I think what stood out the most for me in Act II was the change in
Macbeth as a character. In the beginning on Act II, he is shaken with thoughts
of the task he had to complete and even refuses to return to the room to plant
the daggers on the chamberlains, which leaves Lady Macbeth to finish the
task. Even when he returned with blood on his hands, he felt as though the
blood would not come off and had to be reassured by Lady M, that a few
drops of water would forgive the deed. What I found most
Interesting was how Macbeth acted after Duncan’s body was
discovered. Macbeth sprung into action and gave off a confidence we had not
seen in Act I. He became the forefront between Lady M and himself. Macbeth
becomes focused on what his action will eventually bring him, which is the
throne and all his previously shaken thoughts are thrown out the window. I
honestly wonder how long he can keep this up. Seeing as before the deed was
done he was already experiencing guilt driven hallucinations. Macbeth's
thirst for power has driven him to commit murder; it seems as though he
can change at the drop of a dime, and become someone entirely different when it
comes to the matter getting to be king. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are a very
interesting dynamic; I get the feeling that Lady M has to be weak in order for
Macbeth to set up. For example, when Duncan’s body was found Lady M fainted
and Macbeth took charge, or even before that when Macbeth went to murder
Duncan and came back unwilling to return to plant the daggers. They seem
to feed off each other in a way that is unhealthy and never being able
to find a balance.
1. How far is Macbeth willing to go to keep the throne?
2. What will happen to the sons of Duncan? How do they feel about
the death of their father?
3. Is Macbeth going to be able to keep this secret without driving
himself insane?
4. Will the remaining men still be trusting of Macbeth? Will their
suspicion affect their relationship?
5. Will the other prophecies take this type of action to be
fulfilled?
Good start Haley. I like your discussion questions at the end of your post and I appreciate that you gave some thought to Macbeth and Lady M's motivations. Remember I would like you to do some close readings in these posts, which means pulling in some quotes or a short passage and analyzing it. While you did pin point a few scenes I want to see some text for you to work with. Good start and keep improving!
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