Macbeth - Act 2

Banquo says he has seen the weird sisters a lot since he met them. What does Macbeth say?

Macbeth responds that he has not thought about them, suggesting he wants to distance himself from their prophecies. - ‘I think not of them’

What appears on the dagger that Macbeth hallucinates and what does it symbolise?

Macbeth hallucinates a bloodied dagger that leads him to Duncan's chamber. This symbolises his ambition and the guilt he feels about the murder.

What reason does Lady Macbeth give for not killing the king herself?

Lady Macbeth explains that she cannot kill King Duncan herself because he resembles her father as he sleeps, evoking her emotions and preventing her from committing the act. - ‘Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I done’t’

Macbeth cannot say ‘Amen’ to finish Malcolm and Donalbain’s prayer .Why does he fear this?

Macbeth fears this because 'Amen' is a request for God's blessing. His inability to pronounce it signifies that he is spiritually damned and cut off from divine grace after committing regicide and going against the divine right of kings - ‘I had most need of blessing, and “Amen” stuck in my throat’