Macbeth Act 2
Act 2 scenes 1 and 2 worksheet
Read and fill in the gaps
The act begins with Banquo and his son, ______, in the courtyard of ______’s
castle. Banquo tells his son that he has been fighting evil thoughts. Macbeth
enters and announces himself as “a ______”. Banquo tells Macbeth that he
dreamed of the three ______. Macbeth lies and says that he has not thought
of them. Banquo also tells Macbeth that he will stay loyal to ______.
Macbeth then hallucinates a blood-stained ______ as he prepares to murder
______. His mind is full of evil images, as “Nature seems ______”.
In Act 2:2 Lady Macbeth awaits the return of her husband. She says that she
could have murdered Duncan had he not resembled her own ______. Macbeth
enters and says that he has “done the ______”. Macbeth is worried that he was
unable to say “______” and thought he heard a voice which said that he would
never sleep again as he had murdered sleep. Lady Macbeth tells him not to worry
and tells him to take the _______ back. He refuses, so Lady Macbeth takes them
back and smears the ______’s faces with blood to make them appear guilty. They
are both startled by knocking at the gate and go to wash and put on night clothes.
Now answer these questions: Part 1: Macbeth and Banquo
1. How can we tell that Banquo is nervous and tense?
2. What does Banquo say in line7-9 which tells us that he has been fighting evil
thoughts?
3. How does this contrast to Macbeth?
4. What does Macbeth call himself in line 11?
5. Considering later events, why is this ironic?
6. What does Banquo now call Macbeth? Line 11 and 30
7. What does that tell you about Macbeth’s status now compared to Banquo?
8. What has King Duncan given to Banquo to give to Lady Macbeth? Line 15
9. What does Duncan call Lady Macbeth according to Banquo? Line16
10. Why is this also ironic?
11. What deliberate lie does Macbeth tell Banquo in line 22?
12. What is the actual truth?
13. What does Banquo say which tells Macbeth that he will remain loyal to Duncan?
Line 27
14. What does that say about Banquo’s character?
How has the relationship between Macbeth and Banquo changed? Write a
paragraph on the subject including:
 How they got on at first
 How they reacted to the witches’ predictions
 How Macbeth is now lying to Banquo
 How their social positions have changed
Macbeth
A letter from Banquo
Imagine you are Banquo, writing a letter to your son Fleance at the
end of Act 2:1. In the letter you will tell Fleance everything that has
happened and how you are beginning to fear for the future.
Here are some points to include in your letter:
1. Begin by explaining how you and Macbeth succeeded in battling
the Norwegians.
2. Tell Fleance about the appearance of the witches.
3. Say what the witches predicted about Macbeth.
4. Say what the witches predicted about you.
5. Explain that one of the predictions came true straight away.
6. Explain that since then you have begun to feel uneasy, have
trouble sleeping and have had dreams about the witches.
7. Say that you have just seen Macbeth and explain that you are
worried about how he is reacting.
8. Explain how Macbeth asked you strange questions about your
loyalty – what do you think this means?
9. Tell him that Macbeth said he had not thought about the witches
at all – and say whether you believe him.
10.
End the letter by stating your worries for the future. Do you think
the King is wise to trust Macbeth so much? Is Macbeth acting
strangely? Do you think he is lying to you?
Macbeth: Key Scene
Act 2 scene 1: Macbeth’s Soliloquy
This is a very important scene. We see Macbeth’s personal thoughts, his doubts
and fears. We also read some of Shakespeare’s most famous language.
1. Macbeth’s changing state of mind
First copy this paragraph into your book, and then find and fill in the quotations:
Macbeth’s state of mind changes throughout this scene. He goes from being polite
to Banquo, to frightened and surprised when he sees the dagger, to hesitant and
guilty during the speech, until he is finally decided upon murdering the King,
Duncan.
 At line 33 Macbeth shows his surprise at “seeing” the dagger. He
says:
 At line 48-49 Macbeth shows how the guilt at what he is doing is
making him see things. He says:
 At line 60-61 Macbeth shows how he is resolved to kill the King. He
says:
2. Themes
First copy this paragraph and then find and fill in the quotations:
Macbeth’s soliloquy also explores some of the themes in the play. For example:
 The Supernatural: Seeing the dagger could just be Macbeth’s imagination
“A dagger of the mind” as he says, or it could be the work of the
supernatural as it seems to urge him towards Duncan’s bedroom. As
Macbeth says in line 42:
 The overturning of the Natural Order: By killing the King Macbeth is
upsetting the natural order of things. This is reflected by what he says at
line 49-50:
3. Shakespeare’s Language
First copy the paragraph and then find and fill in the quotations:
Shakespeare uses very sophisticated language to show the audience what
Macbeth is feeling.
