English 20-2 Macbeth Summary Notes for Act II

Transcription

1 English 20-2 Macbeth Summary Notes for Act II Scene I This act starts with Banquo and his son talking about the. Macbeth enters and talks to Banquo who brings up the witches. Macbeth lies when he says, " " (line 22). Then, he says, "If you shall cleave to my, when tis, / It shall make for you ( line 25-26) In other words, Macbeth is looking for confirmation of Banquo's allegiance to Macbeth. Banquo says that he is loyal to Macbeth, but is loyal to the and his first. This is a contrast from Macbeth who is loyal to himself first, and last the King. Macbeth finishes the scene with a soliloquy. First, he a floating dagger, one that would be used to kill Duncan. He is still not on terms with his conscience when it comes to murdering the King. The dagger represents that doubt. At first, Macbeth considers the dagger to be a dagger of the a false created by the intensity of the moment. He compares the dagger to his. But then the dagger changes; it becomes covered with and begins to him towards Duncan s room. Macbeth begins talking about how evil secretly attacks at night, and he must act on this moment while the night hides him. The image of the dagger convinces him that the time is right to kill Duncan. His patience runs thin, "Whiles I, he ". He reminds himself to and not think. After a bell rings signaling that Lady Macbeth is ready, Macbeth says, "Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a / That summons thee to heaven, or to hell". This statement might be a threat to Duncan, meaning that he has no doubts about the murder, or it might be a foreshadowing that this decision will ultimately determine whether goes to heaven or hell.. Question: 1. Find two lines in Macbeth s soliloquy (pgs ) that suggest he knows he is about to do a terrible deed. You must list the line(s) and page number for each example a) b)

2 Scene 2 Lady Macbeth is awaiting the return of her husband, who is killing Duncan offstage. Lady Macbeth refers twice to the shrieking; a symbol of the death. Their shriek is painful to the ears, like Duncan's death will be painful to many people. They are night creatures which hunt and kill their prey at night, just like Macbeth did (though his prey is King Duncan, not rodents). Lady Macbeth makes the point that the and not the deed itself will ruin them. She means that Macbeth must ensure that Duncan is dead so he cannot reveal their intentions. Lady Macbeth has a chink in her armor. Although she wants to be cruel and emotionless, she can't truly be. She says, "Had not resembled my as he slept, I had done t.". Religion (Christianity) is mentioned in this scene. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth how the guards sleeping in the next room said " " and ", but that he couldn't say it. This symbolizes the great guilt that he feels. He has alienated himself from God, even though he needed to be blessed by God. Another important idea comes up often in this scene. Macbeth narrates that the servants then say "' no more! / Macbeth does murder ". He continues what the servants say, "'Glamis hath murdered, and therefore Cawdor / shall no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more'". Macbeth is imagining what the servants say. All of this is just a representation of his guilt. Basically, Macbeth s imagination is telling him that he will never be at peace. Macbeth may physically rest, but he'll never enjoy peace of because of his acts. You'll see how this plays itself out throughout the play. Lady Macbeth tries very hard to her husband down. She tells him to go and the bloody from his hands. She then realizes that he has made a big mistake. He brought the back from Duncan s room. This is a big problem because he was supposed to leave the with the sleeping and smear them with blood. Macbeth to go back. Lady Macbeth her husband for being such a. She says that the dead are only like and it is to fear a picture of a painted. She decides to Macbeth looks at his which are covered with. He says, "What are here? Ha! They out mine eyes!". This a reference to the

3 tragedy of Oedipus Rex. In this play, the main character plucks his eyes out after he finds out that he has killed his father (amongst other things). King Duncan seemed like a father figure to him, always raising his self confidence and looking out for him. Can his bloody hands ever be cleaned? This is very much like the physical sleep compared to being at peace. Macbeth doesn't believe that he can clean his hands (or sleep peacefully again). He might get them physically clean, but they will always be tainted with his murderous deed (again this shows his over the deed). Lady Macbeth returns from Duncan s chamber, and this time her hands are stained with too. She tells Macbeth that even though her hands are the same as his, her heart is not as as his. ( meaning she is not acting like a ) She is quite calm when she tells him that a little will clear them of this murder. Throughout the scene, there is the sound of. This is Macduff and Lennox who have come to awaken the King. This sound makes Macbeth very paranoid, and he ends the scene with for his actions. He says, " Duncan with thy! I thou " But, of course, it is too late. Duncan will never wake again. Reading Questions: 1. Lady Macbeth warns Macbeth that they must not think so seriously about the deeds or they will. 2. Macbeth reports that he thought he heard a voice cry, Sleep no more! Macbeth has murdered sleep. Read the lines following this quote. Why do you think Macbeth may not be able to sleep?

