Macbeth_Act_2

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• Middelbare school
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Act 2, scene 1 and 2

1. Find an example of dramatic irony in Act 2, scene 1.
2. Find examples of foreshadowing in scenes 1 and 2.
3. Find examples  of nature's revolt against curruption and crime, scenes 1 and 2. 

Macbeth, soliloquy, Act 2, scene i

What major themes are conveyed in Macbeth's Soliloquy, Act 2, scene i. (pp 51-53). 

' Is this a dagger I see in front of me, with its handle pointing toward my hand? ... The more I talk, the more my courage cools.' 

Major Themes in “Is this a dagger which I see before me”: Evil, insanity, and supernatural elements are the major themes underlined in this passage. Throughout the passage, Shakespeare reflects upon the wickedness and dark side of human nature. The main character of the play is a weak man who is deprived of peace of mind through hallucinations, prophecies, and terrifying dreams that led him to chaos and murder. The dagger represents his evil instinct, while the blood on the dagger shows his guilt and remorse: he feels guilty even before committing the crime. While talking about the dark nature, he alludes to the darkness of his own heart. Shakespeare wants to convey the idea that when you take one step toward evil deeds, the path ultimately drags to the hell. 

https://literarydevices.net/speech-is-this-a-dagger-which-i-see-before-me/

Question 1: One critic said, 'The murder that unites Macbeth and Lady Macbeth also serves to part them.' Support this statement in a paragraph by notting their reactions both before and after the murder.

Act 2, scene 3 Porter

• The Porter comic monologue relieves the tension, but also builds suspense before Duncan's body is found.
• Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to increase the audience's anticipation - the audience knows that Duncan was murdered, and although the characters don't know, they can sense evil.

How does Porter convey corruption and decay of Macbeth's castle? What is,  then, the significance of Porter in Act 2, scene 3? 

Act 2, scene 3

Porter:

• Maybe it's a farmer who killed himself because grain was cheap.  ... You are here just in time! I hope you brought some handkerchiefs; you are going to sweat a lot here.
• Maybe it's some slick, two-faced con man who lied under oath. But he found out that you can't lie to God, and now he's going to hell for perjury. Come on in, con man.
• Maybe it's an English tailor who liked to skimp on the fabric for people's clothes. But now that tight pants are in fashion he can't get away with it. Come on in, tailor. You can heat your iron up here. 

Porter's comic monologue relieves the tension, but also builds suspense before Duncan's body is found. 

Act 2, scene 3

Porter: vocabulary

slick: skilful and effective, but not sincere or honest

two-faced: not sincere, saying unpleasant things about other people

con man: a man who cheats or tricks someone by gaining their trust and persuading them to believe something that is not true

Act 2, scene 3

1. Find examples of dramatic irony in Act 2, scene 3. What is its effect?
2. How does Shakespeare show us that nature revolts against the crime? 
3. Malcolm and Donalbain decide to leave the country. Why? How does it make them look like? What does it mean for Macbeth? 

Act 2, scene 3

Nature revolting against crimes: 

The night has been chaotic. The wind blew down through the chimneys where we were sleeping. People are saying they heard cries of grief in the air, strange screams of death, and terrible voices predicting catastrophes that will usher in a woeful new age. The owl made noise all night. Some people say that the earth shook as if it had a fever.

Donalbian and Malcolm leaving Scotland

MALCOLM: What are you going to do? Let’s not stay here with them. It’s easy for a liar to pretend to feel sorrow when he actually feels none. I’m going to England. 

DONALBIAN: I’ll go to Ireland. We’ll both be safer if we go separate ways. Wherever we go, men will smile at us while hiding daggers. Our closest relatives are the ones most likely to murder us

Act 2, scene 4

This scene is a bridge between Act 2 and Act 3. Its purpose is to create a sense of fear and uncertainty. What do 'light' and 'day' symbolise in the extract below?  

ROSS: 

Ah yes, old man. You can see the skies. They look like they’re upset about what mankind has been doing, and they’re threatening the Earth with storms. The clock says it’s daytime, but dark night is strangling the sun. Is it because night is so strong, or because day is so weak, that darkness covers the earth when it’s supposed to be light? 

Act 2, scene 4

What do the following extracts symbolise? What do the 'horses' symbolise? 

OLD MAN: It’s unnatural, just like the murder that has been committed. Last Tuesday a falcon was circling high in the sky, and it was caught and killed by an ordinary owl that usually goes after mice.

ROSS: And something else strange happened. Duncan’s horses, which are beautiful and swift and the best of their breed, suddenly turned wild and broke out of their stalls. Refusing to be obedient as usual, they acted like they were at war with mankind.

OLD MAN: They say the horses ate each other