Act II
Cassie, Katie, John, and Anne
Scene I-Summary
The scene opens with Banquo and his son Fleance in the court of the Macbeth Castle. It’s late at
night and both have a suspicious feeling that there’s something going awry tonight. Banquo
hears someone and asks for his sword. When they find that it’s Macbeth, Banquo asks why
he’s not in bed. He says that the King is beyond content and all is well. He also adds that he
had a dream of the witches the night before. Macbeth says that he doesn’t think of them
often, but if Banquo would like, they should talk about them sometime. Macbeth also makes
him an offer. He says that if Banquo were to stick with him through thick and thin, he’d make
it worth his while. Banquo says he’d be loyal to Macbeth until it was against his conscience.
Once Banquo and Fleance leave, Macbeth starts to lose it. He sees a dagger in front of him in
the hall, handle towards him pointing towards the King’s room. He wonders why he can’t
grasp it and if it’s a hallucination. He thinks that murder is on his mind and he’s also tired.
This image is appearing because of the evil he is about to do and how it’s summoning all the
evil things of the world to this night. Last he says that he hopes he’s quiet and doesn’t wake
anyone while he commits this deed.
Anne Thomas
Scene I- Meanings/Important Lines
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When Macbeth first arrives, Banquo draws his sword. This is important because it shows how
Banquo subconsciously knows Macbeth is an enemy. Macbeth also says when asked who it
is, “A friend”. This is important because Macbeth is really deceiving him and more dramatic
irony.
When Macbeth says that he doesn’t think of the witches very often, he’s lying. Macbeth
really thinks of them all the time and is a little too anxious to talk about them with Banquo.
Macbeth says that his lady will ring the bell when Duncan falls asleep. When he hears a bell
he say that the bell invites him. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell that summons thee to
heaven or hell. That basically means Macbeth is going to kill him when the bell rings.
When Macbeth sees the danger it shows the audience of how he’s starting to lose it. Also,
Macbeth tries to blame his deed on the dagger. He knows what he’s about to do is evil but
he’s going to do it anyways.
Anne Thomas
Summary Act II scene II
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The opening scene is of Lady Macbeth stating how her drinking has made her
courageous. She then goes into her drugging the guards and how death is
upon them. She then frets and wonders if Macbeth went through with the
murder and what excuses he will have. When Macbeth enters from the stairs
as asks if she herd a noise of the murder and Lady Macbeth said only the cries
of the night it comforts Macbeth that he did something right. Macbeth then
looks at his hands and in horror exclaims how it is a sorry sight of the blood
and murder on his hands. Lady Macbeth is tells him that it’s a foolish thing to
say because he should have no regrets. Macbeth recounts how Duncan's
guards were very drunk but still mumbling in their sleep as they slept.
Macbeth then goes into a crazy string of how he cant wash his hands of the
murder. Then realized is that Macbeth didn’t do the murder right and kept the
daggers. Lady Macbeth then goes up to finish the job.
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Kaite Cyboron
Hidden meanings/ important lines
• Lady Macbeth’s strange masculinity is foreshadowing
Macbeth’s horror and remorse of the murder
committed. Her cool and calm demeanor to Macbeth’s
horrified position create a distorted scene.
• Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean
from my hand?- this is an important line because its
showing how scared Macbeth is of people finding out.
• A little water clears us of this deed- this line shows how
much lady Macbeth wants to be in control and how
little she cares what she has to do in order to get it.
• Kaite Cyboron
Scene 3- summary
It starts out with the drunken porter rambling about the knocking noise from the
door. He wonders why in the devil anyone would be knocking at the door. When
MacDuff and Lennox enter the porter talks to them about equivocation and vulgar
things and speaks about the three things that come form drinking. The first thing
Macduff asks for is his king.
