| Merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature gives to in repose” | Banquo. hangs on to his moral code, while Macbeth lets the thoughts consume him. Keeps thinking about murder of Duncan and is ashamed with himself |
| “Is this a dagger which i see before me, the handle toward my hand?” | Macbeth. Macbeth is on his way to kill Duncan, sees dagger and thinks its either an apparition or he is going crazy. |
| “Mine eyes are made the fools or the other senses or else worth all the rest” | Macbeth. Thinks he is going crazy or it could be witchcraft |
| “I go and it is done. The bell invites me. Here it not Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell.” | Macbeth. Stopped fighting his conscious, knows he will kill Duncan |
| “That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold” | Lady Macbeth. She is not as tough as she tries to tell us she is |
| “No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red” | Macbeth. So much blood on his hands that they would turn the ocean red, already paranoid |
| “A little water clears us of this deed” | Lady Macbeth. Wash your hands, no one will know-she’s saying the opposite of Macbeth, says little water is needed while Macbeth says there is not enough water to wash them of their guilt |
| Equivocation | Brought up by porter- when you say something that has 2 meanings, less obvious meaning being the real meaning |
| “O horror, horror, horror” | Macduff. Sees dead king |
| “Had I but died 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 on” | Macbeth. Hates life now because he killed the king, realizes his life doesn’t have much meaning – nihilism |
| “Approach the chamber and destroy your sight with a new gorgon” | Macduff. Compares looking at the dead king to looking at Medusa- turns you to stone (gorgon) |
| Malcolm: | England |
| Donalbain | Ireland |
| “There’s daggers in men’s smiles. The near in blood, the nearer bloody” | Donalbain. One of these guys around is is pretending to be sympathetic. One of our relatives is most likely the killer and is hiding it behind a false smile–This means you can’t trust anyone (fake smiles hide things) |
| “Thou seest the heavens, as troubled w/ mans act, threatens his bloody stage” | Ross. Reference to the natural order being out of whack |
| “By the clock tis day, and yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp” | Ross. 1st RONO. Means that its daytime but there is no sun |
| Owl kills Falcon | 2nd RONO. Owl represents Macbeth and Falcon represents Duncan. |
| Horses eat each other | 3rd RONO. Horses are herbivores and turned into cannibals |
| Thane of Fife | Macduff |
| Banquo’s Son | Fleance |
Macbeth Act 2 Study Guide
September 6, 2019