Directions: Reread Act II of
Macbeth. Select major passages of at least 3-4 lines with depth and/or a dialogue exchange from Act II. Cut and paste it into your post. Next, compose a comprehensive blog response exploring the text in depth. Make sure to include your voice. What is your opinion on the text, characters, situations, and events about to ensue? What do you anticipate will happen in Act III? How will fate play a role? How will the characters evolve or devolve? Please engage with one another. ALSO, make references to the performances in the BBC film and the theatrical release with Michael Fassbender. What do you notice about the two performances? How does the setting impact performance? How does the editing? The different Lady Macbeth's? Be bold! Be brilliant.
Lady Macbeth: "Had he not resembled/My father as he slept, I had done 't" (II,ii,13).
"If I had died but an hour before this chance, / I had lived a blessed time; for, from this instant, / There’s nothing serious in mortality: / All is but toys: renown and grace is dead; / The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees / Is left this vault to brag of" (II, iii, 110-116).
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ReplyDeleteDonalbain: [Aside to Malcolm] What should be spoken here, Where our fate hid in our augur hole, / May rush and seize us? Let’s away, / Our tears are not yet brewed. (69) (II,iii, 141-145)
ReplyDeleteMacduff: Well, may you see things well done there. / Adieu, / Lest our old robes sit easier than our new! (II, IV, 49-51)
Donalbain is not sure if it’s safe to talk about his fathers murder in the Macbeth house. Any of the gentleman that are in Macbeth’s palace could be responsible for the murder. Donalbain is talking to his brother Malcolm and they plan their next move. I think that Donalbain and Malcolm are being really smart about the whole situation. Later on in the scene when they run out of the castle onto their horses and they go into hiding, I think I would have done the same thing. I don’t think it was safe for them in Macbeth’s house. With Macduff in scene 4, he is discussing with Ross another Scottish noble, the disappearance of the kings sons. When he says “Lest our old robes sit easier than our new!” He is saying that life under Macbeth’s rule will be harsher than under king Duncan. I think Michael Fassbender’s film does a better job showing Macbeth’s uncertainty, and how uncomfortable he is with killing the king. He wants to make his wife happy, but is in a very conflicting situation. I find the BBC film to be a little weird and more sci-fi, but does an excellent job showcasing the characters emotions and will surely keep the play interesting. Excited to see what happens to the characters and who will be killed next in the play and in the two movies.
MACBETH
ReplyDeleteI have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise?
LADY MACBETH
I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry.
Did not you speak?
MACBETH
When?
LADY MACBETH
Now.
MACBETH
As I descended?
LADY MACBETH
Ay.
MACBETH
Hark!
Who lies i' the second chamber?
LADY MACBETH
Donalbain.
MACBETH
This is a sorry sight.
Looking on his hands
LADY MACBETH
A foolish thought, to say a sorry sight.
MACBETH
There's one did laugh in's sleep, and one cried
'Murder!'
That they did wake each other: I stood and heard them:
But they did say their prayers, and address'd them
Again to sleep.
LADY MACBETH
There are two lodged together.
MACBETH
One cried 'God bless us!' and 'Amen' the other;
As they had seen me with these hangman's hands.
Listening their fear, I could not say 'Amen,'
When they did say 'God bless us!'
LADY MACBETH
Consider it not so deeply.
MACBETH
But wherefore could not I pronounce 'Amen'?
I had most need of blessing, and 'Amen'
Stuck in my throat.
LADY MACBETH
These deeds must not be thought
After these ways; so, it will make us mad.
MACBETH
Methought I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep', the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast,--
(Scene II)
Macbeth has just killed the King and he is starting to hallucinate these sounds. He thinks that Donalbain and Malcolm were awake in the side rooms praying and that they know that he, Macbeth, killed their father. The text also mentions that “the innocent sleep”, so I believe Macbeth will be haunted by this moment for the rest of his life and be unable to sleep for a long time. I believe that Lady Macbeth ultimately pushed this into action as it seems like Macbeth is trying to please her as he is facing this dilemma of being not killing anyone and not become King or, kill Duncan to become King. I agree with Maggie, I think the BBC film is more sci-fi than the other, but it does a great job showing the different struggles that Macbeth faces. I think that something is going to happen between Banquo and Macbeth as Banquo probably has a suspicion that Macbeth killed Duncan.
