Act 2 Macbeth - GR 10 Flashcards
(30 cards)
Summary of Act 2
In Act two, we first see Banquo and his son discussing Banquo’s nightmares involving the weird sisters. They go into a bit more detail with Macbeth but decide to speak of it later. Macbeth puts his plan into action after a hallucination of a dagger pushing him towards the king. He knows that if he goes right now, the King is as good as dead. After getting the guards drugged and drunk, Lady Macbeth rings the bell to summon Duncan to his death. Macbeth does the murder and is very conflicted wishing to take it back. Lady Macbeth frames the guards and then they go to sleep. The next morning, Macduff and Lennox arrive per the King’s request and the King is found dead. Macbeth had killed the guards out of “love and anger.” They assumed the guards were potentially bribed but still decided to meet later to discuss what happened. Malcolm and Donalbain decide to flee in case they are next, putting a target on their backs. Strange things happened when the King died. The last prophecy is fulfilled and Macbeth is named king. Macduff does not go to ceremony - strange.
What evidence is there in scene one that Banquo has an uneasy mind?
He has been having nightmares about the witches and their prophecies. Each time he closes his eyes, he thinks about them, driving him mad. He can’t even sleep because he is so rattled.
How does Macbeth react to Banquo’s uneasy mind in scene one?
Macbeth just says he “hasn’t been thinking of the witches at all” - clearly not true, but he brushes it off.
What message regarding Duncan’s happiness does Banquo bring Macbeth? Why is this ironic?
Banquo tells Macbeth that the King appreciated him and his wife’s welcoming nature so much that he gifted Lady Macbeth a diamond. This is ironic because the two have been plotting his murder the entire time, showing his too-trusting nature once again.
What is Banquo’s initial comment to Macbeth regarding the witches? Why does Macbeth respond the way he does?
Banquo talks about his uneasy mind regarding the witches. Macbeth responds by saying that he hasn’t been thinking about this at all (not true and a wild lie considering he was just told he would become the king). He tells Banquo this because he is planning on killing the king, and he doesn’t want the blame to fall on him. If he talks about how much he has been thinking about it then very shortly becomes king, that would look a bit weird.
What does scene one tell us about Banquo’s character? What is the dramatic purpose of this?
We are shown that Banquo is a very cautious man with strong morals and values, not willing to compromise those for anyone. This creates a dramatic affect because the two characters of Banquo and Macbeth are so different after hearing the information and it almost makes the audience wish the prophecies of becoming king were flipped.
Summary of Macbeth’s soliloquy scene 1
He was saying after seeing the dagger that if he doesn’t go and kill the king right now, his fire will wear off. If he wants the king dead, he must leave immediately while he is motivated.
What is the purpose of Macbeth’s scene 1 soliloquy? It doesn’t add to the plot,
It allows us to see a glimpse into Macbeth’s brain and his current headstate going into the murder. It is more dramatic for the audience than him just going and stabbing Duncan.
What incidents in scene 2 portray a new side of Lady Macbeth?
She was much more confident before but now she is a bit more scared of getting caught - especially after seeing Macbeth in this weird headspace after killing the King and thinking he will spill the beans. We also see a bit more of a soft side to her, after she said that Duncan looked too much like her dad while he was sleeping for her to kill him.
What preparations for the murder were made by Lady Macbeth?
She drugged the guards and laid out their daggers for Macbeth.
Upon Macbeth’s return to the courtyard, Macbeth seems to be in a half hysterical state.
A) why do we think this?
B) why is Lady Macbeth concerned?
C) how does she bring him back to a proper frame of mind?
A) we know this because he is hearing voices yelling at him and saying that he will never sleep well again because of what he has done.
B) She is not concerned for his well-being and probably assumes that he will get over it eventually, but she is concerned that he will make them look suspicious.
C) Humiliating him and challenges his manhood.
Macbeth vs Lady Macbeth - blood on hands
Macbeth - I can’t even clean my hands of this blood in the ocean because it would turn red.
Lady Macbeth - A little water will wash this away.
Macbeth seemed courageous in Act 1, yet now he seems out of control, fragile, and weak. Why is this?
Macbeth has just compromised his morals for this. He had obviously battled others in war, but had never gone against someone who trusted him and killed for his own direct benefit in this way.
What is the purpose of the porter scene? does this take away, or add to the play?
This scene is mostly just for comedic relief and gives the audience a bit of a brain break after witnessing the heaviness of the previous scene. This can make it much more dramatic for them when the murder has been discovered, almost like they two are witnessing it for the first time all over again.
Which character (Lady Macbeth or himself) acted more natural to reacting to the murder?
I think Lady Macbeth because she acted distraught and shocked whereas Macbeth just went straight to anger. There was really no shock part of it, almost as if he had seen what had happened earlier.
What evidence suggests that Banquo and other’s in the castle suspect it was possibly Macbeth who killed him?
Killing the guards kind of threw them off I think. The fact that they all decided to meet later to discuss the full story suggests that they don’t trust this story because if they did, then they wouldn’t need to meet - the story is right in front of them.
Do you think it was wise of Macbeth to kill the guards?
No. The guard’s were drugged so they wouldn’t know if they did or not, and in reality, if something as such happened, most people would like to speak with the suspects before coming to an official conclusion instead of what Macbeth did.
What are the plans of Malcolm and Donalbain? Wise? How does this affect Macbeth’s plan?
They wanted to flee separately in case they were meant to be next for the killing - may be going for royal blood. They were up next for the throne, so if someone is after it, then they would need to die. (This also suggests that they do not believe the guards killed their father.) This can be wise to save themselves but it makes them seem a bit suspicious having taken off immediately after someone so close to them was killed. Malcolm was meant to be the next King, so him being gone is one less obstacle to Macbeth’s plan.
Malcom to england
donalbain to ireland
Why did shakespeare introduce the old man? What are the three strange events? Why are these events even mentioned?
The old man is old, so he will have been around for a very long time and seen lots of strange things. Him saying that he has never seen anything like this is very dramatic because in all of his time, this has never happened.
1 - An owl killed a falcon
2 - The King’s horses ate each other
3 - It was meant to be day time but it was still very dark.
This could be foreshadowing to the witches or be adding dramatic affect to make the audience understand the gravity of Macbeth’s actions.
What reasons do Macduff and Ross have for thinking that the sons may have done it and not the guards?
The guards don’t gain anything from killing the king except for like execution. They think that the sons may have bribed them to do it because they are next in line for the throne. They could benefit.
What is Macduff’s frame of mind at the end of scene five?
Macduff seems to be in a strange and confused state of mind, maybe even suspicious of Macbeth. He and Macbeth are very close, so the fact that he is just skipping his coronation is a big deal and shows that something is up.
At the end of act 2, what has Macbeth gained from the murder?
He has become King and the third and final one of his prophecies so far have been fulfilled.
Quote - Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?
Macbeth
Scene 1
Hallucinating a dagger in front of him with the blade pointing toward the King’s room, pushing him to kill the king.
Quote - Hear it not Duncan, for it is a knell, That summons thee to heaven or hell
Macbeth
Scene 1
Don’t hear the bell ringing King Duncan, I do not want you to wake up. This bell mark the end of your life on earth, sending you into the afterife.
