Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3

Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3

1. Lennox: "some say, the earth Was feverous and did shake."

   • Great chain of being
     • by assinating Duncan, Macbeth has upset God
   • suggests something so bad happened that even the earth reacted
   • "some say" - Lennox is questioning the idea of the Great chain of being
     • not just Macbeth who rejects the idea of God choosing who shall be king
   • Macbeth: "'twas a rough night"
     • after all this drama and mental strain about killing Duncan, he has having a laugh (lighthearted)
       • underplays what he has done - uses dramatic irony to have a laugh at his own evil act
         • Macbeth has totally changed Character after the murder
       • tradegy - from ancient greeks
         • Catharsis - greeks followed tragic events with instances of comedy
           • porter scene immediately follows the killing
             • helps audience cope with terrible events
   • Shakespeare is showing that committing regicide will lead to all kinds of tradegy
     • King Jame's link to Banquo - wants to portray him as a noble and good man
       • He sides with MacDuff as opposed to siding with macbeth (real life) to show he is a good man
         • Shakespeare doesn't want to challenge Jame's right to be on the throne
           • Many English people may be challenging this aswell - especially how he was a scotsman becoming King of England

2. Macduff: "Confusion now hath made his masterpiece! Most scarilegious murder hath broke ope The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence The life o' the building"

   • doesnt mention duncan's name - seems artificial
   • Confusion has made a masterpiece
     • Personification - Duncan was a bad king
   • personification of murder that is sacrilegious
     • this 'murder' breaks into the Lord's temple
       • Lord's temple = Duncan
         • attack on God
       • Murder then takes life of the building - suggests the building has lost status
         • Suggesting that Duncan made the monarchy into just a building - Duncan lost status
           • Macduff is criticising Duncan - doesn't even mention name
   • Confusing scene
     • Lennox replies with "Mean you his majesty"
       • Lennox asking what is he talking about: why are you insulting the king
         • Shakespeare adding comedy into the scene again
     • Macbeth replies with "What is 't you say? the life?"
       • questioning Macduff as if he is crazy - telling him to pull himself together
   • Does Macduff's use of metaphor show that the act of killing the King is so horrible he cant find proper language to describe it
     • Alternatively, this could be a prepared speech - he has already rehearsed it
       • suggests that he was waiting for the day that Duncan would be murdered

3. Lady Macbeth: "Woe, alas! What, in your house?"

   • Banquo replies: "Too cruel any where Dear Duff, I prithee, contradict thyself, And say it is not so"
     • picks up on the weirdness that she isn't shocked about his death, just shocked it was in her house
       • other interpretation is that she treats killing as a comedy
     • Making an alliance to Macduff, in direct opposition to Macbeth
   • she is panicked into saying this
   • tests Banquo's loyalty

4. Macbeth: "O, yet I do repent me of my fury, That I did kill them."

   • Macduff: "Wherefore did you so?"
   • "yet" and "did" - distances himself from the killing
     • sounds like an afterthought - throw away comment
   • the fact that no one has found out it is him shows he has killed the grooms professionally
     • in contrast to Duncan's bloody killing
   • macbeth ruins the plan by saying he killed them, destroys his aliby
     • second time he ruined it
       • take control of the relationship again

5. Macbeth: "You are, and do not know't The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood Is stopp'd; the very source of it is stopp'd"

   • Like Macduff, describes the death in metaphors - shows they are both insincere
     • doesn't address him by name - shows the insincerity
   • Malcolm: "O, by whom?"
     • suggests he isn't that bothered
       • wants to know who it is so he knows who is his enemy

6. L.Macbeth: "Help me hence, ho!"

   • rhythmic alliteration seems like a performance: pretending to feint
     • playing into chivalry - idea women had to be helped by men
   • Macduff: "Look to the lady"
     • chivalry - tells everyone to help her
   • aliby - shows she is a helpless, innocent lady
   • However, she might have actually feinted at the possibility that Macbeth has ruined the plan

7. Donaldbain: "Where we are There's daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood, The nearer bloody."

   • reference to blood relatives
     • closer people are to a relative, more likely they are to be a murderer
     • kingship is not inherited: best candidate is named the successor
       • Macbeth almost single-handedly saved the country from an invasion
         • maybe none of this would have happened if Duncan had named a sensible successor
     • Elizabeth 1 died without an heir - Shakespeare could be pointing out that simply picking a king through ancestry - there are a lot of contendors
       • better to pick a king that will be a good king