MACBETH ACT 2 SCENE 1…

Section A

1.  The clues at the beginning of this scene to indicate that the castle is in darkness are that the servant carries a burning torch to light their way and Macbeth is also carrying a torch-bearer.

2.  Banquo’s state of mind at the beginning of this scene is that he is scared to go to sleep because he doesn’t want to see nightmares.

3.  We know that Banquo is nervous because he cannot sleep and is wide awake. He can hear noises very clearly like when Macbeth is coming he says “who’s there?” before Macbeth can even introduce himself.

4.  The information that banquo gives Macbeth about the King’s visit is that the king is in bed and he has been In an unusually good mood, he has given Macbeth’s house hold gifts and a diamond to Lady Macbeth for her hospitality.

5.  The audience is reminded of Lady Macbeth in this scene by Banquo giving Macbeth a diamond saying that King Duncan has given this diamond to Lady Macbeth for her hospitality.

6.  The effect of Banquo’s frank statement: “I dreamt last night of the three Weird Sisters“ , tells us that banquo was dreaming about what the witches had told them and when he says “they have showed some truth” means he dreamt about Macbeth being king or Thane of Cawdor.

7.  Macbeth responds to Banquo’s comment about the witches by saying that he has no time and is not thinking about them at that moment. This shows that Macbeth does care about the dream that Banquo saw because it does involve him becoming King, but he is making it look like he is very powerful and doesn’t really matter to him.

8.  Macbeth tries to test Banquo’s loyalty to him by saying to him to stay on his side and he will get benefited.

9.  Banquo responds to Macbeth by saying to him that he will do anything as long as he has a clear conscience.

10.  The dramatic effect of the conversation between Macbeth and Banquo is that they have short sharp answers and questions which makes the conversations serious.

Section B

STATEMENT / QUOTAION FROM THE PLAY TO SUPPORT THIS STATEMENT
In his desperately nervous state he imagines a dagger floating before him. / Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand?
He reaches out for it, wondering if it is real or a hallucination. / Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain?
It seems to be leading him to the King’s presence. / Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going,
And such an instrument I was to use
Blood appears on it. / I see thee still,
And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,
Which was not so before.
Macbeth tries to dismiss it, realising he is overwrought. / There’s no such thing.
It is the bloody business which informs
Thus to mine eyes.
He becomes of the dark, silent world around him. / Now o'er the one half-world
Nature and natural feeling seem dead. / Nature seems dead
It is a time of false and wicked dreams, of witchcraft, murder, wolves and rape. / wicked dreams abuse
The curtained sleep. Witchcraft celebrates
Pale Hecate’s offerings, and withered murder,
Alarumed by his sentinel, the wolf,
Whose howl’s his watch, thus with his stealthy pace,
With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design
Moves like a ghost.
Macbeth begs the earth not to hear his footsteps, for the sound may give him away. / Thou sure and firm-set earth,
Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear
Thy very stones prate of my whereabout,
Silence best suits what he has to do, but such talk cools the ardour of action. / Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives.
Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.
  1. I think Macbeth decided to go and commit the murder because he is under the power of the witches. I think this because the witches have predicted everything and he is scared if he doesn’t kill the king he will not get what the witches have predicted (becoming king).