MacBeth Act II I. The act opens late at night with Banquo talking to his son Fleance. They run into MacBeth. Both Banquo and MacBeth say that they cannot sleep, and Banqou wants to ... that Duncan's sons killed him since they have fled so quickly. At the end of the act MacDuff leaves for Fife, and Ross leaves for Scone to see MacBeth's coronation. II. The same images of sleep, supernaturalism, darkness, and blood are repeated in this act. Both Banquo and MacBeth cannot sleep, and Duncan is killed in his sleep. Also right before ... ...

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... Macbeth, Thane of Glamis whose dark ambition will lead him to murder the king and take his crown. This passage is Macbeth's first soliloquy extracted from the Scene I of Act II, also known as the "dagger scene ". This is the scene that precedes Duncan's murder. Many themes are recurring throughout the play and this passage. First, we will deal with illusions ... ...

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... feelings. Precisely, that is the reason why he says: "I'll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on't again I dare not "(II,ii,49-51). Clearly, Macbeth is aware that he has done wrong and feels "afraid- about it. In addition, Macbeth shows his fears even more clearly in the Third Play: ... "Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep In the affliction of these terrible dreams That shake us nightly- (III,ii,17-19). Evidently, Macbeth recognizes that he lacks tranquility so much that he is not even capable of eating or sleeping without feeling the chase of fear behind .....

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... hand? No; this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red." Lady Macbeth: "My hands are of your colour- ( II, ii, 77-81) Macbeth is horrified of the deed that he has committed, and is questioning whether this blood will ever leave his hands. Lady Macbeth realizes ... talking about how he is waiting for the night, so that he can murder Banquo, he says, "And with thy bloody and invisible hand- ( III, ii, 53) The word blood is used to describe Macbeth's hand after he kills Banquo. At the banquet, after seeing Banquo's ghost, Macbeth reassures himself tha...

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... vast difference between Macduff's "O gentle Lady 'Tis not for you to hear what I can speak The repetition in a woman's ear Would murder as it fell." ACT II, Sc.ii and Malcolm's assessment of her as a "fiend-like queen" (Act IV, Sc.vii). So we must examine the text. To Macbeth, in his letter to her, ... the murder of Duncan? Is she, like Macbeth just an ordinary human being overcome with ambition? Does she really lose her womanliness? Do the words(Act I, Sc. ii) "Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had done't" imply that she is still a woman with a woman's tendernesss? Does she...

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... "No more the thane of Cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest. Go and pronounce his present death and with his former title greet Macbeth" Act I scene ii. This happens before the witches "predict" that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor. "All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail Macbeth ... , which smoked with bloody execution, like valor's minion carved out hi passage" Captain, Act I scene ii. "O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!" and "what he has lost noble Macbeth has won" King Duncan Act 1 scene ii. These passages show the great respect Macbeth has earned and the admira...

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... after the fates came true. After Macbeth did the horrible deed of killing King Duncan, he immediately began to feel paranoid and completely overwhelmed with guilt. An instance in scene ii of Act II demonstrates the true guilt Macbeth felt after his terrible deed. Methought I heard a voice cry Sleep no more!/ Macbeth does murder sleep (Act ... II, scene ii, 47-48). Even after Macbeth was anointed as the king of Scotland, he was unhappy. A scene in Act III portrays his feelings of unhappiness. Better be with the dead/ whom ... we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace (Act III, scene ii,...

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... well. The first reference of blood is one of honor, and occurs when Duncan sees the injured sergeant and says, "What bloody man is that?"(Act 1 Sc ii, line 1). This is symbolic of the brave fighter who has been injured in a heroic battle for his country. In the next passage, in which the sergeant says ... , "Which smok'd with bloody execution"(Act 1 Sc ii, line 18), he is referring to Macbeth's braveness. After that, Shakespeare exploits blood as a symbol, takes place in Act 2, when Macbeth is preparing to kill Duncan. He ... thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before...

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... that the witch is going to meet Macbeth "Upon the heath"(Act I Sc.i. 6). The scenes to follow jump-start the plot of the play. Scene II first implants ambition into Macbeth's head well also showing Macbeth's excellent reputation in Duncan's court. He is also addressed as cousin by the trusting king "O valiant ... The constant badgering of his wife changes his innocent character into a murderous figure that we learn more about in the next couple of acts. In Act II.i Banquo comes to Macbeth because he is unable to sleep and he is having bad dreams. Macbeth ignores this but he does not forg...