Macbeth comes in nervous as he comes to great MacDuff. Macbeth then tells
Macduff that the king is in his bed resting. MacDuff then exits to go and see the king
while Macbeth and Lennox speak of how the weather was bad and unruly and how odd
everything was outside (which usually means bad omens). MacDuff then rushes back
telling that the king is dead and refusing to go back in there and look himself again he
tells them to go and look to see the disaster that has happened. They then began to
alert everyone in the castle of what has happened, ringing the bells and alerting the
sons of Duncan. When lady Macbeth comes she acts completely oblivious to what has
happened, all the men try to comfort her while she plays fake and acts shocked and
scared. Macbeth then begins to screw things up by saying that he saw the guards kill
the king and in fury he had kill the guards himself. In response to Macbeth’s foolish act
Lady Macbeth faints and causes a dramatic scene so everyone is distracted. Banquo
then brings up the point that if they all got some rest they would be able to think this
through better. After everyone leaves the two sons of Duncan both decide that they will
be blamed for this murder so they must go far to hide themselves till the time is right,
Malcolm then goes to England and Donalbain goes to Ireland.
John Musgrove
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Scene-3 Hidden meanings/
important lines
“Faith, here’s an equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either scale; who committed both
treason enough for God’s sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven: O, come in, equivocator.” Which could
relate to foreshadowing due to Macbeth being an equivocator himself.
”The night has been unruly: where we lay, our chimneys were blown down; and, as they say, Lamentings
heard i' the air; strange screams of death, and prophesying with accents terrible Of dire combustion and
confused events new hatch'd to the woeful time: the obscure bird Clamour'd the livelong night: some say,
the earth was feverous and did shake.” which was one of the signs of Macbeth’s evil deed and the signal
that he was evil.
“What's the business, that such a hideous trumpet calls to parley the sleepers of the house? speak, speak!
“ When Lady Macbeth starts her act of playing innocent.
“O gentle lady, ‘tis not for you to hear what I can speak: the repetition, in a woman's ear, would murder as
it fell.” When they actually considered Lady Macbeth a gentle lady.
“Those of his chamber, as it seem'd, had done 't: their hands and faces were an badged with blood; so
were their daggers, which unwiped we found upon their pillows: they stared, and were distracted; no
man's life was to be trusted with them.“ The proof that the guards did it.
”Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious, loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man: the
expedition my violent love outrun the pauser, reason. Here lay Duncan, his silver skin laced with his golden
blood; and his gash'd stabs look'd like a breach in nature for ruin's wasteful entrance: there, the
murderers, steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers unmannerly breech'd with gore: who could
refrain, that had a heart to love, and in that heart courage to make 's love kno wn?” Where Macbeth
straight up lies and speaks of him walking into the room where he saw the guards killing the king and how
he came and killed the guards in fury.
“This murderous shaft that's shot hath not yet lighted, and our safest way is to avoid the aim. Therefore,
to horse; and let us not be dainty of leave-taking, but shift away: there's warrant in that theft which steals
itself, when there's no mercy left.” Malcolm and Donablain’s plan to run away till the heat dies down.
Act III Scene 4, Summary &
Important Lines/Hidden Meanings
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Summary:
– An old man and Ross speak of the
night that happened and agreed that
no other night has been this bad with
the murder of Duncan on their
minds. They speak of the animals and
how they are acting and agree that
something is afoot because of the
way they are acting. Macduff enters
and explains that the guards are to
be blamed, though his sons are in
suspicion because they have fled.
Macduff tells that Macbeth has gone
to be crowned King and Duncan is
laid to rest.
Cassie Albrecht-Roosa
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Hidden Meanings:
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The animals. Animals freak when things
start to get iffy and bad. Horses spook, cats
spaz, dogs bark, and so on. The animals
sensed what was happening and Duncan's
horses fled in fright, The audience
probably realized that Nature was
rebelling and so something was bad.
Lines:
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“Then ‘tis most like the sovereignty will fall
upon Macbeth” – Meaning that Macbeth
shall become King.
“Gods benison go with you;and with those
that would make good of bad, and friends
of foes!” –Meaning gods blessing go with
you and all those who would turn a bad
situation to a good one.