Lennox: Those of his chamber, as it seem'd, had done 't:Their hands and faces were an badged with blood; So were their daggers, which unwiped we found Upon their pillows: They stared, and were distracted; no man's life was to be trusted with them.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth:O, yet I do repent me of my fury, That I did kill them.
Macduff:Wherefore did you so?
Macbeth Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious, Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man: The expedition my violent love Outrun the pauser, reason. Here lay Duncan, His silver skin laced with his golden blood; And his gash'd stabs look'd like a breach in nature For ruin's wasteful entrance: there, the murderers, Steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers Unmannerly breech'd with gore: who could refrain, That had a heart to love, and in that heart
Courage to make 's love known?
I picked this passage because whether or not Macbeth knows, this was a smart response to why he had done it. The act itself was not smart but his answer was. His answer was that he was just mad that he killed him, so he killed the guards himself. It’s a smart response because in the past when he has killed people, like the Thane of Cawdor, it’s turned out well for everyone, so why should they not believe now? I think this murder by Macbeth is going to affect him more than any of the other ones because it is way more personal then killing a stranger or traitor on the battlefield. When watching the version with Patrick Stewart it definitely feels like you are watching a play. Also watching Stewart’s version, I don’t get the same feeling of sympathy that I do when watching Fassbender’s version. Maybe it is because of the age difference or because I associate more emotional roles to him. Also with Lady Macbeth, in the Fassbender one, she seems more calm and less psychopathic. I think another thing that makes you feel different about the two different versions, is that in the one with Fassbender, they show you burying their child. While it may not seem so significant, because in the play they tell us that, everything can lead back to them being childless. Macbeth taking the boy under his wing during the battle and even Lady Macbeth kind of guilting him by saying that she would murder her own child so he could be king.
Lady Macbeth: Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
ReplyDeleteThey must lie there. Go carry them and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood. (57)
Macbeth: I’ll go no more.
I am afraid to think what I have done;
Look on’t again I dare not. (57)
It seems as if Shakespeare is strongly hinting that something bad or unfortunate is going to happen in the near future with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth because as soon as Macbeth returns from killing King Duncan, he is portrayed to be losing his mind. Typically, if a character in a story is to do something they believe is morally wrong, it will take a little while before they let regret take control of their mind and end up going insane. However, in Macbeth’s case, he seems to have regretted killing King Duncan right after the deed had been done. This is foreshadowing something bad to happen to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth because in order to get away with the murder, the two characters need to keep it together and act as if nothing is wrong so they don’t appear to be suspicious. Yet, Macbeth is showing possible signs of him not being able to keep it together which means there is a possibility that he ends up cracking under pressure and admitting to the murder of the king in Act 3. After watching Act 2 of the BBC film, it is clear to see that Macbeth is in the wrong state of mind ever since he committed the murder, as he is constantly jumping to the sound of any noise in the house and he begins overthinking simple things like washing the blood off of his hands. In the theatrical release, we have not arrived at the murder of King Duncan yet, but so far there is still a strong idea of Macbeth being the weaker character in the couple of Lady Macbeth and himself when it comes to mental fortitude, which may be a sign of him not being capable of completing the murder in the other film either. Overall, I believe that due to how Macbeth is reacting to the murder, people might begin to be suspicious of Macbeth when investigating the murder of King Duncan.
MALCOLM
ReplyDelete[Aside to DONALBAIN] Why do we hold our tongues,
That most may claim this argument for ours?
DONALBAIN
[Aside to MALCOLM] What should be spoken here,
where our fate,
Hid in an auger-hole, may rush, and seize us?
Let 's away;
Our tears are not yet brew'd.
