Study Questions for 2.

1-2

As you review these two scenes,
circle the words sleep, death, nature, night, blood, and hands.

2.1
2.1.25-39
Paraphrase the final words of the conversation between Macbeth and Banquo.

2.1.44-77
Read the "Is this a dagger..." soliloquy carefully.
Mark each time Macbeth changes the subject of his speech.

1) In what direction is the hilt of the dagger pointing? How is this direction
significant?

2) How does the suspended dagger instruct Macbeth to act? Is this how he
planned to act?

3) What does Macbeth say about his eyes? Can Macbeth trust his vision or
his other four senses?

4) How does the appearance of the dagger change? What does this
foreshadow?

5) How does Macbeth explain the hallucination?

6) How does the dagger continue the motif (the pattern or recurring idea) of
uncertain appearances? Of things appearing to be one way and then
another, or two ways at once?

7) How does Macbeth describe the night? What is the quality of sleep in this
passage? What figurative language is used (personification? simile?
metaphor?), and to what effect?

8) What is the significance of the lines that address the "firm-set earth"?

9) What does the final couplet indicate about Macbeth's feelings toward
Duncan? Does this indicate a change in Macbeth?





2.2
Explore how Shakespeare builds tension throughout the scene.

1) Scene two begins with Lady Macbeth. In these speeches she admits to
having consumed alcohol in order to be able to fulfill her role in the
murder.
What does this suggest about her strength of character?

2) What is her role in the murder?

3) What does Macbeth hear the guards say? Do you think the guards
actually speak, or is this another hallucination? How does Macbeth
describe sleep? Has he indeed murdered sleep? How so?

4) What is the importance of Lady Macbeth's comment in lines 45-46:

These deeds must not be thought
After these ways; so, it will make us mad.

5) When Lady Macbeth realizes that Macbeth has failed to remove the
daggers from the scene, she appears strong and angry. How does she
respond to Macbeth's weakness?

6) In line 61, Lady Macbeth instructs Macbeth to "wash this filthy witness
from your hand." In lines 76-81, how does Macbeth describe washing his
hands? How does Lady Macbeth describe the same action?

7) Explain the significance of "To know my deed, 'twer best not know myself"
at 93. How would you describe Macbeth's feelings at the end of the
scene?

8) What is going on with the knocking? What is your understanding of these
stage directions?