Download ACT TWO, Scene 1 (2.1)

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ACT TWO, Scene 1 (2.1) Inside Macbeth’s Inverness Castle
1. How do you know that Macbeth and Banquo’s relationship has changed significantly
from Act 1 Scene 3?
2. What sign do you see that, even before the murder, Macbeth is losing touch with
reality?
3. What does Macbeth mean when he says “Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell/ That
summons thee to heaven or to hell” (Lines 76-77)? Use a dictionary!!
ACT TWO, Scene 2 (2.2) Macbeth’s bed chamber
1. What is the significance of the shriek of the owl?
2. What does Macbeth mean in lines 78-81?
3. How is the blood and water imagery used in the last part of this scene to highlight the
differences between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth?
ACT TWO, Scene 3. (2.3) AT THE CASTLE GATE
LITERARY TERM:
comic relief- in a tragedy, a short comic scene that releases some of the built-up tension
of the play, giving the audience a momentary "relief" before the tension mounts higher.
1. What is the tone of this scene? Why do you think Shakespeare put the drunken Porter
scene here?
2. If the drunken Porter says he is the porter of the gate of hell, what does this imply?
3. Lennox tells Macbeth of several strange events that indicate trouble. What are they?
4. The drunken Porter’s response to Macduff is full of paradoxes. List three of them and
explain how they develop theme.
5. What is Lady Macbeth’s response to the news of Duncan’s death? What does this
reflect upon her character?
6. Translate the following response by Macbeth, and explain how this develops
Macbeth’s character.
“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 of.” (107-112)
8. Why does Macbeth kill the grooms? How does his cover-up relate to the theme of the
play?
9. Do you think Lady Macbeth’s faint is genuine; why or why not? Give evidence to
support your claims. How is the fainting spell perfectly timed?
10. What happens to the sons of Duncan?
ACT TWO, Scene 3. (2.4) OUTSIDE MACBETH’S CASTLE,
in the morning
1. What strange events are going on that would instill a feeling of unease for a
superstitious Elizabethan audience? What does this signify?
2. Who does Macduff suspect is guilty of the murder of the King? Why does he suspect
this?
3. Where is Duncan buried?