Act II, scene i
Describe Macbeth’s hallucination.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How does this image foreshadow the upcoming events? How does it set the mood?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Act II, scene ii
Identify the speaker briefly explain the significance of each of the following quotes.
Consider what information is gained in each.
1)
“The doors are open, and the surfeited grooms do mock their charge with snores…”
(ll. 4-6)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2)
“Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t.” (ll. 12-13)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3)
“Go, carry them, and smear the sleepy grooms with blood.”
“I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done, look on it again I dare not.” (ll.
47-49)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Metaphor
Recall that connotation means the feelings associated with a word. What are some
connotations of the word sleep?
Consider these connotations. What is the meaning of the metaphor “Macbeth does murder
sleep”? (l. 34)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Motif
Motif is a recurring important idea or image in a literary work.
 A motif may be an idea, image or other literary device.
 Motif is not the same as theme. A motif may be expressed as a single word or a
fragmented phrase while a theme is usually expressed as a full sentence.
 While motif is not the same as theme, motif may produce theme, or other literary
concepts such as mood.
An important motif in Macbeth is blood.
1)
List three references to blood in Act II so far.
1. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
“A little water clears
us of this deed. How
easy it is then!”
-Lady Macbeth
“Will all great
Neptune’s ocean wash
the blood clean from
my hand?”
-Macbeth
2)
Why does it easier for Lady Macbeth to wash the blood away from her hands than it
is her for Macbeth? What does blood signify to them?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Act II, scene iii
1)
The Porter lets ____________________________________ and ____________________________________
into Macbeth’s castle. They are there to see ____________________________________.
2)
Lennox recounts the supernatural events that occurred during the night. 3 examples
are:
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________
3)
When Macduff announces the king’s death, he uses this metaphor to explain:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4)
____________________________________ and ____________________________________ act sad about
the King’s death.
5)
When Lennox tells Duncan’s sons about the murder, he blames _______________________,
proving that the Macbeths’ plan worked. In his “anger”, Macbeth
_____________________________________________________.
6)
When everybody leaves, Malcolm leaves Scotland to go to ______________________________
and Donalbain leaves to go to ___________________________________.
Why do King Duncan’s sons leave in secrecy?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Act II, scene iv
In scene iv, Ross and Macduff talk with an old man who claims he has never witnessed a
more bizarre night than the one preceding the king’s murder.
List 2 unnatural events recounted by the old man.
1. ________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Who does Macduff say is suspected for the king’s murder? Why?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
END OF ACT II