 Alliteration. This is where a sentence has two or more words beginning with
the same letter. An example of this is line 48 where Macbeth says “_____
_____”. By repeating the “B” sound it makes Macbeth sound as if he is
spitting the words out, making him seem guilty.
 Personification. This is where something that isn’t a human is described as
if it actually is. An example of this can be found in lines 53-56. _____ is

described as if it is a human, who being alerted by his dog is now walking
silently towards his victim. By personifying murder it makes Macbeth
himself seem less responsible for the murder.
Rhyming Couplets. Shakespeare uses two sets of rhyming couplets at the
end of his soliloquy. The couplets are: (fill in the couplets). The couplets
tell us that Macbeth has firmly decided to kill the King, while also reminding
us of the language of the witches.
4. Images of Evil
Copy down the writing and fill in the gaps:
There are lots of unpleasant images in the soliloquy which help show us the horror
of what Macbeth is about to do. Here are three examples:
1.
2.
3.
5. Should there be a dagger?
If you were directing this scene would you show the dagger? Write a paragraph
in which you explain your viewpoints. In your answer you should consider:
 If you do show the dagger then it would hint that the supernatural (the
witches) have a hand in the murder.
 If you do show the dagger it takes some of the responsibility for the
murder away from Macbeth – i.e. the witches are also responsible
 If you don’t show the dagger then it means that Macbeth is imagining it –
does this show his guilt/sense of responsibility/madness/fear?
You have now studied the soliloquy in depth. Well Done!
Macbeth: Key Scene
Act 2 scene 2: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
This is another important scene which you will be examined on, so you need to
know it inside out. Complete the activities in as much detail as you can and
remember to use quotations.
Activity 1: Summary
In your book, write a summary of what happens during Act 2:2. Use bullet points
if you wish. Make sure you include all entrances and exits, sounds and sights. You
may like to brainstorm first with a friend.
Activity 2: Character Study
Now you know the story you need to see how the characters of Macbeth and his
wife develop in this scene. For each one you need to copy the paragraph and then
find the quotation.
Macbeth
The Macbeth we see in this scene is very different from the Macbeth we saw in
the previous scene. His state of mind has changed because of the murder. He is
now:
 Worried he has upset God (line34)
 Frightened (line 54-55)
 Guilty (line 77)
Lady Macbeth
We have already seen Lady Macbeth persuading her husband to murder the king.
Here we see her really taking control of the situation. She is:
 Domineering (line 51-53)
 Practical (line 58-60)
 Cold-hearted (line 67-68)
Lady Macbeth also gives Macbeth a lot of advice:
 Washing will remove his guilt (line 70)
 Not to think too much on what he’s done (line 35-36)
In your own words and in a full sentence, say why her advice is ironic considering
what happens to her later in the play.
Activity 3: Themes and Images
Copy the text, fill in the gaps and find the quotations:
1. Putting on a role (clothing)
Lady Macbeth uses two clothing images.
At line 61 she says she will “gild the faces of the ______”. This means that by
putting blood on them they will appear guilty.
At line 73 she tells Macbeth to put on his “________”. Changing into clean clothes
will make him appear innocent. Her words in both of these quotations tell us that
appearance is not always the same as reality.
2. Blood
In this scene Blood is a symbol of guilt. At line 50 Lady Macbeth calls it a “_____
_____”. She thinks by washing the blood away the guilt will also disappear.
Macbeth thinks the guilt is too strong. At line 63-66 he says
_______________________. This shows how guilty he’s feeling. The guilt is so
strong that it would dye the whole ocean red.
3. Sleep
In this scene Macbeth worries that he has invaded sleep, by killing ______ as he
slept. He has overturned the natural order and worries he will never sleep again.
He says at line 45-46 “___________________________”.
Activity 4: Directing the scene
In the play the actual murder of the king is not shown on stage. Do you think the
murder of the king should be shown? Write a paragraph explaining your
viewpoint. Consider the following points in your paragraph:
 If seeing the murder would make you lose sympathy for Macbeth
 Whether it is more horrible if left to the imagination
 Whether seeing the murder would add more drama to the scene – or is it
dramatic enough already?
You’ve finished!!! Well Done!!!