4 Scene 3 The Porter hears and says that a Porter of Hell would have a busy job. He pretends to be the Porter of Hell, and imagines the sort of people who would come, such as a who didn't get the high prices wanted, a traitor, and a who tried to overprice his garments. Finally he lets and Lennox in, and they have a discussion about. The Porter tells how drink causes red noses, sleep, and urine. He also says it causes lechery, though it takes away the performance. We are in the middle of a very tense situation. The King has just been murdered by Macbeth, and soon, the characters will be discussing the murder. What does Shakespeare do? He throws in a drunk porter who makes bad puns, jokes, and silly sexual talk. It's just some humor in the midst of despair (fair in foul). Macbeth comes and greets Lennox and Macduff. Macbeth leads Macduff to the king. Lennox comments on weird things that happened during the night. (lines 46-53) List 4 strange events that took place (there are 5). a) b) c) d) These disturbances in nature indicate there is disorder in the state (Scotland). To kill the would be to violate God s order. Thus the of the King is not only treason, but sacrilege. It is the supreme violation of moral order of the universe that had been ordained by. Thus Macbeth has committed a crime against. Define Sacrilege: returns, having discovered the murder. He is in hysterics, telling them of the horror of horrors. Ring the alaurm bell. and! He compares the events transpiring to Judgement Day, when the dead rise up to the sound of the trumpet. One humorous point of irony comes from lines 75 to 78, when Macduff tells Lady Macbeth, "O lady, / Tis not for you to hear what I can speak. / The repitition, in a woman's ear, / Would as it fell." Of course we know that

5 Lady Macbeth was the one that devised the murderous! Many things happen in this scene. The characters all find out about the murder. Macbeth kills the in the King's chambers, and his frame of the servants works. Macbeth claims he killed the servants out of to the king. Who could refrain, that had a heart to and in that heart to make s love known? Macbeth gives suspiciously long speeches, leading Lady Macbeth to purposely (shutting Macbeth up to prevent him from accidentally giving himself away). One important role of this scene is to bring together all the main characters of the play: Macduff: He is the somewhat innocent bystander of the scene. He idly talks about the King before the death announcement is made. He leaves to attend to the King, and comes back in great horror. He is loyal to the king: "Go to his [King's] bedroom and be blinded" by seeing him dead. He wakes all the nobles and announces the King's death. Macduff finishes with his pledge to fight against the treason that occurred. Lennox: He (without knowing it), keeps the blame off Macbeth for a while. He is the character that suggests that the servants in the King's chamber were the murderers (line 93). This may have helped keep all the nobles from immediately pointing the finger at each other. Banquo: Remember that he is loyal to the throne. His main role comes from lines 128 to 134 when he says that the nobles should meet to question this murder further. He says, "In the great hand of I stand, and thence against the undivulged pretense I of treasonous malice (lines ). His role is to find the killer of the King. Malcolm and Donalbain: They are the of the King. They suspect a traitor in their midst. They believe that some of the Thanes might have a on. Malcolm says, "To show you don t feel is an act/ which comes easily to a " (lines ). Donalbain says, "men s daggers" (line 132). These two feel that their lives are in danger. Since the King was killed, they are next in line for the throne, so the power hungry murderer would kill them. They flee to different countries to avoid being named as the murderers or the next victims - Malcolm flees to and Donalbain to until the situation cools down.

6 Scene 4 The character of an old man is introduced. He gives a different perspective on the death of Duncan. He has gone through many years, but he hadn't seen many of the disturbances that he saw the night before. A (majestic -- symbolizing the King), is killed by a mouse-hunting (a hunting creature - - symbolizing Macbeth). A not-so-symbolic disturbance is the story of the horses each other. Day has turned into. (King Duncan s death has put the world into chaos, this is why unnatural acts are occurring) This scene also gives some quick developments in the story (told by Macduff). Macduff says it is thought the did the murder. He thinks they were bribed (suborn d) by Malcolm and Donalbain. What do Malcolm and Donalbain do to cast suspicion on them? Ross believes another act (line 27) has occurred. He claims that reckless that gobbles up its own flesh! Then it is most likely that will be chosen king. (lines 29-30) Macbeth is said to have gone to Scone to be, however has surprisingly chosen not to attend this ceremony. I fear that rule was much better than what we can expect from new. (line 39) Duncan's body is taken to be buried. A good line in this scene comes from the Old Man (lines 40-41): God s blessing be with you and with those that make the best of a bad thing, and make friends of foes!" ( fair is foul...again) Macbeth and Malcolm: Heroes of the Story? Is this story now heroless? Macbeth has shown his evil side, plotting and killing an innocent man. He is no longer the hero of the story as he once was (first he was the courageous soldier praised by the Captain and the King). He is the villain that must be thwarted. Who then assumes the role of hero? Malcolm would have been my first choice. He is the son of the King who would get the crown and take revenge upon his father's killer. But he and his brother run away for fear of their lives. Banquo? Lennox? Macduff? Fleance? Read on to Act III, and you will see one of these people be eliminated from this list.