1. With what words does Banquo reaffirm his loyalty to King Duncan?
2. What lie does Macbeth tell Banquo and why?
3. How do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth differ in their reactions to the murder?
4. Who are Macbeth's other victims? Why does he commit more murders?
5. Considering journal entry number 3, what are some recurring motifs in Act 2?
Grigg- 1st analysis
ReplyDelete1.Banquo reaffirms his loyalty to King Duncan in act 2 scene 1 when he is talking to Macbeth. He does this by saying, “So I lose none in seeking to augment it, but still keep my bosom franchised and allegiance clear, I shall be counseled” (II.i.27-29). This shows that Banquo is an avid follower of King Duncan. It foreshadows the position he will take if Duncan is murdered. If Macbeth follows through then this re-allegiance proves that he will be against Macbeth.
2.Macbeth tells a lie in act 2 scene 1 when he is talking to Banquo. Banquo brings up the three ugly witches and Macbeth says, “I think not of them. Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve, we would spend it in some words upon that business, if you would grant the time” (II.i.30-33). He tells Banquo that the weird sisters are not on his mind but it is clearly evident that they are. He tells this lie to seem tough. He doesn’t want Banquo to think, in the end, that the witches had anything to do with King Duncan’s death. He diminishes the power of the witches to seem more powerful in comparison. He really strives to make it seem as if he is in control and not the witches.
3.Macbeth is feeling a great deal of guilt after killing King Duncan. He already regrets killing him and says, “I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; look on’t again I dare not” (II.ii.54-56). He struggles to find the will to continue. The remorse has taken him down and his wife realizes this. She takes over where her husband leaves off. Lady Macbeth is clearly glad that the murder has been committed. It was what she was waiting for, driven by her ambition. She says, “A little water clears us of this deed. How easy is it, then” (II.ii.71-72). She does not possess any of the guilt her husband is experiencing. For her simply washing the blood off her hands is enough to rid herself of the murder. This shows her cold heart. She, however, was not the one stabbing the blade into Duncan so this could greatly contribute to Macbeth’s guilty conscience.
4.Macbeth also kills the two guards that were supposed to be watching over King Duncan in the night as he slept. After these murders he says, “Oh, yet I do repent me of my fury, that I did kill them” (II.iii.108-109). He has murdered them to further take the suspicion off of himself. By taking initiative and killing the two guards it seems that he is truly hurt by the king’s death. Also the guards might have remembered something from the previous night. They could have seen Macbeth as the last one to be with Duncan before he is found dead. They were possible witnesses and he wanted to take every precaution to erase the suspicions on him.
5.It is clear that some of the recurring motifs in act two are blood, sleep, hand, and night. These words occur many times throughout the story so it makes sense that they are important in act two. Act two is a very bloody scene and it makes sense that these words would be predominate. Blood indicates the murder that Macbeth will commit. Night is a word that sets the ominous scene. Macbeth will kill Duncan when he is asleep and blood will forever be stained on his hands. Macbeth says, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this hand will multitudinous seas incarnadine” (II.ii.65-67). Macbeth wants to wash the red blood from his hands, but his murder has forever prevented the stain from leaving. Lennox says, “the night has been unruly” (II.iii.54). It is clear that a dark dead was committed this night.
Grigg- 2nd Analysis
ReplyDelete1.Banquo explicitly states his loyalty to King Duncan. Macbeth is trying to figure out his allegiance if he were to kill Duncan. He wants to know rather or not Banquo will be on his side and it is clear that he will not be. Banquo is good friends with Macbeth, but still very loyal to his king. He implies that if he had to make the choice between Duncan and Macbeth he would choose Duncan. This foreshadows the hatred Banquo will feel towards Macbeth after the murder.
2.He doesn’t tell Banquo that he is talking about the witches because he wants to hide his secret desire to be king. If Banquo had known that Macbeth was thinking about the prophecy then he would have realized he was after the throne. Banquo would have had a lot of suspicion of Macbeth murdering King Duncan. Macbeth’s ambition is seen through the quote, “Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires” (I.iv.50-51). It is clear that Macbeth is gunning for the crown and he is trying to keep it a secret from Banquo.
3.The ability for Lady Macbeth to take over just as it is evident Macbeth is unable to go on shows the unity between the couple. They have a strong bond. She says, “I’ll guild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt…My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white” (II.ii.60-61…68-69). She has bloodied her hands so she can go blame the crime on others. Macbeth was not able to do this himself. He already feels guilty enough committing murder.
