Act 2 Scene 2 Flashcards
Why is the fact that the murder is done off-stage significant?
It may have been impossible for the audience to feel sympathetic toward Macbeth after seeing him commit the deed.
“I have done the deed.”
Macbeth returns with the daggers and declares that he has murdered Duncan.
How is Macbeth presented in this scene?
Macbeth is shown to be full of fear, remorse, and hysteria due to his actions; he appears to be in a trance and indulges in self-reproach, suggesting guilt.
What does Lady Macbeth say that portrays the only human emotion she feels that we see in the entire play?
“Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t.”
What is important about the way the Macbeths speak in this scene?
The confidence and mastery of language and argument displayed by both characters are absent; they are on edge, and Lady Macbeth seems to be especially affected, shown by her surprise at the sound of an owl: “Hark, peace!”
“This is a sorry sight.”
Macbeth describes the sight of his bloody hands holding the daggers and is clearly affected mentally by it.
“A little water clears us of this deed.”
This is an ironic extended metaphor that shows Lady Macbeth is confident that the guilt from their deed can be washed away easily; however, in the end, she spirals into madness and sleepwalks around the castle, continuously washing metaphorical blood off her hands, symbolising her guilt.
“My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white.”
Lady Macbeth says that her hands have as much blood on them as Macbeth’s but she scorns his conscience influencing him to feel guilty about the deed.
What theme is relevant to and is suggested by Macbeth bringing the daggers with him?
Guilt
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No”
This is a very significant quotation from this scene that exemplifies Macbeth’s tremendous feeling of guilt due to his deed; the metaphor used here effectively emphasises the severity of his regicide and he knows that he will not be able to recover.
