Macbeth+-+after+Act+II

Respond to the following. Be clear and specific. Complete sentences not required. I suggest you print this page and include the questions in your notes.

Act II
 * 1) Comment on Banquo's speech beginning “There's husbandry in heaven...” and ending “...in repose.” Define husbandry. Remember that this play would originally have been performed in the daytime, using natural light.
 * 2) After his servant leaves him (Act II, scene i, line 33 and following) Macbeth imagines he can see something (in some film versions the audience may be shown this, too). What is it? Explain why, you think, Macbeth sees this, especially at this time and in this place. Is it more impactful if this item is visible seen by the audience or not? Explain.
 * 3) Lady Macbeth says, “That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold.” Who are “them” and why should she want them to be drunk? What has made her bold? What does she mean?
 * 4) Sometimes Shakespeare shows killing onstage (mostly at the end of a play). Why, in your view, is the killing of Duncan not shown, but understood to happen offstage?
 * 5) How is Macbeth's mind affected by the murder of Duncan? Find and record specific line references.
 * 6) Who is more practical after the killing, Macbeth or his wife? How do you know? Refer to the text. Be specific. What reasons are there for this?
 * 7) The scene featuring the porter makes a great contrast with what goes before and after it. This scene is intended to be funny. This technique is often explained by the phrase “Comic Relief.” Explain why Shakespeare should use comedy at this point in an otherwise not very comical play? Because of this scene Shakespeare is thought by some to be in the inventor of the knock-knock joke. Why would some think this?
 * 8) After Duncan's death, Macbeth says, “All is but toys.” Explain what you think he means by saying this. He is, of course, concealing his part in the murder, but do you think he is sincere when he makes this statement? Why or why not?
 * 9) How do Malcolm and Donalbain react to the murder of their father? Is this a wise course of action? Give reasons in favor of this and against it. What other things might they do in this situation?
 * 10) An old man tells Ross about a “mousing owl” that killed a falcon and about Duncan's horses turning wild and eating each other. What might be the point of this speech? Comment on the idea of things being “unnatural” at this point in the play.