What happened in Act 2 scene 1 | Banquo, who has accompanied Duncan to Inverness, is uneasy because he too is tempted by the witches prophecies, although only in his dreams. Macbeth pretends to have forgotten them. Left alone by Banquo, Macbeth sees a gory dagger leading him to Duncan’s room. Hearing the bell rung by Lady Macbeth to signal completion of her preparations for Duncan’s death, Macbeth exits to kill the king |
What happened in Act 2 scene 2 | Lady Macbeth waits anxiously for Macbeth to return from killing Duncan. When Macbeth enters, he is horrified by what he has done. He has brought with him the daggers that he used on Duncan, instead of leaving them in the room with Duncan’s servants as Lady Macbeth had planned. When he finds himself incapable of returning the daggers, Lady Macbeth does so. She returns to find Macbeth still paralyzed with horror and urges him to put on his gown and wash the blood from his hands |
What happened in Act 2 scene 3 | A drunken porter, answering the knocking at the gate, plays the role of a devil-porter at the gates of hell. He admits Macduff and Lennox, who have come to wake Duncan. Macbeth appears and greets them. Macduff exits to wake Duncan, then returns to announce Duncan’s murder. Macbeth and Lennox go to see for themselves. When they return, Lennox announces that Duncan’s servants are the murderers. Macbeth reveals that he has slain the servants. When his motives are questioned, Lady Macbeth interupts by calling for help for herself. Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, plan to flee for their lives- Malcolm to England and Donalbain to Ireland |
What happened in Act 2 scene 4 | An old man and Ross exchange accounts of recent unnatural happenings. Macduff joins them to report that Malcolm and Donalbain are now accused of having bribed the servants who supposedly killed Duncan. Macduff also announces that Macbeth has been chosen king. Ross leaves for Scone and Macbeth;s coronation, but Macduff resolves to stay at his own cast e at fife. |
Metonymy | figure of speech in which the name of an object or concept is replaced with a word closely related to or suggested by the original, as “crown” for king, “banished steel” for sword |
Synecdoche | figure of speech in which a part represents the while as in the expression “hired hands” for workmen or less commonly the whole represents a part, as in the use of the word “society” to mean high society |
Symbol | something that stands for something else or a sign used to represent something |
Paradox | a statement that appears illogical or contradictory at first, but may actually point to an underlying truth. Less is more |
Oxymoron | When a paradox is compressed into two words as in “loud silence” |
Anadiplosis | repetition of a word in the first half of a line at the beginning of the next half. “I crave reward/ reward me not unkindly” |
Proverb | succinct and pithy saying in general use, expressing commonly held ideas and beliefs. A soft answer truth away wrath |
Metaphor | comparison between two unlike things. She was a daisy |
Simile | comparison between two unlike things using like or as. My love is like a red, red rose |
Alliteration | the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or stressed syllables. The City’s voice itself is soft like Solitude’s |
Assonance | the repetition of consent sounds at the beginning of words or stressed syllables. The City’s voice itself is soft like Solitudes |
Consonance | repetition of identical or similar consonants; specifically the correspondence of end or intermediate consonants unaccompanied by like correspondence of vowels. “the..cock so black of hue” |
Verbal irony | language device, either in spoken or written form (verbal irony), in which the real meaning is concealed or contradicted by the literal meanings of the words. “That was a smart thing to do!” (meaning very foolish) |
Motif of blood | violence/ murder/ guilt |
Clothing Motif | taking something that doesn’t belong to them |
Dramatic irony | In plays it is often created by the audience’s awareness of a fate in store for the characters that they themselves are unaware of.. |
Situational irony | In literary works events turning to the opposite of what is expected or what should be |
Apostrophe | Direct address of someone absent, dead, or a personified object. O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, that i am meek and gentle with these butchers! |
Anaphora | repetition of a word or words at the beginning of a series of sentences, clauses, or lines of poetry. Often used in combination with parallel structure. “Nor shall I say how…the dell took fright/ Nor how Arcita lay among it all/Nor of the wealth and splendor of his pall..” |
Parallelism | repetition of a grammatical structure– be it a clause, phrase or part of speech– in a series of things. Bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue |
Biblical allusion | reference to the bible in literature. |
Classical allusion | reference to Roman or Greek mythology or literature |
Anthropomorphism | Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena |
Onomatopoeia | the formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur that imitates the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to |
Litotes | conscious understatement in which emphasis is achieved by negation; examples are the common expressions “not bad!” and “no mean feat” this is a stylistic feature of Old English poetry and of the Icelandic sagas, and it is responsible for much of their characteristic stoical restraint. |
Hyperbole | A figure of speech that is an intentional exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect. This is common in love poetry, in which it is used to convey the lover’s intense admiration for his beloved |
Satire | A work that uses ridicule, humor, and wit to criticize and provoke change in human nature and institutions. There are two major types of satire: Formal and direct satire speaks directly to the reader or to a character in the work; indirect satire relies upon the ridiculous behavior of its characters to make its point. Formal satire is further divided into two manners; the Horatian which ridicules gently, and the juvenilia which derides its subjects harshly |
Soliloquy | a monologue in a drama used to give the audience information and to develop the speakers character. It is typically a projection of the speakers innermost thoughts. Usually delivered while the speaker is alone on stage, a soliloquy is intended to present an illusion of unspoken reflection |
Pun | a play on words that occurs when one word is used that reminds you of another word or words |
Comic Relief | The use of humor to lighten the mood of a serious or tragic story especially in plays. The technique is very common in Elizabethan works, and can be an integral part of the plot or simply a brief event designed to break the tension of the scene. |
blank verse | un rhymed iambic petamiture |
Aside | a stage direction (usually italicized) says something that is not meant to be heard by the rest of the characters – soliloquy |
Macbeth Act 2
August 23, 2019