Macbeth study guide Act II

Macbeth was historically a member of the royal family; his mother and Duncan’s mother were sisters, daughters of
Duncan’s predecessor as king; both Duncan and Macbeth were historically about the same age. Duncan ruled from 1034 to
1040 and Macbeth from 1040 to 1057.

II.i
1. What is the purpose of the opening of Act II.i (first 11 lines)? Note the references to time and think about the other
references to time so far in the play (I.i, I.iii, I.v, I.vii).

2. What is Macbeth’s ambiguous reaction to the idea of the witches (between lines 27-32)? What is he asking indirectly
here?

3. Name at least one dramatic purpose (what does Shakespeare establish for the audience) in the first 41 lines of this scene.

4. Read Macbeth’s soliloquy carefully. What is happening to him? How does he explain it? What will he do about it?
Notice references to time in line 72 and to “deeds” and “done” in lines 74-75.

5. What’s unusual about the images in the evocation of the night in this scene?

6. List at least five instances of characters’ use of vague diction. What does this tell us?
II.ii
7. Notice the use of pronouns referring to the murder of Duncan by both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the last three
scenes. Do you see a change here? What does this indicate?

8. What does Shakespeare use in this scene in place of showing the actual murder?

9. What is Lady Macbeth’s state of mind in her soliloquy (lines 1-17)? What has she done? What does she assume
Macbeth is now doing? Why didn’t she do it (lines 16-17)?

10. In lines 18-29 why does Shakespeare use such short lines?

11. Describe what Macbeth hears when he descends the stairs. How is he able to generate such powerful hallucinations?
How does his wife react to his experience?

12. Explain how Macbeth has indeed “murdered sleep” in the rest of the play.

13. Dramatically and psychologically, what is the significance of the knocking at the gate at line 74.

14. How does Macbeth show us the power of his imagination in describing washing his hands? How does Lady Macbeth
describe the same action?
15. Explain the significance of “To know my deed, ‘twere best not know myself” at line 93.

II.iii
16. What does the porter pretend to be doing? Notice the emphasis on equivocation in his speech and in the following
dialogue with Macduff.

17. Explain how the first 21 lines of the scene provide comic relief while at the same time reminding us of what has
happened.

18. How does Shakespeare create suspense in this scene?

19. What is the significance of the events described by Lennox at lines 61-69?

20. What’s unusual about the way Macduff describes Duncan’s murder? How does his particular use of language seem to
distance the audience from the emotional effect of the tragedy?

21. Give two different motivations for what Macbeth says at lines 107-112.

22. Why does Macbeth kill the grooms? Was this in the original plan made with Lady Macbeth? What might this imply
about Macbeth’s dynamic character?
23. Give two different explanations/motivations for Lady Macbeth fainting at line 138.

24. Why do Malcolm and Donalbain flee Scotland? Why do they go to different places?

II.iv
25. What is the function of the dialogue between the Old Man and Ross? What do we learn from Macduff about Malcolm
and Donalbain? About Macbeth? Where has Macbeth gone? Notice that many of the key words and ideas that we have
seen before appear in this scene.

26. An old man tells Ross about a “mousing owl” that killed a falcon and about Duncan’s horses turning wild and eating
each other. What might be the point of this speech? Comment on the idea of things being “unnatural” at this point in the
story.

27. What does Macduff’s absence from the coronation of Macbeth suggest?