1. Macbeth
Act II
Objective:
• To examine Macbeth’s state of mind immediately
before and after murdering Duncan.
• To recognize new complexities in the characterization
of lady Macbeth.

2.  Do you think Macbeth did the right thing,
or did he act too quickly? In your
response, factor in such consequences as
we have seen already (voices,
hallucinations, guilt).
 You must provide support from the text
for your opinions.
Do Now

3.  Banquo and Fleance are
talking just before they go
to bed.
 Banquois uneasy and
cannot sleep.

4.  Macbeth enters and Banquo
tells them that Duncan is
happy being at Macbeth’s
castle.
 Macbeth responds that if he
had more notice of the King’s
stay, the preparations would
have been larger.

5.  Banquosays he dreamt the
previous night of the three
Weird sisters.
 Macbeth and Banquo agree
to discuss the prophecies
at a later date.

6.  Macbeth’s Soliloquy
 When he is left alone, Macbeth
imagines a dagger which is
leading him towards Duncan
“Is this a dagger I see before
me / The handle floating
towards my hand” (Macbeth).

7.  Suddenly a bell rings which is a
prearranged signal from Lady
Macbeth that Duncan’s servants
are asleep and Macbeth can
carry out the murder.

8.  Lady Macbeth is waiting for
Macbeth to murder Duncan and
return to her.
 She is very tense.
 She admits that she was unable
to kill Duncan because he looked
too much like her father.
Scene ii

9.  Forthe first time, Lady Macbeth
is showing a little weakness.

10.  Macbeth returns and describes
the sounds he heard.
 He imagined he heard people
praying and warning that
“Macbeth shall sleep no more.”

11.  Macbethhas brought the
daggers back with him.
 LadyMacbeth has to take them
back to the sleeping guards.

12.  She returns and tells Macbeth a
little water will clear them of the
deed.
 What does Macbeth say about
the possibility of water washing
away the blood?

13.  Shakespeare does not stage the
murder itself. What are some
possible reasons for making it an
un-played scene?

14.  Closing Activity:
 Examine scene 2 for ways dialogue,
silence, and sound effects make the
murder seem very immediate.

15.  Objective:
 To recognize the macabre humor in the
porter scene.
 To examine public events immediately
after the murder of Duncan.

16.  Macbeth – p. 71 (lines 26-43) / p.73
(lines 57-63)
 Porter Speech – p. 75 (lines 1-18)
 Lennox – p. 79 (lines 53-60) /
Ross - p. 89 (lines 4-20)
 Macbeth – p.83 (lines 98-103) / p.85
(lines 119-129)
Key Passages – Choose 2 for close analysis

17.  Thecastle is awakened from
drunken sleep by the
knocking at the castle gates.
Scene iii

18.  Whilethe porter moves to the gate,
he pretends to be the porter of the
gates of hell.
 The analogy of hell and Inverness
becomes even stronger throughout
the play. Guests are warned they
are putting themselves in the hands
of the devil.

19.  Eventually
he opens the gate to
Macduff and Lennox, who have
been asked by Duncan to
awaken him early.
 Macbeth enters coming to
investigate who has been
knocking.
Macbeth becomes the center of
the play as Lady Macbeth retreats.

20.  Macduffgoes to Duncan’s
chamber while Lennox
describes the unnatural
disturbances of the night.
 “The night has been unruly …
the earth was feverous and
did shake” (Lennox, scene iii,
lines 46-53)

21.  Macduff returns announcing
that Duncan has been
murdered.
 “Had I but died an hour before this
chance … All is but toys. Renown and
grace is dead” (Macbeth, lines 83 – 86)
“Innocent Flower”

22.  Macbethand Lennox go to view
the murder.
 When they return Macbeth
reveals he has killed the guards.
 On hearing this Lady Macbeth
faints.

23.  Malcolmand Donalbain leave
the country for fear they will
be murdered next.
 Malcolm goes to England
 Donalbain to Ireland
Duncan’s sons flee

24.  DivineRight of Kings
(refer to handout)
THEMES

25.  Identify the dramatic irony of MacDuff’s
statement to Lady MacBeth in lines 78-80.
 Explain the verbal irony of Lady MacBeth
in line 82.
Do Now – p.80

26.  Beezlebub = Devil
 Obscure bird = Owl
 Gorgons – The three Gorgons of
Greek mythology were hideous
sisters with hair of snakes.
Anyone who looked at them
turned to stone.
DEFINITIONS

27.  Macduff – Notice his loyalty and
his belief in the divine right of
kings
 LadyMacbeth – Maintains her
composure and faints, to take
the heat off of Macbeth
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

28.  Ross,a thane, walks outside the
castle with an old man.
 Theydiscuss the strange and
ominous happenings of the past
few days
 It
is daytime, but
dark outside
Scene 4

29.  LastTuesday, an owl killed a
falcon
 And Duncan’s beautiful, well-
trained horses, behaved wildly
and ate one another
Imagery of Animals

30.  Thestorms that accompany the
witches’ appearances, the death
of Duncan, and Macbeth’s
coronation are more than mere
atmospheric disturbances.

31.  Terrible
supernatural
occurrences
often betoken
wicked behavior
on the part of
the characters
“Thou seest the heavens, as troubled
with man’s act, / Threatens his bloody
stage” (Ross, line 5)

32.  Interestingly,
Shakespeare does
not show us the scene in which
Macbeth is made king.
 Thenews is conveyed
secondhand through the
characters of Ross, Macduff, and
the old man.

33.  When Malcolm asks about his
father’s killer, Lennox replies,
“Those of his chamber, as it
seemed, had done’t.”
 Suspicion is raised

34.  Macduff asks Macbeth why he
killed the chamberlains, and
later expresses his suspicion to
Ross and the old man.

35.  Macduff’sdecision to return back
home to Fife rather than travel
to Scone to see Macbeth’s
coronation is an open display of
opposition.

36.  The
play establishes Macduff as
Macbeth’s eventual nemesis