Death in Act 2

Death in Act 2

1. Banquo

   • temptation to murder Duncan for his sons 'merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts' temptation isn't a sin but committing the act is, he fights it, morals, doesn't want to murder

2. Macbeth

   • Soliloquy-dagger imagery, obsession with death, seeing visions of devices to kill, getting ready to murder

3. Lady Macbeth

   • Through death imagery we see her softer side 'had he not resembled my father as he slept I had done't'
   • dagger imagery repeated, 'give me the daggers' shows her strength and lack of regret as she will go back to the murder scene
   • 'if he do bleed' she has never seen death before, unlike Macbeth
   • 'what in our house?' does not care for Duncan but the fact it happened under their roof, selfish and shows her lack of emotion towards death

4. Sleep

   • 'Macbeth does murdered sleep' with death comes no sleep, loss of human need, loss of ability to shut down the mind

5. Porter

   • Refers to himself as being porter of 'hell-gate' suggesting that Macbeth's castle is now hell

6. Discovery of Duncan

   • Macduff discovers the body, and the avenges the murder later, repetition of word 'horror' shows fear and disgust at the murder, 'a new gorgon' medusa, cannot look at her, something new that is to horrible to witness 'ring the alarm bell! murder and treason'
   • 'that I did kill them' Macbeth makes himself look guilty by committing further murder killing those who could fight for their innocence
   • Lady Macbeth faints: is this due to her shock at Macbeth's stupidity or is she faking it to take attention from him, either way she is living up to her gender stereotype

7. Natural Imagery

   • 'the heavens, as troubled with a man's act'
   • 'dark night strangles the travelling lamp'
   • 'a mousing owl hawked and killed'
   • 'they eat each other'