act 2 scene 2 events and quotes Flashcards
“Alack, I am afraid….
they have awaked, And ‘tis not done. The attempt and not the deed.”
What does Lady Macbeth mean by the “Alack, I am afraid” quote?
she is paranoid Macbeth either hasn’t gone through with the plan or it hasn’t worked- she doesn’t have faith in him
“He could not…
miss ‘em”
What does “He could not miss ‘em mean?”
She is trying to reassure herself as she has this level of doubt about Macbeth
“Had he not resembled…
my father as he slept, I had done’t”
What does it mean when Lady Macbeth speaks about her father?
she would have killed Duncan if he hadn’t looked like her father so much
What is the significance of Duncan looking like Lady Macbeth’s father?
It shows a level of vulnerability within herself- seems quite feminine in this part, whereas she is usually portrayed as a very masculine character- highlights the deeper meaning to Lady Macbeth
“I heard the…
owl scream and the crickets cry”
What is the significance of the owls screaming and the crickets crying?
She asks if Macbeth was quiet due to the idea that if she could hear such a quiet noise of owls/crickets, if Macbeth has made even the slightest noise, they would have been caught-links to their paranoia
What literary technique does Lady Macbeth use to describe the owls and the crickets?
personification
What is the significance of the screaming and the crying?
she believes those are the noises the people will make when they find out the kind is dead
The owls screaming and the crickets crying is unnatural and also?
an inversion of the natural order
The use of short sentences highlights?
Lady Macbeth’s urgency to know the answers and also Macbeth’s submissiveness answering her questions- very fast, rapid conversation- highlights the frantic, paranoid nature the two have.
“This is a…
sorry sight”
What does Macbeth mean when he says “This is a sorry sight?”
reflecting on himself and his character- he is a sorry sight
-his actions- he feels regret/remorse
-his hands (the blood on them)
Duncan’s death occurs off stage, what does this mean?
It was off-stage action
Macbeth is facing what kind of decline?
A moral decline
“A foolish thought…
(Lady Macbeth)
to say a sorry sight”
By Lady Macbeth saying “a foolish thought to say a sorry sight” what does it mean?
She is calling him foolish and telling him to accept what has happened and that they have done the right thing- to channel his masculinity
“One cried “God bless us!” and “ I could not say amen” shows what?
the juxtaposition of the loyal guard’s actions and then Macbeth’s actions-he doesnt deserve to be king- he is extremely unloyal
“But wherefore could I not pronounce Amen?…
I had most need of blessing, and “Amen” stuck in my throat”
What is the significance of Macbeth not being able to say “Amen”?
he feels as though he has committed a sin- he can’t bring himself to face God
- the religious references help to highlight the multitude and seriousness of the regicide- leads to his regret
-in the eyes of God he will never be the same again
-if he feels he has sinner, it highlights how bad the crime is as Macbeth is very pious so therefore he does not want to sin
Methought I heard a voice cry…
“Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”
What does the quote “Methought I heard a voice cry Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep!” mean?
Macbeth has committed a crime so dire that he will bever be able to sleep again from the trauma-he has murdered his own sleep- he doesn’t even recognise himself
“Why, worthy thane…
(Lady Macbeth)
You do unbend your noble strength, to think so brainsickly of things”
Lady Macbeth uses what kind of tone when talking to Macbeth?
a mocking, annoyed tone
“Why did you bring…
(Lady Macbeth)
these daggers from the place
Why is Lady Macbeth annoyed with Macbeth?
because he brought the evidence back to their home
“I’ll go no more…
I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on’t again I dare not”
What is Macbeth feeling after he brings the daggers back to the home?
he feels remorseful and he is “afraid” of what he has done and who he has become
he is not going to think about the regicide anymore
Who is in control and how does Shakespeare show this?
Lady Macbeth- the use of the imperative verb “give”
What does the quote “the sleeping and the dead mean?”
alluding to the fact the two look the same - links to Macbeth’s paranoia- Macbeth cannot get the image out of his head
-Lady Macbeth seems less worried than Macbeth
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean…
wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather”
“The multitudinous seas in incarnadine…
Making the green one red”
What type of language is used when Macbeth is talking about the blood on his hands?
hyperbolic
