Act Two Flashcards
Scène 1 analysis
Banquo and his son fleance go on a walk, there are no stars in the sky so it’s very dark pathetic phallacy of the evil Macbeth is about to commit. Macbeth tells Banquo he will honour him if he supports him. Banquo replies with only if he keeps his “allegiance clear” to Duncan. This shows how loyal Banquo is.
“Is this a dagger which…” finish quote, what does it suggest
“Is the a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?”. This could be either leading him to murder or could be warning him against it
Scène 2 lady Macbeth analysis
Lady Macbeth is waiting for Macbeth to return, every noise scares her which shows she isn’t as merciless as previously thought. She also couldn’t do it, “had he not resembled my father as he slept’ I had done it”. This also tells us she’s not as evil as we thought
Scène two analysis
Murder happens offstage, creating more suspense and makes audience imagine the killing, making it more horrific. The repetition of the knocking sound all so creates a sense of urgency, also seems to echo Macbeth pounding heart, a sign of his fear and guilt
How does this scène foreshadow
Macbeth doesn’t think even “neptunes ocean” could clean his hands of the blood and guilt, lady Macbeth doesn’t seem bothered, a contrast to her sleep walking later on trying to wash her hands
Macbeth also says he has “murthered sleep” and shall “sleep no more”. This shows his guilt as sleep is peaceful, he won’t be able to have peace ever again
L Macbeth also talks about Macbeth going “mad” and “brain sickly” like she will later
Scène three analysis
It opens with a comic monologue by the porter, this relieves the tension, but also prolongs the time for when Duncan’s body is discovered, creating more suspense
Macduff discovers Duncans body and is horrified, this makes the murder seem more terrible
Macbeth confesses to killing Duncan’s servants who looked like they killed Duncan, lady Macbeth faints from hearing this, this could be to distract the others from his suspicious behaviour or show how horrified she is at his violent behaviour
Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain run away, making them seem guilty and allowing macbeth to become king
How does Shakespeare use dramatic irony in scene 3
“Hell…”
“Strange…”
“Committed”
The audience know Duncan’s been murdered but the characters don’t which causes anticipation. The characters can sense the evil though
“Hell-gate”, porter describing Macbeths gates
“Committed treason” joke made by porter, unknowingly true
“Strange screams of death” describes the wind on that night
Scène 4 strange things analysis
Lots of strange events have happened since Duncan’s death, shows the disruption in nature caused by Macbeth and foretells the bad omens of macbeths reign
Horses have eaten each other, the setting is a dark day, pathetic phallacy
A falcon has been savagely Killed by an owl, falcon was Duncan, owl was Macbeth, metaphor