4.Macbeth’s other victims are the guards that were supposed to be guarding King Duncan. He kills these to imply his innocence. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s plan is to act completely innocent and truly hurt by the murder. This is seen when Lady Macbeth faints at the knowledge of King Duncan dead in her house, “Help me hence, ho!” (II.iii.120). She speaks this as she is fainting. Macbeth acts truly hurt by the murder and pretends he acts in rage and lashes out against the guardsmen. He says, “Had I but died an hour before this chance I had lived a blesséd time; for from this instant” (II.iii.93-94). He portrays his character as one that is emotional and hurt by the fact that Duncan is dead.
5.The recurrence of the word blood indicates the dark murder that occurs in act two. Macbeth commits this murder and he has blood on his hands and all around him. The word night is recurring because it is the ultimate disguise for the murder. He does it will King Duncan is asleep and during the night so that he can be stealthy. The entire castle is asleep so he will not be caught. The next word, sleep, is the relaxation state that Duncan is in when he is murdered. Sleep is period of relaxation, of replenishment. Because he is killed in this state it signifies Macbeth’s inability to ever enter this period of replenishing again, “‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep,’ the innocent sleep…” (II.ii.39-40). The next recurring motif is the word hand. Macbeth commits the murders and is hands are very fouled and bloody. When his hands will not
1. on page 45 lines 27-30 Banquo says " So I lose none in seeking to augment it, but still keep My bosom franchised and allegiance clear, Shall be counseled" Here he is reaffirming his alegiance to King Duncan.
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3. Macbeth is really freaked out by the murder because he was the one that saw all the blood and caused all of it while Lady Macbeth had a reaction that it's not big deal and Macbeth needs to calm down and quit being a baby because they aren't going to get caught
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Arianna Amini Post #1
ReplyDelete1. Banquo reaffirms his allegiance to Macbeth on page 45 when he is talking to Macbeth in the late hours of the night. He says, "So I lose none in seeking to augment it, but still keep My bosom franchised and allegiance clear, Shall be counseled". He is reaffriming his allegiance and making it clear that he will be with Duncan until death. It is ironic how close Duncan really is to death and Banquo is making this statement. Even though Macbeth and Banquo are friends Banquo's allegiance is too Duncan.
2. In Act 2 Scene 1 Banquo asks Macbeth if he has thought about what the witches said about him becoming king. Even though Macbeth has for sure talked about it and planned on making the prophecy come true he lies to Banquo to hid the murder. He doesnt want Banquo to suspect anything therefore he stays quite about it. “Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires” (I.iv.50-51). Lady Macbeth gave him strict orders not to tell anyone about there plot to murder so they wouldnt be suspected to get in trouble. Macbeth followed orders and did as he was told.
3. Macbeth took the murder a lot more to heart because he was the one that had to go in and stab the king. He had to hear him scream and watch him bleed and die. Lady Macbeth was a little meany and didnt even help her husband. She just went in and cleaned up after Macbeth freaked out. Macbeth had to watch everything and feel the guilt because he saw everything.
4. Macbeth ends up killing 2 other guards on the way of killing Duncan. "Oh, yet I do repent me of my fury, that I did kill them” I dont really think he cares that much about killing the guards, but he cares more about killing Duncan. Also if he kills the guards it will make him look more innocent. Instead of being a suspect he acts like he is furious with the whole ordeal which makes him innocent.
5. Blood, hand, and night are recurring motifs. It is a very bloody scene from the murders to washing the blood off Macbeth. Hand is also veryr eaccuring as scene with MAcbeth's bloody hands and the hand that commits the deed. Also most of the scene occurs at night from the feast, to the conversation between Macbeth and Banquo, and then to the murder.
Grigg- 3rd analysis
ReplyDelete1.When Banquo reaffirms his loyalty to King Duncan it is apparent that his allegiance is with the current king and kingdom. When Macbeth asks him if he will support him Banquo says that he will help as long as his allegiance stays with Duncan. Banquo wants to stay innocent if something were to happen. He does not want the feeling of guilt that comes with murder. He wants a clean conscious. After the murder Banquo again ensures his loyalty is with the dead Duncan when he says, “In the hand of God I stand, and thence against the undivulged pretense I fight of treasonous malice” (II.iii.133-134). It is clear that Banquo and Macbeth will no longer be friends, but enemies, when it is known who the true murderer is.
2.Macbeth tries to hide is true thoughts of the witches. The lie is found when Macbeth says, “I think not of them. Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve, we would spend it in some words upon that business, if you would grant the time” (II.i.30-33). He diminishes the power of the witches to make him seem more powerful. He wants Banquo to think that the prophecy will not come true. If Banquo does not think Macbeth is thinking of them then when the murder is complete then he will not automatically jump to assume Macbeth as the killer.
