Act 2 Scene 2 Flashcards
1
Q
overview of act II scene ii
A
duncan has been murdered. macbeth is already regretting his action, and lady macbeth takes the dagger away from him.
2
Q
point of peripitea
A
macbeth commits his first murder
3
Q
how does lady macbeth act at the start of the scene?
A
- she is startled by every noise
- she says that she couldn’t kill duncan because he reminded her of her father
- suggests that lady macbeth isn’t as merciless as she seems
4
Q
where does the murder take place?
A
- offstage
- increases suspense and makes audience imagine the killing
- makes it more horrific
- also lets the audience see how macbeth and lady macbeth are affected by their experience in duncan’s room
5
Q
what is foreshadowed in this scene?
A
- macbeth doubts ‘neptune’s ocean’ will clean the blood off his hands - he is feeling guilty
- lady macbeth doesn’t seem as bothered by her bloody hands - ironic foreshadowing of her frenzied hand-washing in Act V
- macbeth says he has ‘murdered sleep’ - sleep is symbolic of peace and a clear conscience - so murdering sleep shows that he is wracked with guilt and also foreshadows her own madness later
- references to insanity - lady macbeth talks about macbeth going ‘mad’ and being ‘brain-sickly’ - ironic foreshadowing of her own madness later
6
Q
stage directions in this scene
A
- add to the tension
- repetition of a knocking sound
- sense of urgency
- seems to echo macbeth’s pounding heart and is a sign of his fear and guilt
7
Q
finish the quote: ‘hath made them drunk..
A
..hath made me bold’
8
Q
‘hath made them drunk hath made me bold’
A
- LM reveals she has been drinking
- effect of the intoxication gives her artificial courage
- she isn’t as tough as she seems and wants to hide her feelings with alcohol
- she is more sensitive than we may realise
9
Q
finish the quote: ‘Hark!…
A
..Peace!’
10
Q
finish the quote: ‘I have drugg’d…
A
…their possets’
11
Q
‘I have drugg’d their possets’
A
LM drugged their drinks - is cunning
12
Q
finish the quote: ‘Who’s there?…
A
..what,ho!’
13
Q
‘Who’s there? what,ho!’
A
- short monosyllabic lines
- jumpy
14
Q
finish the quote: ‘had he not…
A
…resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t’
15
Q
finish the quote: ‘I heard the owl…
A
…scream and the crickets cry’’
16
Q
‘I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry’
A
- owls and crickets thought to foretell death
17
Q
how is the dialogue between macbeth and lady macbeth structured?
A
- stichomythia
- jolty and abrupt
- shows tension and anxiety
- ‘when?’ ‘now.’ ‘as i descended?’ ‘ay’ ‘hark!’
18
Q
finish the quote: ‘this is a…
A
…sorry sight’
19
Q
finish the quote: ‘there are two lodged…
A
..together’
20
Q
‘there are two lodged together’
A
- LM is practical and logical
- she points out that, as the two princes are sharing a room, the disturbance may be confined to them
21
Q
finish the quote: ‘these hangman’s…
A
…hands’
22
Q
finish the quote: ‘I could not say…
A
..’Amen’’
23
Q
finish the quote: ‘consider it..
A
..not so deeply’
24
Q
finish the quote: ‘wherefore…
A
..could i not pronounce amen’
25
finish the quote: 'i had most need of blessing and 'amen'...
..stuck in my throat'
26
'amen'
- doubt, confusion and guilt have overcome macbeth - the fact that he cannot say 'amen' shows the audience that macbeth's actions have separated him from religion
- could strike fear into a shakespearean audience with strong christian beliefs
- he is fixated on the idea that he has done somethig v blasphemous -> mental anguish
- repetition of 'amen' brings religion to audience's attention - it is 'stuck in his throat' -> implies that macbeth acted so evilly that religion has turned against him - evil cannot coexist with religion
27
finish the quote: 'these deeds...
...must not be thought'
28
finish the quote: 'so it will...
..make us mad'
29
finish the quote: 'sleep no...
...more!'
30
finish the quote: 'macbeth does...
..murder sleep'
31
finish the quote: 'the innocent..
...sleep'
32
finish the quote: 'sleep that knits...
..up the ravell'd sleeve of care'
33
finish the quote: 'sore labour's...
..bath'
34
finish the quote: 'chief nourisher...
...in life's feast'
35
'sleep'
- in this speech macbeth expresses his horror at the fact that he has killed a man in the helpless innocence of sleep
- in his imagination he condemns himself to a fitting punishment - never to sleep again
- theme of sleep - not having any sleep crazes someone - macbeth never sleeps properly again
36
finish the quote: 'still it cried...
..sleep no more!'
37
finish the quote: 'glamis..
..hath murder'd sleep, and therefore cawdor shall sleep no more ; macbeth shall sleep no more'
38
finish the quote: 'go get..
..some water and wash this filthy witness from your hand'
39
'go get some water and wash this filthy witness from your hand'
- LM's sensible, realistic way of dealing with the situation
- later will prove inadequate as she tries to rid herself of the memory of the crime
40
finish the quote: 'why did you..
..bring these daggers from the place?'
41
'why did you bring these daggers from the place?'
- macbeth makes a fatal mistake
- he is used to killing in battle and is skilled and flawless - here he makes silly mistake
42
finish the quote: 'go..
..carry them'
43
finish the quote: 'infirm of...
...purpose!'
44
'infirm of purpose!'
- term for madness - poor mental health
- LM's most effective way of bullying her husband is to comment scornfully on his weak will
45
finish the quote: 'they pluck out...
...mine eyes!'
46
'they pluck out mine eyes!'
- macbeth is becoming so obsessed with the sight of his own bloody hands that they almost blind him
47
finish the quote: 'will all great Neptune's ocean...
..wash this blood clean from my hand?'
48
finish the quote: 'this hand will rather...
...the multitudinous seas in incarnadine / making the green one red'
49
'neptune's ocean'
'red'
- if he tries to wash his hands in the sea there is so much blood that it will make the whole ocean red
50
finish the quote: 'I shame...
..to wear a heart so white'
51
finish the quote: 'a little water..
...clears us of this deed'
52
'a little water clears us of this deed'
- LM has to become ruthless as macbeth's courage fades
- she believes she can simply wash away any sense of guily for the murder
- murder is insignificant to LM - 'a little water'
- thinks water will 'clear' her of the deed - she would only feel regret if she was caught
- in a patriarchal society, she sees herself as equal to her husband and much like the witches, the audience see a powerful woman controlling macbeth's actions
