Analysis of Act 2 Scene 2 of Macbeth
Act 2, scene 2, in the play of Macbeth, is a fairly significant scene,
in which to mark the changes of the two characters, Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth. Their minds and feelings are portrayed in this scene. It
helps to show the role, which they play and to what degree they have
been affected by the witches’ prophecies.
Act 2, Scene 2, takes place in the home of Macbeth as a result to the
murder of Duncan. It is interesting that Shakespeare chose to have the
murder of Duncan taking place offstage. This scene is also significant
in ways to show the reactions of the two characters to their crime and
sin. The murder of Duncan possibly took place off stage to cause the
dramatic impact to increase within the audience and let them imagine
it as grotesquely as they wanted to. At the time, it would have seemed
highly erratic, unacceptable and dishonourable to show the murder of a
King and the audience would have been horrified at seeing such a thing
taking place.
Using hindsight, we see that as the play progresses and more murders
take place, they begin to be revealed more on stage as the number of
murders increase. The murder of Duncan takes place completely
off-stage, the murder of Banquo takes place on stage but in complete
darkness, whereas the murder of Lady Macduff and her children takes
place under the light of the stage for the audience to see. This
gradual increase in visualisation of the murders can also help to show
the change in Macbeth, the increase in ruthlessness of his character,
his remorseless and unmerciful actions.
Act 2 Scene 2 shows more dramatic tension than murder of Duncan. T...
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...he scene, “Wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would
thou couldst!”
Macbeth shows from this line that he regrets what he has done.
As well as speaking much of hands, they also both speak of sleep.
Using hindsight we see that both have trouble sleeping in the future.
Sleeping helps to put right worries and to cleanse the body. Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth would never be totally clean and found sleep did not
help. Macbeth heard a voice saying his name, that he would sleep no
more after doing such a deed. It may Macbeth’s own conscience that
causes him to hear this. It could be that Macbeth’s mind has begun the
step from good to evil and so his mind plays with his conscience or
possibly it is the effect of the supernatural. Lady Macbeth believes
he is being naïve like a child as it is just a picture or sound in his
mind.
At the start of Act 1, Scene 2 Macbeth is shown brave and loyal with
direct Act 2 scenes 1 and 2 (the ones before and after the murder of
Macbeth's Actions in William Shakespeare's Macbeth As soon as we start to read the play, we learn that Macbeth has earned. himself an honourable reputation, and is described by King Duncan as a valiant cousin. Worthy gentleman. His loyalty and bravery are portrayed through his defeat of the Norwegian army and Scottish rebels, and he returns from battle, a gallant and reputable soldier. The extent of his courage is shown as he is interminably praised by his noblemen, has become a hero of Scotland, and the thane of Cawdor.
Macbeth rejects conformation to traditional gender roles in its portrayal of Lady Macbeth’s relationship with her husband, her morals and their effect on her actions, and her hunger for power. Her regard for Macbeth is one of low respect and beratement, an uncommon and most likely socially unacceptable attitude for a wife to have towards her spouse at the time. She often ignores morality and acts for the benefit of her husband, and subsequently herself. She is also very power-hungry and lets nothing stand in the way of her success. Lady Macbeth was a character which challenged expectations of women and feminism when it was written in the seventeenth century.
“If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me Without my stir?” Macbeth ponders after three witches foresee that he will become king in the tragic play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare (349). Macbeth is wondering how he could become king of Scotland without him intervening as he is not in line for the throne. He believes that he will have to take action to gain this position. Macbeth was right to doubt fate, because his choices led to his ascension to the throne and, later in the play, to his downfall.
In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the protagonist, Macbeth, murders the king of Scotland and eventually murders several other people. In the end, Macbeth meets his tragic fate of being killed by the nobleman Macduff. Throughout the play, Macbeth makes decisions that affect his fate, but other characters manipulate his choices and his actions. Early in the play Macbeth, Macbeth has control over his actions, but due to the influence of other characters and his subsequent insanity, by the end of the play, Macbeth has no control over his fate.
MACBETH. Speak, if you can. What are you looking for? FIRST WITCH.
The scene I chose was act 2 scene 2 of Macbeth written by Shakespeare. It was between two characters, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. I played the role of Macbeth. In the scene, Lady Macbeth celebrates her plan being a success. Lady Macbeth waits for Macbeth to come with news that he has killed Duncan. Macbeth announces that he has committed the murder but he is so afraid that he brings the bloody daggers with him and Lady Macbeth takes them from him, to place them with the sleeping guards. Macbeth hears knocking sounds which frightens him so his wife comes to lead him away, they then wash the blood from their hands before they get caught. My character was challenging because I had to understand his emotions and find ways of interpreting that on stage. I chose to perform this act because Shakespeare was able to create tension, build the right atmosphere to show them Macbeth’s reaction to Duncan’s murder but also show the relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Shakespeare’s use of imagery, dramatic irony, rhetorical questions helped emphasise the guilt Macbeth felt after the murder.
Scene 2 act 2 is set at night when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are in the
from one of the last lines in Act 1, Scene 1 of the play. The three witches speak this line
In Act 2 Scene 1, Macbeth is alone in his castle before he kills Duncan. While he is by himself he has a hallucination of a bloody dagger. Macbeth sees the dagger and tries to grab it but there is nothing. He believes that this hallucination is a sign of the murder he is about to commit.
Splendid Productions adaptation of ‘Macbeth’ was performed on the 13th of December 2016, at the RADA studios, London, and was performed by Scott Smith, Genevieve Say and Mark Bernie. The original version of Macbeth was written in 1606 during the Jacobean era, and the adaptation created in the 21st century. I would agree with the statement as the interpretation by Splendid was created to be enjoyed, engaged and relevant to the audience of the 21st century.
In act 2, scene 2, the murder of Duncan takes place. The audience should be on the edge of their seats by now, wondering if Macbeth will actually have the nerve to murder his king.
When the play first opens we hear 3 strange witches standing in a field while it is thunder and lightening. They begin to chant spells and talk about their meeting with Macbeth as they vanish into thin air.
In a world where murder is seen as a way to check if the prophecies of the witches are real, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth get caught by greed, the only escape seems to be a murder that will stop the nightmare of the killings. Once the murder has been committed, the revolt against it becomes very absurd and very illegitimate, making Macbeth a tragedy of the dark that develops in the night. In Act II scene II, Shakespeare uses tension and dramatic interest along with stage effects and language techniques to illustrate how Macbeth, with the help of Lady Macbeth influencing him to do so, commit the dreadful murder of King Duncan, and the after effects of this deed.