![]() They discuss the murderer, wondering if their own lives are in danger. Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, arrive some time later. Macbeth, however, kills the guards, claiming his rage made him do so. The guards, covered in blood and clueless about the previous night's events, are immediately blamed. ![]() Lady Macbeth arrives at the scene, feigning her own disbelief, even going so far as to pretend to faint. Immediately, all of the thanes rush to Duncan's chambers, of course finding him dead. Macduff comes running back to report that Duncan has been murdered. Macduff goes off to see the king, and Lennox remarks on the fierce storm that raged the night before. Macbeth enters the scene, and Macduff asks if Duncan is yet awake. The porter continues to ramble humorously on about the effects of alcohol to them. He does eventually open the door, letting in Macduff and Lennox, two of Duncan's thanes. He is clearly hungover from the revelry of the night before, and he pretends that he is the gatekeeper of hell. In the case of Macbeth, the comic relief comes in the form of the doorkeeper to the castle, the porter. These scenes are designed to break the dramatic tension with a short, humorous scene. ![]() Shakespeare often incorporated scenes of comic relief into his plays, especially his tragedies. At the end of this scene Macbeth states, "wake Duncan with thy knocking, I would thou couldst." Here, he essentially says that he wishes the knocking would wake Duncan up, showing that he does indeed feel regret for what he has done. Meanwhile, a knocking sound can be heard throughout the castle. She returns, also covered in blood, and remarks how easily water will wash away their crimes. She calls him a coward and takes the daggers from him, delivering them back to the scene of the crime. Lady Macbeth scolds him, enraged when she sees that he has bought the murder weapons with him. Clearly shaken by what he has done, Macbeth rambles on about how he has "murdered sleep" and how disturbed he was that he could not say "amen" to the guards' prayers. Duncan's actual murder is never seen in the play, only the events leading up to it and its aftermath. Macbeth emerges from Duncan's chambers, covered in blood. ![]() However, her comment also places the responsibility for the physical murder solely upon Macbeth. This is the first time that Lady Macbeth shows any sign of a conscience. She remarks that, if Duncan hadn't looked so much like her own father, she might have murdered him herself. She has already drugged the guards and is waiting for Macbeth to complete the murder. At the end of this scene, Macbeth hears a ringing of a bell, which is Lady Macbeth's signal that they should commence their murder plans. But this is not the first hallucination that will appear in the play. However, he concludes that it must just be only hallucination, a manifestation of his feelings of guilt in his plans to kill Duncan. It also seems to him that the handle is pointed toward his hand, as if it beckons him to clutch it and complete Duncan's murder. ![]() In one of the most famous soliloquys in the play, Macbeth sees a hallucination of the dagger, seeming to point the way toward Duncan's murder. However, Fleance's presence is a reminder to the audience that, though Macbeth might be king, it will not be a position he keeps if the witches' prophecies are to be believed.Īfter Fleance and Banquo leave, Macbeth is alone on stage. Macbeth feigns disinterests in the topic, and the two agree to discuss the witches at a later time. Banquo tells Macbeth that he recently had a dream about the witches and the prophecies, mentioning, in particular, that one of Macbeth's prophecies has come true in some regard. Macbeth emerges from the darkness, and speaks to Banquo. Act II opens with Banquo and his son, Fleance, making their way to bed in Macbeth's castle. ![]()
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