Act 2 Flashcards
Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle towards my hand?
“Dagger” = common, thieves weapon contrasts with sword in act 1
Hallucinating about violence, suggesting 1. he is overcome by his greed and power and is becoming emotionally unstable, 2. he is already experiencing uncertainty and guilt around what he is to do foreshadowing these same feelings in the future
Edging him forward to the killing, however “let me clutch thee” turns from inaction and invitation to action as he commits to the act
His ability to be influenced by evil is his hamartia
With Tarquin’s ravishing strides
Famous rapist- both he and Macbeth prey on vulnerable, attack family, both do penetrative acts of power and cruelty, by relating himself to such an evil man shows how he is changing
Toxic masculinity, associated with a need for power and violence to get it
Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t
Lady Macbeth’s bravado (putting on a front) reveals she is actually a coward
She seems bold and violent but is actually too afraid for a reason as futile as he looked like her father
Also saying “it” links to “business”, euphemism, too vulnerable to actually say murder
I could not say Amen
Macbeth is immediately aware of the immorality of his actions
The regicide is a sacrilegious act - he has sacrificed his beliefs and gone against God
Context - Divine Right of Kings - he has stolen from God who chooses the kingship
I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth doth murder sleep’ - the innocent sleep
Macbeth will have nightmares forever and never be at peace with the nourishment of sleep
He is “too full of the milk of human kindness” and as a result his inner morality and conscience have been badly impacted by the act - this is why he is a tragic character
“innocent” = helpless, defenceless when sleeping - he “murdered” both Duncan’s sleep and his own
Will all great Neptune’s oceans wash this blood from my hand?
He mentions “Neptune” - God of the seas to question whether even the omnipotent Gods can clean him
Use of “oceans” reveals the murder is not just a stain on his personality but also the whole world
He has so much guilt that the blood on his hands would turn great bodies of ocean red, immense
“Blood from my hand” = literal, blood from the murder and also metaphorical, said after responsible for death
Use of hyperbole shows extent of guilt and paranoia, can’t escape it
Structure - What is stichomythia? When and why is it used?
Stichomythia is used just after the murder - a dramatic term with one-line speech between alternating characters, jumpy and quick, reflects worry and paranoia, uneasiness of the characters
Repeated knocking
Represents their fear/paranoia that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will be caught
Reflects Macbeth’s conscience literally knocking away at him
Symbolic of a door, by killing Duncan he had transgressed and has opened the door to hell, a gateway to hell
The night has been unruly…our chimneys were blown down and lamentings heard
It is prophetic - forebodes what will occur when the murder is discovered, a time of terrible uncertainty
“Lamentings” = awful wailings
Biblical sense, suggests God is angry due to the breaking of the Divine Right of Kings
Shakespeare wants to emphasise the magnitude of Macbeth’s crime
Macduff: “horror, horror, horror”
Epizeuxis = phrase/word repeated in quick succession for emphasis at key moments
Dramatic irony - audience knows more than the actors, prolonging the moment of discovery
Such a state of shock he can’t get his words out, emphasises the event was absolutely awful
Macduff: “most sacrilegious murder hath broke open, the Lord’s anointed temple and stole hence”
“Sacrilegious murder” - sacrilege is the violation of a sacred person, the murder of Duncan, as God chose the king and Macbeth undermined this
“Lord’s anointed temple” - metaphorically compares Duncan to a holy temple which has been stolen, reminds the audience that Macbeth hasn’t only murdered but also committed treason and the worst kind of sin
Macduff: Wherefore did you so
Questions Macbeth in public, calls him out, Macbeth’s authority is being undermined and he is not being respected, suggesting an element of suspicion
Macduff does things for the greater good, although he may be open to punishment, he wants to know the truth no matter how he gets it - from this he is a hero
Stage directions - Lady Macbeth faints
- If fake, it may be to take the attention away from Macbeth who is being interrogated and at risk of giving his position away, or she may be afraid of what he will reveal
- If real, she may be genuinely overwhelmed by the events and remorseful, she may also be legitimately shocked at Macbeth killing the guards
By the clock it is day, and yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp
There has been a solar eclipse - a rare natural event
It could be that the night - resembling moral darkness and evil - is taking over just as evil Macbeth has taken over the throne, or that the sun is ashamed because of the murder
The impact to the Chain of Being has affected the whole world
“Strangles” = violent, connotes death
A falcon…was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed
A falcon (normally a predator) has been killed by an owl (usually prey) This reflects the unnatural order of lesser Macbeth (owl) murdering the powerful king (falcon)