MALCOLM
[Aside to DONALBAIN] Nor our strong sorrow
Upon the foot of motion.(69)
In act 2 of Macbeth I think while Malcolm and Donalbain were only thinking of their safety, they made a mistake by leaving. It wasn’t a smart idea because they should have guessed leaving the country would be cause for suspicion of them for the death of their father. They could easily be found to be guilty because everyone would see motive of them wanting the crown for themselves. I think in the next act the 2 brothers are going to somehow find out that Macbeth becomes the king and that they are being searched for to be arrested for the murder of their father. I think in the moment of making this decision, the two brothers believe they are doing what’s best for themselves because they are getting away because they know they will be next to be killed if someone is trying to become the king, knowing the person will kill everyone who is next in line before him. I don’t think the two of them are really thinking too far in the future for what leaving the country may tell everyone about them. I think the BBC film makes the play seem a bit weird because of the fact that it is in a weird sci-fi setting but the Michael Fassbender movie makes it feel much more realistic to how the play feels.
LADY MACBETH
ReplyDeleteAlack, I am afraid they have awaked,
And 'tis not done. The attempt and not the deed
Confounds us. Hark! I laid their daggers ready;
He could not miss 'em. Had he not resembled
My father as he slept, I had done't.
Enter MACBETH
My husband!
MACBETH
I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise?
LADY MACBETH
I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry.
Did not you speak?
MACBETH
When?
LADY MACBETH
Now.
MACBETH
As I descended?
LADY MACBETH
Ay.
MACBETH
Hark!
Who lies i' the second chamber?
LADY MACBETH
Donalbain.
MACBETH
This is a sorry sight.
Looking on his hands
LADY MACBETH
A foolish thought, to say a sorry sight.
MACBETH
There's one did laugh in's sleep, and one cried
'Murder!'
That they did wake each other: I stood and heard them:
But they did say their prayers, and address'd them
Again to sleep.
At this point in the play, Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill the king. I think Lady Macbeth just used him to kill the king so that eventually she could have all of the power and I think Macbeth just did it to please his wife. Although based off of the two movies my opinons change. In one of the movies where they showed them burying their child it gives us a whole different look at their lives and it makes us feel much more sympathy for them since we watched them bury their own child. I think it also helped us with the character development with Lady Macbeth. We see more as a mourning mother than a power hungry wife. I think that movie does a good job showing us other ways the play could be interpreted. It also showed a different relationship between the two of them and shows a different side of Macbeth. In the movie he was portrayed as a very tired man, it made us see how he didn’t want to kill anymore and how he was tired of the war and all of the killing.
MACBETH
ReplyDeleteOne cried “God bless us” and “Amen” the other,
As they had seen me with these hangman’s hands,
List’ning their fear. I could not say “Amen”
When they did say “God bless us.”
LADY MACBETH Consider it not so deeply.
MACBETH
But wherefore could not I pronounce “Amen”?
I had most need of blessing, and “Amen”
Stuck in my throat.
LADY MACBETH These deeds must not be thought
After these ways; so, it will make us mad.
MACBETH
Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,
The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast.
LADY MACBETH What do you mean?
MACBETH
Still it cried “Sleep no more!” to all the house.
“Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore
Cawdor
LADY MACBETH
Who was it that thus cried? Why, worthy thane,
You do unbend your noble strength to think
So brainsickly of things. Go get some water
And wash this filthy witness from your hand.—
Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there. Go, carry them and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood.
MACBETH I’ll go no more.
I am afraid to think what I have done.
Look on ’t again I dare not.
LADY MACBETH In
This passage is taking place right after Macbeth has murdered the king. He asks Lady Macbeth “who lies i’ th’ second chamber?” Macbeth fears that Donalbain and Malcolm heard everything that happened. He is standing there all shaken up because I think he regrets what he has done. This is going to haunt him for the rest of his life even though he is now king. The only reason Macbeth agreed to go through with this was because of Lady Macbeth. She pushed him into doing this because she wanted the power. Macbeth was just trying to please her so he went through with it but, he is now realizing how crazy this whole plan actually was. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's life may now seem amazing because they have all of the power, but we can predict that will not last very long. I think something bad is going to happen and it's going to take some time. Some drama will build up throughout act 3 and in act 4 something traumatic will occur.
ReplyDeleteMACBETH
I’ll go no more.
I am afraid to think what I have done.
Look on ’t again I dare not.
LADY MACBETH
Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures. ’Tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,
I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal,
For it must seem their guilt.
She exits
with the daggers.
Knock within.
