Macbeth STUDY - Act 2

In Scene 1, Banquo and Fleance are awake in the castle. What does Bandy admit?

he feels uneasy and dreamt about the witches

Banquo mentions the predictions from the witches. How does Macbeth react?

he claims that he wasn’t thinking about them (lie)

In scene 1, what does Macbeth imagine (daydream)?

a blo0dy dagger floating in front of him pointing towards Duncan’s room; he reaches for it but cannot grasp it

What is the bl0ody dagger symbolic of?

his anxious and guilty mind; the image reveals his fear and inner conflict as he prepares to murd3r Duncan

What is the signal that Macbeth takes as a cue to go to Duncans chamber?

a bell rung by lady Macbeth

How does Lady Macbeth wait as Macbeth k!lls Duncan?

nervously, she mentions how she drugged the guards and she left their daggers ready for Macbeth

What does Lady Macbeth admit to the situation with k!lling Duncan?

she could not kill Duncan herself because he looked like her father while sleeping

What does Macbeth “hear”?

he heard voices and could not say “amen” when he heard the guards praying ; a voice cried “sleep no more”

What does Lady Macbeth order Macbeth to do with the daggers?

she orders him to return them to the guards and smear them with blood to make them appear guilty, but Macbeth refuses to do so so Lady Macbeth has to do it

When knocking is heard, what does Lady Macbeth urge Macbeth to do?

to wash up (his hands) and put on his nightclothes so they will appear innocent

What does Macbeth fear about his guilt?

the ocean can’t even remove his guilt

Who is drunk and answers the “knocking”?

drunken Porter, jokes that he is the gatekeeper of hell

Who arrive to wake King Duncan?

Macduff and Lennox

Who does Macbeth lead to Duncan’s room (where he is dead)?

Macduff

What does Macbeth announce (what did he do) as everyone gathers in the household?

that he killed the guards because he was so overcome with anger at the sight of the murdered king

What does Lady Macbeth do to draw attention away from Macbeth explaining his suspicious admitting to killing the guards?

she faints

Which two men flee desperately in fear of being the next target of murder?

Malcolm and donalbain; their flee looks suspicious

What things happen after the murder of Duncan?

strange things: although daylight, darkness covers the sky; an owl killed a falcon; Duncans horses have gone wild and ate each other

What do the strange unnatural events that happened suggest?

natural order has been disrupted

At the end of the day who is blamed for the murder of Duncan?

the guards

Who is SUSPECTED for the murder of Duncan?

the two sons, Malcolm and donalbain

What does Macduff do at the end of scene 4?

he returns to his home in Fife rather than attending the coronation because of his uneasiness at Macbeth’s rise to power