Banquo is unable to sleep due to evil thoughts. Macbeth hints at murdering Banquo but asks for his support. Lady Macbeth grows impatient waiting for Macbeth, who has murdered Duncan. Macbeth is paranoid and hears voices, while Lady Macbeth frames the servants. Everyone discovers Duncan's murder, and Macbeth further implicates himself by hinting he knew about it. Macduff emerges as a threat by openly suspecting Macbeth.

1. Macbeth
Act 2

2. Scene 1

3. Characters
• Banquo
• Fleance
• Macbeth
• Servant (enters with Macbeth but does not speak)

4. Fleance and Banquo Banquo could not sleep. Tells Fleance “Merciful powers,/
enter Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature / Gives
way to in repose.” Means: Angels protect me from the
evil thoughts that arise when at rest
Macbeth and Banquo talk amongst Macbeth and
one another. Macbeth hints at Servant enter
murder (“If you shall cleave to my
consent, when ‘tis / It shall make
honor for you”) Macbeth is asking for
Banquo’s support when the time
comes. Also, Banquo dreamt of the
witches.
Fleance and Banquo exit
Macbeth has his soliloquy about the dagger.
A bell rings to which he says “I go, and it is
done. The bell invites me. / Hear it not,
Duncan, for it is a knell / That summons
thee to Heaven or to Hell.

5. Overview
• Suspension of time. No one knows what time it is
• Banquo and Fleance’s discussion is merely about sleep and time (suspension of time)
• Banquo’s knowledge of the witches’ prediction makes him either an ally or a foe
• Macbeth hints to Banquo about the deed by his comments on time
• Macbeth’s soliloquy is about a dagger that appears in front of him which may or may not
physically be there. It is here Macbeth is able to convince himself to do it. His soliloquy consists
of darker aspects: witchcraft, sleep, allusion to Sextus Tarquin, and savage animalistic
characteristics.
Motifs
• sleep
• blood
• time
• Hallucinations

6. Scene 2

7. Characters
Macbeth Lady Macbeth

8. Enter Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is talking to herself Says if Duncan did not
resemble her father she
would have done the
Macbeth has done Macbeth enters deed herself
the deed (not shown
in writing)
They discuss who’s Macbeth thinks he’s
Lady Macbeth says she in the second heard someone say
saw an owl chamber “Murder” (he himself still
(foreshadows death) (Donalbain) does not call it murder).
“Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more! /
Macbeth does murder sleep” the innocent sleep, / Sleep He couldn’t say amen
that knits up the raveled sleave of care, / The death of when someone said
each day’s life, sore labor’s bath, / Balm of hurt minds, “God bless us”
great nature’s second course, / Chief nourisher in life’s
feast.” 111 Macbeth
Lady Macbeth takes
Macbeth won’t go daggers to put in place
Lady Macbeth wants back and essentially calls
daggers put on servants to Macbeth a coward. She
frame them comes back with her
hands red of blood.

9. With consistent knocking,
Lady Macbeth tells him to
put on a night gown and
wash his hands clean

10. Overview
•Consistent knocking throughout passage. It is ironic because as we learn in Scene 3, it is
Macduff knocking (Macduff is the one to kill Macbeth later on)
• Start of Macbeth’s guilt
• Characterizes Lady Macbeth’s sense of power of him
• Both are paranoid, but more so Macbeth than Lady Macbeth
• Macbeth’s paranoia is emphasized through his struggle to say “amen” and his ordeal with the
voices he heard
• Potential allusion to Oedipus (Pg 113) – “What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes.”
• Allusion to Neptune – “With all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?
No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one red.
(Page 113 as well)
Motifs
• Night
• Blood
• Empowerment
• Loss of Innocence/Never being able to go back
• Sleep
• Violence

11. Scene 3

12. Characters
• Porter
• Macduff
• Macbeth
• Lennox
• Lady Macbeth
• Banquo
• Donnalbain
• Malcolm

13. Porter enters Porter’s Soliloquy where he pretends to
be a gatekeeper at hell. Yes, he is Enter Macduff and Lennox
extremely intoxicated
Alcohol is good for nose Macduff and Porter talk. Porter
Macbeth enters painting, sleep, and urine talks about what alcohol provokes,
it can be an equivocator. Also
discusses time.
Macduff asks where Macbeth takes him to his Lennox talks about how
Duncan is door everything’s out of whack
Macduff is freaking out Macduff enters after checking on
because Duncan is dead Duncan
Macduff is calling
everyone in the
mansion to come
Macduff rings bell – screams Lady Macbeth enters
together because
TREASON AND MURDER.
they are in the state
Macbeth and Lennox leave at
of an emergency
one point

14. Lady Macbeth acts Banquo Enters Banquo is surprised
clueless
Donalbain and Malcom Macbeth is saying if he had Macbeth Ross and
enter time he would have saved him Lennox enter
Macbeth digs himself a deep
They learn their father is Macbeth states he killed hole because he hints that he
dead chamberlains knew about the murder
Both now in danger, Malcom has a side Lady Macbeth “faints,” to
and decide it’s best conversation with distract the men from
to flee to avoid any Donnalbain asserting his Macbeth.
potential conflict suspicion with the murder

15. Overview
• Macbeth has dug himself a hole, in which he raises suspicion upon himself
• Allusion to hell with the porter
• Lennox discusses on page 123 “The night has been unruly … Some say the earth / Was
feverous and did shake.” This deals with the assumption that spheres of existence are
connected, so if one aspect is falling apart, the rest of existence will fall with it.
• Macduff asserts his authority over Malcolm. Is the only character shown with having a direct
suspicion – making him a threat to Macbeth
Motifs
• Equivocating
• Sleep
• Night
• Weather (in correlation with story’s events)

16. Scene 4

17. •Old Man
•Ross
•Macduff

18. Ross enters with Old man has lived long, and said Ross talks about how
old man, in 70 years this has been the although it is day, the dark
worst day his eyes have laid upon stifles the sun
Ross talks about how Duncan’s Old man talks about how its
horses went crazy unnatural and mentions how A
Macduff enters falcon was killed in the air by a
mousing owl
Macduff asserts it was They discuss how Duncan's Macduff is to go to Fife.
Macbeth who hath done sons left and now look Macbeth is going to Scone
thy deed suspicious to be crowned the King

19. Overview
Everything is out of order – the universe is becoming unraveled
• Macduff has especially become a strong character
• Old man is a symbol for the wise and all knowing – represents the eyes of the narrator
Motifs
•Night
•World sucks