Macbeth Act 2 – Study Guide

What is part of the largess that is for Lady Macbeth? Diamond
What does Banquo dream of? The 3 Witches
What does Macbeth say in response to Banquo’s dream? He’s not thinking of them anymore
Macbeth tells Banquo that if he sticks (“cleave”) with him, he will give him honor. Banquo responds, “So I lose none / In seeking to augment it.” What does Banquo mean? He will do what he says as long as he is not dishonored
What “fatal vision” does Macbeth have? He sees himself killing the king
Where is Macbeth going at the end of his soliloquy at the end of Act II, scene I? He is on his way to kill Duncan
What reason does Lady Macbeth give for not killing Duncan herself? Duncan reminds her of her father
What has Macbeth forgotten? He forgot to leave his dagger in the bedroom
What reason does Macbeth give for not returning to Duncan’s bed chamber? He can’t even think about what he did
Who is knocking on the door? The Porter
What does the porter say alcohol does? He says it turns your nose red and puts you to sleep and also makes you pee.
What does Macduff say the King commanded him to do? Wake him up in the morning
What does Lennox say about the evening? 3 The night was Chaotic
Macduff uses the metaphor of a Gorgon. What is the tenor of this metaphor? What is Macduff comparing to a Gorgon? Tenor- Fear Gordon- Duncan’s Corpse
What is Macduff’s response to Lady Macbeth when she asks what has happened? Macduff’s response is that she is a lady, she can’t handle it and she would die if she heard that.
What does Macbeth say he has done in response to the murder? He killed them out of love for the king
Macbeth says, “The’ expedition of my violent love / Outrun the pauser, reason.” What does he mean and why does he say this? He was killing for love/he said that it was something he did rather than thought about a response to make his crimes look reasonable.
What does Lady Macbeth do at this moment of commotion? She faints
What does Banquo say he will fight against? The secret to the king’s murder
Where do Donalbain and Malcolm decide to go? Donalbain went to Ireland & Malcolm went to England
The Old Man says, “‘Tis said they eat each other.” What is he talking about? He is talking about the two horses
What is the thought of Malcolm and Donalbain because they left Scotland? They hired servants to kill their Father Macbeth
Where has Macbeth gone and why has gone there? He went to scone to be crowned the king
couplet a pair of lines that rhyme
aside a remark made quietly so as to be heard by a select group of people and not by others who are nearby. In Shakespeare’s play, sometimes a character makes an aside to the audience.
soliloquy lines spoken by one character on stage. These lines are not meant to be heard by anyone. Soliloquies function to communicate a character’s inner thoughts and usuallycommunicate an internal conflict.
antithesis rhetorical device where the author places an idea next to one to which it is sharplycontrasted or directly opposed. Think of this word meaning opposite. The function ofantithesis is to give emphasis to an idea by placing it next to a contrasting idea.
Fate , Emotion, Free Will, Reason Fate- It wasn’t Macbeth fate to go to go Kill Duncan he did it because he wanted to to as his free will. Emotion- Lady Macbeth saw Duncan as her father and that was the reason she couldn’t kill him.
July 27, 2019