act 2 scene 2:
Macbeth looks at his hands and feel guilt. he can get rid of the daggers but cannot get rid go the guilt, which is why he looks at his hands instead of the daggers.
He came out with two daggers, which suggests that he had help besides himself, maybe the second dagger represents the witches
Macbeth cannot say amen because he killed the great chain of being, lost his connection with religion by committing regicide
Macbeth does murders sleep. Duncan was killed in his sleep and was defenseless.
Macbeth refers to himself in third person, he is being insane.
Will all the oceans’s water wash this blood from his hands? No, for his hands would make the ocean red. His blood cannot be cleansed.
Lady Macbeth says her hands are also red, she also has the guilt but a little water can clean this.
knocking from the south entry
Macbeth has destroyed the great chain of being, because of that, heaven has closed and hell has opened up.
act 2 scene 3
the purpose of the porter is to make the audience laugh and feel a little bit better before the tragedy
earth did shake. earthquake, and hell is opening up.
unholy murder destroyed the great chain of being
stolen the life from the lord’s building
oh gentle lady, treating her like someone too fragile to handle the bad news
act 2 scene 4
this sore night has
compared to what we are experiencing now, the previous things all seem trivial
this is the worst we’ve seen
comparing the day to the night
the darkness is consuming the world
it is unnatural, for a falcon was killed by an owl, the falcon is bold, fly high, superior, showing the natural order of things have been disrupted
this may symbolize killing the king
and horses are going crazy, going against their nature, battling against obedience and ate each other
this may symbolize Macbeth going against his obedience
“thriftless ambition, that will ravin up thine own life’s means” means pointless ambition will take away your morality, will eat you away and kill you
these words were meant
Ross refers to Macduff as his father.
Macduff eventually restored the great chain of being and fixed everything. That might be why he deserves to be called father.
act 2 scene 1
Banquo is talking to himself and suspicious of Macbeth
he’s also saying that if these things are happening for Macbeth, what about for him?
then he’s telling himself to shut up. he’s not letting himself be persuaded by the witches.
Macbeth is scared that someone is going to murder him, since Banquo’s sons would be king
Macbeth’s questions to Banquo come across as innocent, but actually are evil. these are, ride you this afternoon? is it far you ride? goes fleance with you?
he’s trying to get a information so he can kill him.
quote, “look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it” by lady macbeth. Macbeth is also very good at deception
Macbeth talks to the murderers and persuades them and manipulates them to kill Banquo. the murderers say they are men, but Macbeth says: there’s so many kinds of dogs. this questioning their masculinity.
you might be men, but you might not be the manliest of men (toxic masculinity and manipulation).
we can connect this masculinity with the Jacobean era, when the things happen
this is an influence from his wife, like how his ambition is also from his wife. he is essentially manipulated by his wife and has become aspects of her
act 4 scene 2:
Macduff had gone to England and neglecting his family in the process. this made lady Macduff upset.
Lady Macduff lied and said that Macduff is dead, because Macduff has neglected the family.
the messenger wants to warn the family that bad things are going to happen
out, damned spot! damned means religion, how she is punished for her sins
she is being haunted, a manifestation of her guilt
the blood has been physically washed, but her conscience has not been cleansed.
more needs she the divine than the physician
the physician refers to having her guilt healed through physical means
it cannot be resolved without the help of spiritual methods
she needs a god but not a doctor
no physical means will be able to help her
now it’s up to a higher power to deal with what she’s done
the only way for her haunting is to end her own life
this disease ifs beyond my practice - showing her death
act 5 scene 2
the people in the army talk about things
angus says “those he commands move only in command, nothing in love”
people know that Macbeth is not a good king.
people view him as a tyrant
meet we the medicine of the sickly weal
they talk about the country being diseased
to save the country we need to take out the virus.
act 5 scene 3
Macbeth is trying to deal with these soldiers
doctor says you need to look at Lady Macbeth, she’s not well.
Macbeth doesn’t understand what his wife is going through… “cure her of that”
Macbeth seem like to be a restless and insane person
we see that he’s lost his grip on reality
Macbeth is always telling the servant to man up and not face the consequences
we see a great shift in character, a trajectory from where they are in the start to where they are now
act 5 scene 5
Macbeth is depressed.
he doesn’t care about his wife or anything else much.
“acted out the hours on the stage"
"out out, brief candle”
he feels existential and how much effect do your actions actually have? he’ll die in his short life and then be replaced by another king.
what have i accomplished? i killed people but what have i done?