Macbeth
What is Macbeth's first hallucination in Act II?
Macbeth sees a dagger floating in the air in front of him.
What does Lady Macbeth pretend to do when she sees King Duncan's dead body?
faint
Which motif do the following lines relate to and why?
"Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope
The Lord's annointed temple..."
religion/spirituality
Macduff is saying that Duncan has been murdered and that is a sin against God.
The Old Man tells Ross, "Threescore and ten I can remember well..."
How old is he?
At least 70.
What animal does Macbeth see in the darkness before he goes to murder King Duncan?
A wolf
What mistake does Macbeth make in the original murder plan, and why does he refuse to correct this mistake?
He accidentally brings the bloody daggers back to his room instead of planting them on the guards. He says he is too afraid of King Duncan's body to ever look at it again.
What plan do Malcolm and Donalbain make in reaction to their father’s death? Why do they make this plan?
They will separate and leave Scotland. Malcolm will go to England, and Donalbain will go to Ireland. They know that as long as the murderer is on the loose, they are also in danger because they are the legitimate heirs to the throne. They decide to separate because they feel they will be safer if they are not together (in case they are found).
In Act II, Scene iv, Ross says:
"...by the clock, ‘tis day,
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp:
Is’t night’s predominance, or the day’s shame,
That darkness does the face of earth entomb
When living light should kiss it?"
What does Ross mean in this passage? What motif can these lines be connected to?
He means that it is daytime on the clock, and it should be light outside, but it is dark outside.
light vs. darkness
When Macbeth hears the bell that is summoning him to kill King Duncan, he says:
"Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell."
What literary technique are these lines an example of, and when/why is this technique used?
rhyming couplet - used in moments of heightened emotion
When Banquo says "There's husbandry in Heaven / Their candles are all out", what does this mean in plain English?
It is extremely dark outside (no moon or stars in the night sky).
Macbeth hears two voices while he is approaching King Duncan's room. One is real, and one is not. What does the real voice say and what does the voice he hallucinates say to him?
Real voice = Malcolm having a nightmare and crying "Murder!" in his sleep, then waking up and saying prayers
False voice = Macbeth thinks he hears a voice saying that he shall "sleep no more"
Name the three types of people the Porter lets into hell, and the sin(s) each one has committed.
farmer - killed himself because his crops failed
tailor - stole expensive fabric from a client
lawyer - lied under oath
List three examples of the motif of sleep vs. sleeplessness from Act II.
Possible examples:
- Banquo says he can't sleep because he is having dreams about the Witches' prophecies.
- Macbeth thinks he heard a voice saying "Macbeth shall sleep no more" and believes he will never be able to sleep in peace again after killing Duncan
- Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to put his night clothing on so they can pretend they've been asleep
- Macbeth says he wishes the knocking from outside the castle could "wake" Duncan from the "sleep" of death
- Macduff says sleep is a "counterfeit" of death
- The Porter is not sleeping because he has been drinking all night.
What is pathetic fallacy? Define the term, then give three examples of pathetic fallacy from Act II.
- when weather or nature mimics the mood of what is happening in the play
Possible examples:
- Banquo says it is really dark outside when he is outside with Fleance
- Lady Macbeth and Macbeth hear owls crowing and wolves howling before they complete the murder of King Duncan
- Lennox says that on the night of King Duncan's murder, people thought there were earthquakes, it was extremely windy, birds were crowing loudly the whole night, and there were strange "screams of death" in the air
- The Old Man and Ross say they have never seen nature act so strangely as it has since Duncan died -- it has been dark outside all the time, even in the daytime; a small owl killed a falcon; the royal horses seem to have gone mad and are trying to eat each other
What does Lady Macbeth say to shame Macbeth after she returns from putting the bloody daggers on the guards? (Paraphrase in your own words rather than quoting.)