3.Lady Macbeth throughout the course of the murder acts like she is the tough one. She is unafraid of the murder and appears to not have the guilt that Macbeth has, however she was not the one wielding the knife that killed Duncan. Lady Macbeth says, “A little water clears us of this deed” (II.ii.73). This shows that she does not have the guilt that Macbeth is feeling. Macbeth’s emotions are in stark contrast to Lady Macbeth’s when he says, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green on red” (II.ii.64-67). This shows that he feels the deed will never be washed from his hands. He feels immense remorse from the murder he has committed.
4.Macbeth’s other murders show his duplicitous persona. He is the one that killed King Duncan, yet he acts so hurt by the fact that he was found dead. He is extremely cruel in killing the guards that he knows have nothing to do with the murder. It was the malicious plan all along to kill the guards and they think nothing of it, “The death and nature do contend about them whether they live or die” (II.ii.7-8). They have come up with an evil plan to make their innocence known after the murder.
5.The recurrence of the word night is significant because it symbolizes the duplicity of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. They both are so malicious because they commit this evil murder, but then act so innocent. The night symbolizes a veil that hides the couple’s true feelings. Sleep relaxes the minds and replenishes the body from the day’s work and because Macbeth murders while Duncan is asleep it shows that he will never again be peaceful and replenished through sleep. The hands convey emotions. When the hands are covered in blood it conveys their guilt. They try to hide this by washing them but the true murder will always stain their hands red. The recurrence of blood shows how dark the act is. The blood symbolizes the absolute death of King Duncan. It also shows the guiltiness of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.
Grigg, Ari, Allegra, Kuhen
ReplyDelete1.The passage in which Banquo reaffirms his loyalty to King Duncan is, “So I lose none in seeking to augment it, but still keep my bosom franchised and allegiance clear, I shall be counseled” (II.i.27-29). He wants to make it clear to Macbeth that even though they are really good friends he will always be loyal to the King. Macbeth is very two-faced. He kind of knows something will go wrong and he wants to ensure his loyalty with King Duncan. This is ironic because it is in the back of Macbeth’s mind that he will kill Duncan and he is worried Banquo will hate him and ruin their friendship.
Allegra Post 2
ReplyDelete2. Macbeth lies in saying that he doesn’t think of the witches. He’s afraid of Banquo knowing his fate after he has killed Duncan and believing the witches prophecy came true. He wants to seem brave and powerful and will not admit to the witches having any affect on him and making him seem inferior. He does not want to openly discuss the witches’ power over him and admit their power. He wants to be the one in control.
3. Macbeth seems truly scarred by the event. Since Lady Macbeth was not the one who actually did the deed, she cannot sympathize with him. Macbeth seems to be in state where he does not know what’s real or an illusion, and recognizes his wrongness. Lady Macbeth, however, is very laissez-faire about the whole situation and just wants him to wipe the blood off of his hands, while Macbeth is full of remorse. Lady Macbeth has gotten what she’s wanted by Duncan’s death and cannot relate to Macbeth’s feelings of guilt.
4. Macbeth also kills the guards. I think it was unnecessary for him to do this and eventually it will arise suspicion from other people. I think he was so overwhelmed at killing Duncan and it was a spur of the moment decision to kill them. They could possibly point the blame at Macbeth, which could eventually lead to his fall. By killing them without a completely legitimate , however, Macbeth has already contributed to his demise. It will come back to haunt him.
Allegra Post 3
ReplyDelete5. A recurring motif is blood. Blood symbolizes Duncan's death, and by Macbeth washing off the blood shows that he is trying to erase his sins and reality.
Allegra Post 4
ReplyDelete1. He says, "So I lose none In seeking to augment it, but still keep My bosom franchised and allegiance clear, I shall be counseled’” (Act 2 Scene 1), proving his loyalty. He says this so Macbeth will know that even though they are friends, he will never go behind Duncan's back. Macbeth strongly believes that his future will be good, and wants Banquo to share some of that experience with him and have the opportunity for what he considers to be a good future too. The difference between the two is that Banquo is still cautious of the witches' prophecy and Macbeth says that he never thinks about it. He is hopeful for a future full of power and the things he desires and thinks that killing Duncan is the right decision. Banquo, however, remains loyal to Duncan no matter what. I think this foreshadows Banquo's murder because someone so loyal to Duncan is capable of lots of power and Macbeth would not let that get in his way.
2. I'll add a concrete detail- the exact lines are: "I think not of them"(Act 2 Scene 1). In these lines, "them" refers to the witches and their prophecy.
Allegra Post 5
ReplyDelete3. Lady Macbeth has more sense and logic during this situation than Macbeth since she didn't actually commit the crime. She asks Macbeth, "Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there." showing her slight fear of getting caught and evidence being shown. In a way she helps the situation because if Macbeth was alone he could do something stupid and give himself away because of the fact that he is so torn up over the murder. This is also the moment where their intimacy does not seem as strong as it was before. It is the start of their fading love. Lady Macbeth essentially made the decision to kill Duncan for him, but she is not able to experience the feelings that he did after. This is the first time they have conflicting reactions and feelings.