MACBETH
Whence is that
knocking?
How is ’t with me when every noise appalls me?
What hands are here! Ha, they pluck out mine eyes.
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.
Enter Lady
Macbeth
LADY MACBETH
My hands are of your color, but I shame
To wear a heart so white.
During Act 2 Scene 2 of Macbeth, this passage shows the aftermath of Macbeth killing the king. He is very shaken from what he has done and feels extreme guilt. His hands are covered in the king’s blood and tells Lady Macbeth the deed is done. Macbeth can hear the chamberlains wake up and say their prayers, then go back to bed. When the chamberlains say “amen”, Macbeth tries to say it with them. However, he finds that the word is stuck in his mouth and he is unable to say it. As Lady Macbeth tries to comfort her husband she becomes angered when she realizes he removed the daggers from the king’s body. Macbeth refuses to return to the room, so Lady Macbeth ends up doing it for him. In my opinion, I feel this is going to backfire on Macbeth since now he is struggling with such severe guilt. The film we are watching in class also displays this very well by showing the guilt in Macbeth’s character. All he will be able to think about is the terrible deed he has done. In the next Act, I predict people slowly catch on and suspect Macbeth as the murderer.
ReplyDeleteA foolish thought, to say a sorry sight.
MACBETH
There’s one did laugh in ’s sleep, and one cried
“Murder!”
That they did wake each other. I stood and heard
them.
But they did say their prayers and addressed them
Again to sleep.
LADY MACBETH There are two lodged together.
MACBETH
One cried “God bless us” and “Amen” the other,
As they had seen me with these hangman’s hands,
List’ning their fear. I could not say “Amen”
When they did say “God bless us.”
LADY MACBETH Consider it not so deeply.
MACBETH
But wherefore could not I pronounce “Amen”?
I had most need of blessing, and “Amen”
Stuck in my throat.
LADY MACBETH These deeds must not be thought
After these ways; so, it will make us mad.
MACBETH
Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,
The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast.
LADY MACBETH What do you mean?
MACBETH
Still it cried “Sleep no more!” to all the house.
“Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore
Cawdor
Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more.”
In this passage, it is after Macbeth killed King Duncan and his son. Macbeth is very nervous and the only thing that lady Macbeth cares about is that the deed is done and done right. Wright, after it happens Macbeth, seems to instantly regret what he has done and the fact that Macbeth regrets it seems to anger Lady Macbeth. All the sounds that Macbeth hears like the knocking and the crows only make him more nervous to the point where he almost feels like turning himself in. I believe that in the future acts that Macbeth’s guilt will grow to the point he can’t bear to keep it secret anymore but his wife will force him to.
I’m not gonna lie, things are looking somewhat grim in the novel. We’ve got Duncan’s son’s running away (possibly the worst decision because then this exchange happens):
ReplyDeleteROSS
They did so, to the amazement of mine eyes
That look'd upon't. Here comes the good Macduff.
Enter MACDUFF
How goes the world, sir, now?
MACDUFF
Why, see you not?
ROSS
Is't known who did this more than bloody deed?
MACDUFF
Those that Macbeth hath slain.
ROSS
Alas, the day!
What good could they pretend?
MACDUFF
They were suborn'd:
Malcolm and Donalbain, the king's two sons,
Are stol'n away and fled; which puts upon them
Suspicion of the deed.
ROSS
'Gainst nature still!
Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up
Thine own life's means! Then 'tis most like
The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth.
MACDUFF
He is already named, and gone to Scone
To be invested.
So the real problem here is that Donalbain and Malcolm are being suspected of buying off the guards to kill their father, which given that Malcom was just given inheritance it’s entirely POSSIBLE, but in actuality not true. In regards to Malcolm and Donalbain’s fate, I expect them to likely be hunted down and possibly killed by Macbeth’s newfound monarchy, but I don’t expect them to go quietly. Like every animal being put in a corner, they’re going to fight back and refuse to accept death. I don’t expect this to happen for a while, but I do expect Macbeth’s reign will be short. Someone’s going to. The following passage makes me believe that Malcolm and Donalbain might be the cause of what is inevitably Macbeth’s fall.
