MACBETH Act 2

is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand?

macbeth questioning his sanity, vision/ hallucinations

Macbeth hallucinating before murdering Duncan foreshadowing him being haunted by Banquo/ hallucinating

Supernatural

Witches reminding Macbeth to kill Duncan while he is conflicted by showing the dagger to M

Rhetorical question

Hear it not Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell

Imperative Macbeth doesn’t want Duncan to hear the bell

Against GCoB?

Churchbell announcing death

Macbeth is in control and is the one summoning D to heaven or hell

-against GCoB, regicide

Antithesis shows M is still not sure about his desision

Noun- shows M’s fear in going to hell

I had most need of blessing, and ‘Amen’ stuck in my throat

Macbeth feels immediate guilt about murdering Duncan

Religious imagery used to conclude prayer

Metaphor- M has sinned, Regicide, so now he cannot pray

Unworthy of divine blessing

M’s moral corruption

M is estranged from God

Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?

Hyperbolic language, metaphor- no amount of ‘water’ will ever remove the sacreligious ‘stain’ of regicide

Noun, symbolic- represents purity

Noun, symbolic- throughout Macbeth represents guilt

Wash off crime/ guilt

His hand is guilty not M, excuse to not feel guilt, symbolic of M being the architect of his own downfall

Rhetorical question

A little water clears us of this deed - LM

Adverb, - not a big crime to LM, LM patronising Macbeth

Washing off blood will make them innocent

Symbolic purity

"God's benison go with you, and with those that would make good of bad, and friends of foes" Old Man

Means Blessing

God has chosen that Macduff is now the hero- his responsibility to save the situation

Adjacent bad=good- make good of bad, bad will turn good, foreshadows ending

Contrasting meaning to when witches and macbeth used juxtaposition “fair is foul and foul is fair”