged the guards - Macbeth is feeling guilty
How does Macbeth show his guilt in lines 85-90?
He says "I would rather die than live without Duncan."
How does Macbeth show that he feels guilty in lines 56-72?
He states that no amount of water in the ocean would be able to clean his hands.
In lines 6-8, Banquo asks that "cursed thoughts" leave him so that he can sleep. What is the most likely cause of Banquo's insomnia?
He was thinking of the witches prophecies that they told him.
Why do you think the porter may be considered a comic character? Why do you think his speech is placed directly after the murder scene?
He's used for the comic relief, and the audience needed a break from the suspense of the murder.
In lines 102-112, do you believe that Lady Macbeth really faints, or is her fainting part of the act?
It's because Macbeth didn't go according to plan and she didn't know how to react to it.
Who does Macduff believe killed Duncan?
Macbeth
What inner conflict does Macbeth face in lines 24-38?
Macbeth feels guilty after killing Duncan.
What mistake has Macbeth made while completing the murder? How does Lady Macbeth fix his mistake?
Macbeth forgot to leave the daggers with the guards, and Lady Macbeth ends up taking the daggers from his hands to place them back with the guards.
In lines 32-42, Macbeth sees a dagger before him that leads him to Duncan's room. He is not sure if it is real, or a figment of his imagination. How does this relate to the idea of fate vs. free will?
Macbeth thinks it's fate because the dagger was pointing in the direction of King Duncan's room.
Does Lady Macbeth feel the same guilt as Macbeth? How do you know?
No, because she said that she only needs a little bit of water to clean her from this deed. On the other hand, Macbeth, is saying that even the ocean won't be able to clean his hands.
Why does Lady Macbeth say she could not murder Duncan herself?
She says that Duncan looks too much like her father.
Why are Lady Macbeth's words in lines 75-80 ironic?
She's acting like she doesn't even know that the king is dead even though she was behind the murder.
What does Malcolm suggest that he and Donalbain do now that Duncan is dead? Why does he suggest this?
To flee to another country because they are afraid that they will be the next people to be killed.
How does Shakespeare use dialogue to create tension in lines 15-19?
Suspense is built because of the quick exchange of words.
Read lines 6-19. What do the images in these lines suggest about the act of killing the king? What is foreshadowed about Macbeth's reign by the description in these lines?
That the murder was planned and he was being watched in the night. Macbeth's reign won't end well for him.
In lines 1-2, Porter says, "If a man were porter of hell gate, he should have old turning the key." Why is this statement an example of dramatic irony?
The king was just murdered within the gates.
One major motif in Macbeth is sleep. What mental state might an inability to sleep reflect? How does the motif of sleep in this example help to develop a theme about guilt?
Their inability to sleep was because of the guilt they felt, and it helps develop the theme of guilt because Macbeth murdered Duncan and felt guilty.
What does Macduff compare to a Gorgon in the metaphor in 65-66? What does this show about his state of mind?
To Duncan's corpse, and it shows that how he couldn't even look at the corpse.
What words from lines 48-55 contribute to the foreboding mood of this scene?
Unruly, Strange screams, prophecy, and unnatural things