Act 2 Scene 1 Flashcards
overview of act II scene i
banquo and his son fleance are going to bed when they encounter macbeth, who is preparing himself for his grim task
what do banquo and his son do in this scene?
they go for a walk at night. fleance is a reminder to the audience about the witches’ prophecy that banquo’s sons will be kings
finish the quote: ‘their candles…
…are all out’
‘their candles are all out’
- it is v dark
- darkness symbolises the evil that macbeth is about to do
- starless sky - echoes duncan’s speech in Act I Scene iv about stars shining on the deserving
- macbeth is undeserving
finish the quote: ‘allegiance…
…clear’
what does macbeth promise?
- that if banquo supports him, he’ll ‘honour’ him, but banquo replies that he will only help macbeth if he can keep his ‘allegiance clear’
- shows he is loyal to duncan
banquo
- banquos response show that he is more moral than macbeth
- his ‘cursed thoughts’ and mention of the witches may hint that he’s thinking about acting on the prophecies
what does macbeth talk about in his soliloquy?
- of ‘witchcraft’, ‘Hecate’s offerings’ and ‘a ghost’
- this links macbeth to the witches and shows how he is affected by their predictions
- starts seeing visions of a dagger - it isn’t clear if it is leading him to commit murder or warning him against it
finish the quote: ‘unusual…
…pleasure’
finish the quote: ‘sent forth great largess…
…to your offices’
‘finish the quote: ‘measureless…
…content’
‘unusual pleasure’
‘sent forth great largess to your offices’
‘measureless content’
- duncan is appreciative of macbeth’s recent services and is so confident of his thane’s support and loyalty
- generous gifts
- duncan’s day ended with unlimited happiness - ironic
finish the quote: ‘I think not…
…of them’
‘I think not of them’
- lying to his best friend - dishonest
finish the quote: ‘spend it..
..in some words upon that business’
finish the quote: ‘keep my…
…bosom franchised and my allegiance clear, I shall be counsell’d’
‘spend it in some words upon that business’
‘keep my bosom franchised and my allegiance clear, I shall be counsell’d’
- macbeth wants to talk about the witches if banquo was willing to do so at a convenient time
- banquo is suspicious of him and macbeth cannot count on him for absolute support
- banquo refuses to commit himself to anyone with his reply - unclear
- means that he is either waiting to see what lies in store for him OR he is rejecting the path which macbeth wishes to take
- my conscience free from guilt and my allegiance innocent
finish the quote: ‘is this…
..a dagger which I see before me?’
finish the quote: ‘come..
..let me clutch thee’
finish the quote: ‘I have thee not…
..and yet I see thee still’
finish the quote: ‘a dagger of the mind….
…a false creation’
finish the quote: ‘heat-oppressed…
…brain’
finish the quote: ‘palpable/As this…
..which I now draw’
finish the quote: ‘thou marshall’st me…
..the way that I was going’
finish the quote: ‘dungeon…
…gouts of blood’
‘is this a dagger which I see before me?’
‘come, let me clutch thee’
‘I have thee not and yet I see thee still’
‘a dagger of the mind, a false creation’
‘heat-oppressed brain’
‘palpable/ As this which I now draw’
‘thou marshall’st me the way that I was going’
‘dungeon gouts of blood’
- ‘dagger’ - his mind has been corrupted by violence - handle is pointing towards his hand - almost inviting him to use it
- questions - represents macbeth’s state of mind - full of uncertainty and doubt
- macbeth is hallucinating - showing the deterioration of his mind - shows the influence the witches and LM have on him
- questions - patriarchal society - male leaders aren’t meant to have doubt - meant to be powerful, certain and strong
- macbeth has become weaker since warfare in act 1
- ‘false creation’ - he wonders if his mind is playing tricks on him
- dagger shows the way -> dagger is probably moving towards duncan’s bedroom, as though encouraging macbeth to go and do the deed
how is macbeth revealed in this soliloquy?
- even more deeply
- the illusion of the bloody dagger - he is deluded with anxiety
- like LM, he is denying his own true nature in preparing to commit the murder
finish the quote: ‘there’s no..
..such thing’
finish the quote: ‘bloody…
…business’
‘there’s no such thing’
‘bloody business’
- telling himself to get a grip
- he thinks the murder is playing on his imagination
finish the quote: ‘Witchcraft celebrates…
…pale hecate’s offerings’
finish the quote: ‘wither’d…
…murder’
finish the quote: ‘the wolf..
..whose howl’s his watch’
finish the quote: ‘Tarquin’s ravishing…
…strides’
finish the quote: ‘moves…
…like a ghost’
‘witchcraft celebrates pale hecate’s offerings’
‘wither’d murder’
‘the wolf whose howl’s his watch’
‘Tarquin’s ravishing strides’
‘moves like a ghost’
- references to witchcraft - pale hecate - queen of the witches
- he is obsessed with the idea of witchcraft
- murder is personified as an aged, skeleton-like man, is awakened by the howl of a wolf, which keeps time for him and he moves ‘stealthy’ and ghost-like to do his killing
- tarquin - king of rome - raped the virtuous lucretia
finish the quote: ‘thou sure and firm-set…
…earth, hear not my steps which way I walk’
finish the quote: ‘fear thy very stones…
..prate of my whereabout’
‘thou sure and firm-set earth, hear not my steps which way I walk’
‘fear thy very stones prate of my whereabout’
- telling the pavement not to give him away - to not make a noise
- becoming crazed - talking to the earth
finish the quote: ‘whiles I threat…
…he lives’
finish the quote: ‘bell…
…invites me’
finish the quote: ‘hear it not duncan…
..for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell’
‘whiles I threat, he lives’
‘bell invites me’
‘hear it not duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell’
- macbeth telling himself to stop talking and get on with it
- ‘knell’ - funeral bell
- last quotation - rhyme - plot progressing
