Macbeth - Act 3 Reading Journal

Scene 1
- Banquo's scepticism of Macbeth's new title of king; "Thou hast it now: king, cawdor, glamis all, as the wierd sisters promised, and i fear thou play'dst most foully for't". Note that banquo is being open with Macbeth with these thoughts; he is not, at this stage, concearned that macbeth will kill him because he knows too much. he still sees him as his friend
- Macbeth's first fear of what banquo knows; "Our fears in banquo stick deep" and "My genius rebuked". Macbeth is concearned that if banquo tells anyone what has been going on, they will figure out that Macbeth killed Duncan for the throne.
- Macbeth gets two murderers in - lower class citizens, who he tells that Banquo is their opressor in a bad society; "Both of you know banquo was your enemy...so he is mine". He manipulates the murderers, so they do not question their king's motives behind the requested assassination.
- Macbeth's fear of a 'fruitless crown' is brought forwards; "Fleance his son...must embrace the fate of that dark hour" to end the possibility of banquo's prophesy coming true
Scene 2
- "O, full of scorpions is my mind" - the beginning of madness?
- "There's comfort yet; they are assailable." hints that murder has become Macbeth's preferred way of dealing with problems
- "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest" shows roll reversal, in that he is now taking charge, wheras Lady took charge earlier in the play
Scene 3
- First onstage murder of the play
- Is done badly by the murderers, who struggle and miss Fleance
Scene 4
- the presence of banquo's ghost can be the same as the dagger in macbeth's sololiquy, in that it ma or may not actually be visable to the audience. however, if an interpretation shows the dagger to be invisible but the ghost visable, it could emphasise macbeth's gradual decent into madness
- Speaks to the apparition this time. last time, he simply thought to himself aloud. He beleves it is real this time, without doubting it
- Lady desprately tries to pass Macbeth's iratic behaviour off as normal, but in doing so, further alienates the other onstage characters. Her theatrical side comes out again to manipulate others.
Scene 5
- Witches. Hecate tells them off for not asking her permission to meddle. shows they are rebelling against their authority, reinforcing the interpretation that they are just out to be entertained at other's expense
Scene 6
- two interpretations; Lennox is grilling the Lord for information, or Lennox and the Lord have met up secretly to talk politics. We find out that Macduff has fled to england to attempt to gain an army and oust macbeth
- Treachery by Macduff is gossip to the other lords of the court; shamefull macduff?

Macbeth - Act 2 Reading Journal

Scene 1

- Enter Macbeth, Banquo and Fleance. Shakespeare's use of irony - Banq:  Who's there? MacB: A friend.

- Mention of the Sisters. Macbeth lies about his thoughts - Banq:  I dreamt last night of the three Wierd Sisters... MacB: I think not of them.

- Dagger Soliloquy: MacBeth questions the apparition in front of him; "Is this a dagger" "Art thou but a dagger of the mind". Is Macbeth questioning his sanity?

- "Whichcraft celebrates pale Hecat's offerings" suggests that he suspects the witches' involvement in his apparition

Scene 2

- Relegious connections to the scene: "it is a knell that summons the to heaven or to hell", "One said 'God bless us' and 'Amen' the other...I could not say 'Amen'.", "I had most need of blessing, and 'Amen' stuck in my throat." This shows Macbeth's despair at his high treason. It is a sin so bad that he cannot repent of his crime to God.

- Lady Macbeth begins to show signs of a concience; "Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done't."

- Foreshadowing to Lady's future; "These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us mad."

- Remorsefull Macbeth; "I am afraid to think what i have done; Look on't again I dare not", and "Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!"

Scene 3

- Porter's Scene; Shakespeare's fool. The comic relief of the tragedy. However, it has been argued that the porter is not comic at all, but another gothic character that brings out the themes of relegion and madness.
- Relegion: his main topic of speach is hell and those going to hell. "If a man were porter of hell-gate he should have old turning the key", and "i'the name of Belzibub?" insinuate hell's evil and eternity.
- The knocking within seems to slowly drive the porter insane, as his rants get more and more farfetched with each knocking. his drunken state means he rants and takes a long time to answer the door; but with each knock he becomes more aggitated as the knocks interrupt him. Madness is reflected in the porter's drunken state.
- Macduff is introduced here; his respective responses to the porter's rants paint him in an honourable light, perhaps setting him up as the play's eventual hero.
- Lennox descrbes how the evil of Macbeth's conspiracy and the witches' supernatueral soliciting has reflected on the kingdom; "Chimneys were blown down...strange screams of death...accents terrible...woefull time"
- Macbeth shrugs this off - "'Twas a rough night."
- Macbeth almost slips up and confesses - "O yet I do repent of my fury, That i did kill them" (Macduff: Wherefore did you so?")
- Lady realises his mistake, and swoons to distract them.
- Malcolm and Donalbain flee for their lives, placing some suspiccion on them from the other characters