Thursday 10 November 2011

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

1 comment:

  1. These are good comments. You are noting character developments well. Please finish them. Keep your points brief.

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