4. In addition to Macbeth's panic, he recalls the night of the murder, “One cried ‘God bless us!’ and ‘Amen!’ the other, As they had seen me with these hangman’s hands’” (Act 2 Scene 2, Lines 30-31). This is also another motive for him to kill rather than just the fact that he was panicked and on somewhat of a killing spree.
5.“I see thee still, and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before. There is no such thing.” Macbeth is hallucinating about blood on his dagger that is not really there, foreshadowing the murder of Duncan. The blood symbolizes his power. His power relies on the murder of Duncan, and since he hasn’t killed him yet in this scene, the power is technically not there. In the scene, blood is symbolic of his power. It represents the power that is not his yet. The blood of Duncan will represent his success In killing him, but it also transforms into a symbol of guilt. After murdering Duncan, the power is still not there. Throughout the play, power is often associated with men, blood, war, and desire.
Allegra Post 6
ReplyDelete5. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red.” Macbeth’s murder is not only evident with blood, but emotionally scarring to him. Even though he can physically clean the blood off, the damage and regrets will still be with him no matter what. Blood represents the guilt of the crime. He believes that the crime he has committed is so heinous that even if he were to wipe off the blood, it is still a large enough amount of guilt that it could fill the ocean.
Macbeth is seen here again mentioning blood. Instead of symbolizing power and/or war, it symbolizes the murder of Duncan and the guilt Macbeth feels. Blood as a symbol has changed throughout the course of the story as the plot develops and Macbeth starts using his free will and making decisions.
Arianna Amini Post #2
ReplyDelete1. Banquo swears his allegiance to King Duncan even though him and Macbeth are friends. He has heard the prophecy from the witches and knows that there is a chance that Macbeth could be king. He makes it known to Macbeth that if he becomes king he will take sides with Duncan and if Macbeth does go through and kill King Duncan he might have to kill Banquo as well to get rid of him
2. Macbeth is trying to cover up his plan as much as possible. He tries his best not to let Banquo know that he has thought about the prophecy because Banquo might think that Macbeth is planning something. He tries to act as nuetral as possible and he acts like he doesnt care. He cant let Banquo know about his and Lady Macbeth's plan to murder King Duncan, everything would be ruined.
3. Macbeth completly loses it after killing Duncan. He feels guilty and so much remorse he does not know what to do with himself. He acts crazy and makes rational decisions about everything. He takes the swords from the scene and becomes very paranoid about everything. He keeps hearing noises and freaking out. Lady MAcbeth is calm andcollected until she shesthat Macbeth has taken swords from the crime scene. She is left to pickup the pieces and clean up her husband's act. She finishes the murder and takes care of Macbeth while he is left freaking out by the well. She is the sensible one in this situation while Macbeth is making a fool of himself.
4. He ends up killing both the guardsmen the day the murder has been found. He says he did it out of anger but it is really a show that he puts on so no one will know he committed the murder. Even though he thinks it will make him less guilty, it is a suspicious and crazy move that makes him more gulty. It raises suspicion in many people and he should have just left things unsaid and not killed the guardmens out of fear.
5. Another motif is blood. We see blood a lot in this actbecause of all the scenes of killing. The guardsmen and killing of Duncan have a lot of blood in it. Macbeth freaks out after murdering Duncan and can't stop talking about the blood. It just comes up a lot during this act.
Arianna Amini
ReplyDeletePost #3
1.The passage in which Banquo reaffirms his loyalty to King Duncan is, “So I lose none in seeking to augment it, but still keep my bosom franchised and allegiance clear, I shall be counseled” (II.i.27-29). He wants to make it clear to Macbeth that even though they are really good friends he will always be loyal to the King. Macbeth is very two-faced. He kind of knows something will go wrong and he wants to ensure his loyalty with King Duncan. This is ironic because it is in the back of Macbeth’s mind that he will kill Duncan and he is worried Banquo will hate him and ruin their friendship.
2. Allegra I agree with what you said about Macbeth lieing for better reasons. I feel that he lied to keepa secret he knew that if Banquo knew it would destroy his plan and way of the throne.
3. Grigg, I agree when you say Macbeth is scared. He is mortified by the incident and does not know what to do with himself. Lady Macbeth is being the strong one in this situation and is left to pick up the pieces
4. He kills the guardsmen to show his loyatl to King Duncan even though he killed him. It was a cover up so people wouldnt suspect that he murdered him. Even though this made him more suspicious and a suspect he felt that he was covering it up good.
5. Blood, hand, and other words are recourring words in the paragraph. They are used to prove a point and they are repeated for a reason. They live an impact and they mean something