Plot
Macbeth murders three people in Act 2, who are they?
Duncan and the two chamberlains
Banquo's son
What type of speech is the 'Dagger Speech' Macbeth gives?
"Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. / I have thee not, and yet I see thee still...."
A soliloquy
At the beginning of Scene 2, Banquo wants the Witches' prophecy to come true for his son - True or False?
True
Which Thane is suspicious of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?
Macduff
When Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth this, what does she mean?
“My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white”
Her hands are also covered in blood, she is just as guilty as he is--But she tells Macbeth he is a coward because he was afraid to go back in the room with the dead Duncan
What do the two princes, Duncan's sons, do after he is found murdered? Where does each go?
They flee the castle. Malcolm (the eldest and the heir) goes to England to find allies, Donalbain goes to Ireland.
By murdering Duncan, Macbeth also murders _____? What does that mean?
Sleep. He can't sleep again after the horrible thing he did. He's going to go more and more insane as the play goes on.
Macbeth and Banquo stop to speak in the castle hallway and discuss the prophecy. Macbeth says this to Banquo and he replies as follows. What are they saying?
Macbeth: "If you shall cleave to my consent, when ’tis, / It shall make honor for you.
Banquo: "So I lose none / In seeking to augment it, but still keep / My bosom franchised and allegiance clear, /I shall be counseled.
Macbeth asks Banquo on the DL if he would support him if he tries to overthrow Duncan. Banquo says he would stay loyal to Duncan.
What does Lady Macbeth say when she hears about Duncan's murder from Macduff?
Why is this important?
She asks if such a horrible thing could have happened in her castle.
It was a weird thing to say and it makes Macduff suspicious of her
Who is the Porter? What does he pretend to be in his humorous speech? What else does he joke about?
A castle staff member whose job it is to open the door of the castle
He is joking about being a demon who lets sinners into Hell, furthering the thematic elements of evil throughout Act 2. He also jokes about being drunk and 'unable to perform'
Macduff says this when first talking about the murdered king, explain the metaphor he uses here. Why might this metaphor be important to the audience of the play, especially to King James I?:
"Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope / The Lord’s anointed temple and stole thence / The life o’ th’ building."
GENIUS CROWN ?: What was the English Gunpowder Plot of 1605? Why might it be relevant here?
He is comparing the King's body to a temple that has been destroyed.
It alludes to the political idea of a divinely appointed king. If the king is approved by God himself then the king's body itself is a temple and killing the king is a major sin against God.
In 1605 Catholic rebels attempted to blow up the English Parliament building and assassinate King James I. Macbeth was written in 1623, about two decades after this terrorist attack. A major theme of Macbeth is how bad/evil it is to murder a good king.
Why are so many strange and creepy things happening around Scotland during this act?
The natural world is reflecting the inner state of Macbeth's soul: the Devil's influence is all around
The fact that Lady Macbeth can't bring herself to actually commit the murder tells us what about her character?
That she's a coward who's all talk. She manipulates Macbeth into doing all the dirty work.
Eventually the guilt and horror about what she and Macbeth do will drive her to suicide
Explain Macbeth's Dagger Speech to us. What does he see and why does he think he sees it? What does this tell us about Macbeth's mental state?
Macbeth hallucinates a floating dagger in front of him. It is covered in blood and it guides him towards Duncan's room. He wonders if it is a vision created by his own sick brain.
The speech tells us that he is obsessed with thoughts of the murder but that he is also horrified of it.