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... Macbeth kills one of his good friends Duncan because Macbeth directly benefits from killing him. After he kills him he says, "And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood"(II,ii). At this point Macbeth realizes the severity of his actions, which causes him to remember this image of the bloody blade for the remainder of the play. Lady Macbeth appears ... cleansing the hands is a very important image that has an underlying meaning to it. Early on in the play the image was simply washing " this filthy witness from your hand" (II, ii). As the play develops we find out there is another meanin...

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... is staying in Macbeth's household, the host and his wife confirm the decision to murder the King. Macbeth says to his wife, "I have done the deed (II, 2, 14),"" when he has completed the scheme. When he has killed the King, to cover up his actions he then kills the guards that were watching ... these murders, he falsely claims that the guards were the ones that killed Duncan. "O, yet I do repent me of my fury, that I did kill them- (II, 3, 101-102). After these shocking decisions, Macbeth continues to follow this path when he chooses to kill Banquo and his son, in order that his children ...

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... what you use, you will never be able to free yourself from your sins and asks " Will Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No- (II, II, 59-63) Macbeth is stating that no matter how hard they try and forget about the murder they will never be able to wash it away. Of course Lady ... Macbeth disagrees that " A little water clears us of this deed. How easy is it then!" (II,II 67-68) Once again Lady Macbeth shows her eagerness to become high on social standings trying to push her husband as far as he can go in order for them ... gathering. After seeing Banquo he goes crazy and...

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... the walls. The corruption roaming around inside Inverness Castle creates a great disruption among all present inside of it. After Macbeth commits his first murder, he frantically panics while yelling "murder" (II.ii.33) to Lady Macbeth. As Duncan goes to sleep Lady Macbeth and Macbeth plan on his assassination. Behind the corrupt walls of Inverness Castle lays a terrible mischief. The Porter sitting ... at the doors of the Castle refers to himself as a porter "of hell gate" (II.iii.2). The doors of the Castle are referred to as the gates to hell because of what goes on behind the walls....

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... end, back to honor. How quickly things change. In the opening of the play, the king, Duncan, asks, "What bloody man is that?" (I. ii. 1) The king is inquiring about a brave fighter, who has been injured during the battles. The soldier reports to the king about Macbeth's sword is " smoked with ... bloody execution." (I. ii. 18) Again, the reference of blood is made, linking blood to honor, the honor Macbeth gains from his victories in battle. Just as Macbeth gains ... blood now becomes a treacherous symbol, Lady Macbeth knows this, and refers to using the blood as a decoy by smearing " t...

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... , and they begin to feel that their crimes have stained them in a way that cannot be washed clean. "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?" (II.ii.58-59). Macbeth cries after he has killed Duncan, even as his wife scolds him and says that a little water will do the job. This comment shows that the blood ... . As Macbeth describes it, "And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before...It is the bloody business which now informs thus to mine eyes." (II, ii, 55-58) Covered with blood and pointed toward the king's chamber, the dagger represen...

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... 'twixt my sheets He has done my office- (I.iii.369-370). Iago mentions this suspicion again at the end of Act II, scene i, explaining that he lusts after Desdemona because he wants to get even with Othello "wife for wife- (II.i.286). None of these claims seems to adequately explain Iago's deep hatred of Othello and Iago's lack of motivation "or ... with Roderigo, but the interactions between the two also reveal a streak of cowardice in Iago "a cowardice that becomes manifest in the final scene, when Iago kills his own wife (V.ii.231-242). Iago's murder of Emilia could also stem from the...

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... as soon as Macbeth starts to feel guilty for what he has done he begins to lose sleep. "Me thought I heard a voice cry, sleep no more!/Macbeth does murder sleep." (II, ii, 35-36). After murdering King Duncan, Macbeth felt guilty and wanted to make it look like he was innocent, so he woke up Donnalbain and Banquo and pretended to be ... in complete "shock." "Banquo and Donnalbain, Malcolm awake! / Shake off this clowny sleep, death's counterfeit and look on death itself!" (II, iii, 75-77). When planning to murder Banquo with Lady Macbeth, he shows that his conscience is taking over his s...

