Act 2 Flashcards
‘My bosom franchis’d and allegiance clear’
this shows Banquos loyalty to the king
bosom franchis’d - his heart has no obligation to act upon the witches words
allegiance clear - he wants everyone to know that he is loyal to the king and his moral compass will not be tainted by elements such as prophecies
BANQUO, LOYALTY
‘A dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat oppressed brain?’
macbeth remains conflicted even minutes away from duncans murder, he is questioning his sanity. the rate at which his mind is deteriorating shows shakespeares purpose in using the supernatural, receiving guidance from the supernatural is comprimising his ability to think rationally. his ambition is also comprimising this
dagger - noun, smaller than a sword yet just as lethal, macbeth wields weapons in order to achieve his ambitions (power and recognition from duncan, becoming king)
mind, a false creation - noun, context, religious believe god was our conscience and in turning his back on god and receiving guidance from the supernatural, M and his mind are not trustworthy, deceiving him and further leading him astray from god
heat-oppressed - adjective, brain is under stress and pressure induced by his ambition/ potential supernatural interference, the murder if Duncan causes psychological turmoil so severe if manifests physically in M
SUPERNATURAL, LOYALTY, AMBITION, GUILT?
‘I had most need of a blessing and “Amen” stuck in my throat’
‘Macbeth shall sleep no more’
macbeth connot say amen due to nature of the sacrilegious act
need - noun, immediate and desperate wanting, a necessity for macbeth after commiting such treason
blessing - noun, undeserved mercy from god, a gift given to people to give them strength, courage, forgiveness etc, macbeth is denied this, fundamentally his body knows he has forsaken himself to hell
stuck - verb, his physical body knows he has done wrong, guilt manifests as the rejection of anything holy and merciful
whole phrase a metaphor, not inly does he murder natural king but he murders sleep, a natural, revitalising thing
guilt is so prominent macbeth immediately knows his inability to sleep after such event. he is denied the care and natural healing of sleep. he will never feel peace again.
sleep - noun, hinted at being female, sleep cares for and looks after macbeth, macbeth has murdered his female self, becoming wracked with guilt
GUILT, MACBETH
‘A little water clears us of this deed’
little - adjective, small amount, minimal thought towards any feelings of guilt, a quick and easy process, simple and just a small stepping stone to achieve ambition
water - noun, cleansing and pure, used for baptisms, washing away sins, but sacrilegious act renders water useless and water is tainted, gods gift of forgiveness will not act upon those who commit treason
GUILT, LADY MACBETH, LM AND M’S RELATIONSHIP?
‘his silver skin lac’d with golden blood’
Duncans body
silver and golden - semantic field of wealth
silver skin - comparison to marble statues, usually done of noble people and celebrated ppl
golden describes blood shows appearance of things are always deceiving, shows that Duncan was the true rightful king and was blessed with the divine power of god
lac’d - thin but numerous strands of blood, shocking and graphic and violent
KINGSHIP, DUNCAN, HORROR, VIOLENCE, APPEARANCE VS REALITY?