MALCOLM
What will you do? Let's not consort with them:
To show an unfelt sorrow is an office
Which the false man does easy. I'll to England.
DONALBAIN
To Ireland, I; our separated fortune
Shall keep us both the safer: where we are,
There's daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood,
The nearer bloody.
MALCOLM
This murderous shaft that's shot
Hath not yet lighted, and our safest way
Is to avoid the aim. Therefore, to horse;
And let us not be dainty of leave-taking,
But shift away: there's warrant in that theft
Which steals itself, when there's no mercy left.
Malcolm and Donalbain aren’t the main characters of the story though, but it’s important to note them. They’re gonna come back up at some point. No doubt in my mind about that. In all honesty though, I do believe that Macbeth has changed somewhat. This is portrayed well in both films, because he’s shown truly being scared of what he’s doing to Duncan and his family. A soldier who’s killed HUNDREDS of other men is afraid to kill someone. Of course Lady Macbeth then says:
LADY MACBETH
Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since?
And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valour
As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,'
Like the poor cat i' the adage?
Basically she insults her husband. Good job. The evil of Lady Macbeth is exposed. She’s depicted as more of a grieving mother in Michael Fasbender’s movie though. It’s actually pretty interesting to see her driven by depression rather than being driven by a lust for power essentially. With Patrick Stweart, you can clearly see her evil, yet with Michael Fasbender you can see she’s lost everything she ever wanted already, and now she’s hoping that god changes the tide for her. It’s a different Lady Macbeth, but the Macbeth’s are all the same, all scared, nervous, all of them don’t want to commit to this new action. This is seen very heavily when Macbeth has already been covered in blood post murder:
MACBETH
DeleteMethought I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep', the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast,--
LADY MACBETH
What do you mean?
MACBETH
Still it cried 'Sleep no more!' to all the house:
'Glamis hath murder'd sleep, and therefore Cawdor
Shall sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more.'
LADY MACBETH
Who was it that thus cried? Why, worthy thane,
You do unbend your noble strength, to think
So brainsickly of things. Go get some water,
And wash this filthy witness from your hand.
Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there: go carry them; and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood.
MACBETH
I'll go no more:
I am afraid to think what I have done;
Look on't again I dare not.
LADY MACBETH
Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures: 'tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,
I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal;
For it must seem their guilt.
This might sound like a weird presumption, but I actually think Macbeth’s fear is what’s going to be his inevitable downfall. Here’s why: if suspicion hasn’t already been taken by Banquo it’s going to get taken up REEEEEAL soon. Considering Banquo pledges his allegiance to the king (that being at the time Duncan), it’s likely Banquo is gonna figure out it’s Macbeth and expose him. Especially when he says:
BANQUO
So I lose none
In seeking to augment it, but still keep
My bosom franchised and allegiance clear,
I shall be counsell'd.
Simply put, Banquo’s gonna find out. It’s gonna happen. Macbeth’s gonna fall apart as regret gets to him, and that’ll tick off Banquo. No doubt in my mind about that. More importantly, I’ve got a feeling that Lady Macbeth is gonna have a role in what goes on with Macbeth, and that she’s slowly going to deteriorate into insanity over a lust for power that she’ll never be able to have. I think this will play out similarly in the play and movies, but there’s also no doubt in my mind that the BBC film is gonna portray it with some pretty dark lighting, whereas Fasbender’s gonna have some dark lighting, but it’s also gonna end up being about what the characters say, since they’re more likely to stray away from what it is they actually say in the play. In the end it’s all gonna be about how Fasbender and the BBC portray the rest of the play. Fasbender in my opinion is likely to portray Macbeth in a more dark light, whereas BBC will just stick to the script I’m guessing. As Macbeth deteriorates he WILL become more lustful for power, he’s gonna make mistakes, and it’s gonna tick people off. Macbeth’s downfall is inevitable, but the way that everyone goes about it will matter.