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... Macbeth has his set backs, but knows what has to be done. Once Macbeth has his mind where he wants it, it seems as if he has a drawback. In Act II, Scene 1, lines 33-34: "Is this a dagger which I see before me,/The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee."" These lines are Macbeth's admittance to knowing what he ... do. As Macbeth's speech to himself continues, a bell rings "resembling a death bell that is rung at funerals. This is a great example of how a tragedy will take place. In Act II, Scene 2, lines 62-64: "I go, and it is done: the bell invites me./Hear it not, Duncan, f...

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... plays a role on the night of King Duncan's murder when Fleance is expressing his worry to his father, Banquo, "The moon is down; I have not heard the clock" (II.i.2). In this scene, the characters talk about how it is too early to be dark. The clouds have covered the moon and there is no light. This suggests that there ... Macbeth. Another example is when Lennox, a Scottish nobleman, is conversing with Macbeth and tells him of all the most recent phenomenon, "The obscure bird/ Clamour'd the livelong night" (II. iii. 54). In this scene, they use the owl to relate to the news of King Dunc...

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... to commit cause him to see hallucinations of a blood-stained dagger and he says to himself, "Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?" (II.i) The dagger lures Macbeth to King Duncan's room where a drop of blood appears on it. Macbeth believes that this is the dagger he is going to use to kill King ... , "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas in incarnadine, making the green one red" (II.ii). Macbeth is feeling guilt about the death of King Duncan. He feels that his bloody hands are ...

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... something that needs to be questioned, Lady Macbeth makes him feel inadequate by questioning his manhood to the point Macbeth feels he needs to prove himself to her. In Act II Scene II, after Macbeth has murdered Duncan, Lady Macbeth still seems to be unmoved by what they have done. In fact, she chides a shaken Macbeth for being afraid. She even finishes ... left you unattended." (2.2.66-69). It is not certain if Lady Macbeth truly believes this, or is just trying to put on a brave face for her husband. In Act II Scene III, the reader is also left to wonder if Lady Macbeth's fainting is...

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... the first time. When the King asks if Macbeth and Banquo were daunted by the second ambush, the Captain replies "as sparrows eagles or the hare the lion" (I, ii, 37). He states that they are as afraid of the attack as a sparrow would frighten an eagle, or a hare would a lion, meaning that they remained confident. This line first proposes ... saying "'Tis unnatural/ Even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last/ A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place/ Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed" (II,iv, 11). In the chain of being, a falcon would be near the top in the chain, whereas a ...

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... one between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At the start of the play, Macbeth cares deeply for Lady Macbeth. He calls her things like his "dearest partner of greatness" (Act I; v line ii). He sees her as his equal partner. At the start of the play, Lady Macbeth is clearly in charge of the relationship. She is the one that convinces Macbeth to ... daggers back on the grooms (as she had planned). When Macbeth loses his nerve, Lady Macbeth scolds him and does it herself ("Infirm of purpose! / Give me the daggers" Act II; ii line 52-53). The relationship then changes so that it is more like the r...

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... . MacBeth's reckless ambition was partly responsible for his fate. "I have done the deed [killing Duncan]. Didst thou hear a noise", was the comment that signified MacBeth's first guilty action (Act II, Scene II, Line 15). With the cold-blooded murder of King Duncan, MacBeth chose a path leading to his own downfall. MacBeth hastened his own downfall when he had Macduff's family murdered. "Seize ... upon Fife, give to the edge o' the sword his wife, his babes" (Act IV, Scene II, Lines 150-153). Malcolm allowed Macduff to join his forces in the fight against MacBeth, and it is Macduff that...

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... . MacBeth's reckless ambition was partly responsible for his fate. "I have done the deed [killing Duncan]. Didst thou hear a noise", was the comment that signified MacBeth's first guilty action (Act II, Scene II, Line 15). With the cold-blooded murder of King Duncan, MacBeth chose a path leading to his own downfall. MacBeth hastened his own downfall when he had Macduff's family murdered. "Seize ... upon Fife, give to the edge o' the sword his wife, his babes" (Act IV, Scene II, Lines 150-153). Malcolm allowed Macduff to join his forces in the fight against MacBeth, and it is Macduff that...

• Word Count: 922
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• Grade Level: High School