ACT II

1

ACT II
2
Whats in a Name (Characters)

• Theres only one comic figure in Macbeth, the
  drunken Porter.
• He provides comic relief while discussing some
  quite serious things. When he imagines hes the
  gatekeeper of hell, hes not that far off
  (Macbeths home is a frightening place.

3
Character

• Meanwhile, life under Macbeths roof is no
  laughing matter for Malcolm and Donalbain, King
  Duncans two sons.
• Duncan has already named Malcolm heir to his
  throne.
• Thats bad news for Macbeth, who cant succeed
  to the throne with Malcolm and Donalbain in his
  way.

4
Character

• Banquo also has a son, Fleance.
• We will meet him in act II. We will also meet
  Macduff, another of the Scottish nobles. Though
  Macduff sounds a little like Macbeth, these
  two characters will turn out to be quite
  different.

5
Things to watch for

• Macbeth may be a very dark play, but one color
  stands out (RED). By the end of Act II, you may
  feel as if Shakespeare had smeared his characters
  with this color.
• Watch for how images of smearing and staining
  start to fill Shakespeares play
• Meanwhile, the Macbeths try to paint their own
  picture of innocence and guilt.
• How well do they fool their guest?

6
Things to Watch for

• Macbeth is full of elemental, primal sights and
  sounds.
• Colors, noises, and animals that seem to be right
  under our eyes, ears, and noses.
• Act 2s soundtrack is full of sudden, scary
  noises.
• Pay attention to how Shakespeare uses these
  sounds to build suspense and to show us the mood
  of the host couple.

7
Historical Context

• Shakespeare probably wrote Macbeth around 1606
• England was reeling at that time with news of a
  plot to kill its king, James I.
• The plot stemmed from religious conflict.
• James was a Protestant and ruled England as a
  Protestant nation
• Catholics faced harsh discrimination
• In November 1605, a group of Catholic
  conspirators carried out the Gunpowder Plot.

8
Historical Context

• They smuggled kegs of gunpowder to an area
  beneath the Parliament building to blow up both
  houses of Parliament while the King was there,
  destroying the entire government.
• Had the plot succeeded, it would have been as if
  someone had blown up the president,
  vice-President, both houses of Congress, and the
  Supreme Court, all at the same time.

9
Language

• During the first scene of Act II, Macbeth
  mentions a goddess named Hecate. Its not the
  last time this demanding lady will show up in the
  play!
• In Greek mythology, Hecate is a goddess of the
  dead and a friend to witches.
• She is called pale Hecat because she is linked
  with the moon.
• Dogs, honey, and black lambs were sacrificed to
  her at crossroads

10
Language

• In the Bibles Old Testament, Beelzebub (Lord of
  the Flies) was a pagan god
• Later, he became known as a ruler of demons.
• When the Porter imagines hes letting Beelzebub
  in at Macbeths door, hes opening the door to
  some very bad company!

11
Plot

• Banquo and his son, Fleance, are up and about in
  the middle of the night.
• They meet Macbeth, and Banquo delivers gifts from
  Duncan, including a rich diamond for Lady Macbeth.

12

• Banquo reminds Macbeth about the three witches,
  but Macbeth pretends that he hasnt thought about
  them.

13

• After Banquo and Fleance leave, Macbeth imagines
  that he sees a dagger hovering in the air in
  front of him.
• Suddenly the dagger has bloodstains on it.
• Is this a warning?

14

• The apparition unsettles him, but not enough to
  dissuade him from his bloody job.

15

• Lady Macbeth has done her job to make the
  guards drunk.
• She takes their daggers, which Macbeth uses to
  kill Duncan.

16

• When he stabs Duncan, he thinks he hears a voice
  chiding and accusing him.

17

• He refuses to enter the room again, so Lady
  Macbeth must plant the daggers and smear Duncans
  blood on the guards.

18

• Macduff discovers Duncans body and cries out.
  Macbeth blames the guards and kills them,
  ostensibly out of rage and anguish over his
  kings death.
• The outcry awakens the household, including
  Duncans sons.
• They dont believe the story about the guards
  being the murderers and know that the murderer is
  still at large.

19

• Their lives are at risk., so they flee during the
  night Malcolm to England and Donalbain to
  Ireland.
• To the Scottish lords, the sons hasty flight
  smacks of guilt.
• They think that
• the sons hired
• the guards to
• murder Duncan.

20

• They crown Macbeth as King of Scotland.
• The witches prophecy has come true, and Act 3
  hasnt even started yet.