- Paul Yannalfo
Act 2 is where we see Macbeth carry out the murder of Duncan, so he can become king of Scotland. “Here lay Duncan, His silver skin laced with his golden blood, And his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature. For ruin’s wasteful entrance; there the murderers, Steeped in the colors of their trade, their daggers. Unmannerly breeched with gore.” Once everyone woke up, it was clear the Macbeth was paranoid about people knowing that he killed Duncan, especially
ReplyDeletesince he hinted it when talking to Banquo at the end of scene 1, “If you cleave to my consent, when ‘tis, It shall make honor for you” (49). Out of panic, Macbeth kills the guards because he’s worried that they’ll say it wasn’t them, his explanation being how upset he is over Duncan’s death. If I were the others in this situation, I would definitely be suspicious of Macbeth; especially Banquo, who Macbeth hinted the idea towards.
From Macbeth seeing things after the murder, to then acting overly suspicious, it’s clear that Macbeth regrets killing Duncan. Quickly after news spreads, Malcolm and Donalbain leave the country in fear for their lives, leaving Macbeth next in line to take the throne, for he does. Duncan’s death is still going to be haunting Macbeth in scene 3, where we may see the three witches again to have a talk with Macbeth; either to commend him for his actions, or curse him for his bad behavior. Macbeth better hope that the witches weren’t like the rest of Scotland, who liked Duncan.
In act 2 of MacBeth we saw what seemed to be a killing machine in MacBeth be so timid in killing what he did on a normal basis. Before actually killing Duncan, he was confronted with two encounters, one with his wife when he was having second thoughts she says “and live a coward in thine own esteem” (pg. 43). She is saying that MacBeth is not man enough to do the deed which then motivates him to go through with the act. In the moments before the murder, MacBeth is again having second thoughts on whether or not he would commit the act. He starts to talk to himself and says “Is this a dagger I see before me,...” (Pg. 49-51) where he proceeds to contemplate his decision of killing the king. He finally decides to kill the king but it seemed against his will like he never wanted it to happen. Once he returns to his wife he acts like a frightened little child saying things like “I'll go no more, I am afraid to think of what I have done” (pg. 57) which then forces Lady MacBeth to clean up the mess to frame the guards for the murder. Overall I learned that even though MacBeth is very good at killing, he despises it and seems to only do it when it seems absolutely necessary.
ReplyDeleteBen Weeden
Nick Criniti
ReplyDeleteMACBETH
There’s one did laugh in ’s sleep, and one cried. “Murder!”
That they did wake each other. I stood and heard them.
But they did say their prayers, and addressed them
Again to sleep.
Act 2 was a crazy sequence of events and theses events started to make Macbeth crazy. The part of the passage I chose shows Macbeth after he kills Duncan. He thinks that people knew he murdered Duncan and woke up in the night. He obviously went crazy over the murdr and started seeing things that aren't real. Throughout the rest of the act Macbeth wants to take the new position as king but everyone wants to find out who killed Duncan and we know who did it. Im excited to see whats in store for act three in this crazy and brutal play.
Lady Macbeth urged Macbeth to kill Duncan at home. But Macbeth felt very difficult to make a decision. In this dilemma, Lady Macbeth's encouragement played a vital role. Lady Macbeth is a very intelligent woman who knows her husband's personality and weaknesses. That's why her encouragement is effective immediately. First, she satirized Macbeth with their love, "From this time Such I account thy love." (43) Then, she used one of the soldier's most taboo word, "cowardly" to stimulate Macbeth."Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valor As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting "I dare not" wait upon "I would," Like the poor cat i' the adage?" (43) Both of these points are lethal to Macbeth, so he was determined to murder Duncan. He said, "Prithee peace! I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares do more is none."(43) The Macbeths decided to murder Duncan by arranging a plan to blame the guards. Prior to the assassination, "Evil Thoughts of Killing" make Macbeth see a vision—a knife shaking in front of him, the shape of which was exactly the same as the one he pulled out. It indicated the direction he was going to, telling him that he should use what weapon. Obviously, the knife was the externalization of Macbeth's inner killing thoughts. The reason for externalization is that he experienced a fierce inner conflict. Facing the choice between good and evil, Macbeth was not as bold as he said. The fear of killing made him afraid, and he said, "Thou sure and firm-set earth, Hear not my steps which way they walk, for fear Thy very stones prate of my whereabout And take the present horror from the thine, Which now suits with it. (51) He was not running away from something external, but running from his own judgment.
ReplyDelete