Act 2 Flashcards
What happens in Act 2 Scene 1?
- Banquo feels like something is wrong.
- He encounters Macbeth
- Banquo says he dreamt of the witches, Macbeth says he doesn’t think of them.
- Macbeth imagines seeing a dagger in front of him, leading him to Duncan.
What theme does the dagger speach enhance for the audience?
- Appearance vs reality theme
How is Banquo contrasted with Macbeth in Act 2 Scene 1?
- He is open about how he feels about the witches.
- Macbeth has surrendered his will to the witches, only Banquo’s dreams are invaded.
What did the Jacobean audience believe was the “heat- opressed brain?”
- Heat was considered a fluid that could cause hallucinations.
What quote shows that Macbeth is hallucinating and gone mad from the dagger speach?
- “Art thou a dagger of the mind, a false creation”
Why did Shakespeare use the dagger speach (2)?
- Show how mad Macbeth has become from the witches.
- PTSD –> war- like brain (some productions show it like this.)
- Shows that he is trying to dettach himself from the action he is about to do.
What does Macbeth do to the supernatural in his dagger speach?
- He blames the supernatural for the actions he is about to do.
BUT - “thou marshals’t me the way I was going”
What happens in Act 2, Scene 2?
- Macbeth enters onto Lady Macbeth, carrying two bloody daggers.
- Macbeth’s guilt torments him
- Lady Macbeth attempts to rationalise his fears.
- Criticises Macbeth for brining daggers
- Knocking on gate…. PORTER
How do Lady Macbeth and Macbeth speak when the murder was comitted?
- Short sentences
- PANICK
Give a quote from Act 2 Scene 2 that shows how guilty Macbeth feels.
-“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand.”
Why does Macbeth say that he “shall sleep no more?”
- Sleep was seen as a reward from God in Jacobean times.
- Macbeth is undeserving of this.
How does Lady Macbeth respond to Macbeth saying that all Neptune’s ocean won’t wash the blood from his hands?
“My hands are of your colour but I shame to wear a heart so white.”
How does Macbeth’s vocabulary change when he speaks about great Neptune’s ocean?
- At first it is vague, “multitudinous” –> cloud in his mind, unable to think straight.
- “Make the green red “–> Simple vocabulary, allows Macbeth and audience to come to the truth.
Why is Duncan’s murder not shown for the audience to see?
- Shakespeare didn’t want anyone to come up with any ideas of how to kill the current monarch.
- Tragic hero: still seeing Macbeth as human - not fully hating him.
What film adaptation shows the death of Duncan on screen?
What does this show?
- 1971 Roman Polanski version
- Shows royalty has lessened in importance.
What was The Great Chain of Being?
- The idea that God set an order for everyone on Earth.
- If a bad king went into control, everything in that country would be in havock.
What are the different metaphors The Porter speaks about in his speach?
- Greed: hoarded crops to sell at inflated prices.
- Equivicator: doesn’t lie or tell the truth–> reference to Gunpowder Plot
- Theft –> tailor stealing (motif of clothes)
How is Macbeth’s greed shown by killing King Duncan?
- Cannot wait for fate to take its course –> greedy (unlike Banquo.)
What does the equivicator from The Porter’s speach link to? i’m
- Jesuit Priest, Henry Garnet was hanged for lying about knowledge of Gunpowder Plot.
- Modern - day audience may not understand this allusion.
What is the purpose of the Porter?
- Comic relief
- Develops key themes like: hell, ambition, deciet, theft, desire.
What is the context of the Porter in Medieval plays?
- Porter admitted sinners to hell.
What does Macduff say once he sees the King has been murdered?
“O horror, horror, horror.”
What does Macduff say to Lady Macbeth when she asks what is happening?
“the repetition in a woman’s ear would murder as it fell.”
- Shows view of women IN the play
- Weak….
What does Macduff say about the goodness of Duncan?
- He calls Duncan
- “Lord’s annointed temple.”
How does Macbeth “react” to Duncan’s death in front of others?
- All the goodness of life is gone.
- He says he got angry and killed the guards out of hate towards them.
- He explains the indecency of the act.
How does Lady Macbeth help Macbeth in Act 2 Scene 3?
- She faints to stop Macbeth from continuing to speak about The King, potentially making people suspicious.
What do Malcom and Donlbain plan to do at the end of Act 2 Scene 3?
- Malcom goes to England
- Donlbain goes to Ireland.
- (could be seen as cowardly.)
What is the narrative pace in Act 2 like?
- Very action- packed.
- ## Slows down in Scene 4, so we can sum up everything that has happened.
What does the old man in Scene 4 speak about?
- How Macbeth’s actions have broken the natural order.
What is the contrast between Ross and Macduff in Scene 4?
- Ross is attending Macbeth’s coronation.
- Macduff doesn’t want to attend–> Macbeth gets annoyed by this.
- Macduff is scared of what will happen when Macbeth becomes King
What is the purpose of Act 2?
- Shows the chaos that comes from the murder and different characater’s reactions.
