Macbeth Act 2 Scene 2

In Act 2 scene 2 lady Macbeth is being a hypocrite. "That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold." Lady Macbeth had to drink in order to have the courage to go with the plan. She didn't even have to kill king Duncan, Macbeth had to. An omen appeared in this scene. "It was the owl that shrieked." This is an omen of death which connects Macbeth to a Greek tragedy. In this scene Macbeth has committed the worse crime you can do which is regicide. Macbeth killed king Duncan. Macbeth feels guilty for what he has done. Macbeth's tragic flaw is his ambition. His morality is in struggle with his tragic flaw. This is an example of his heroes ethos this is another example of a Greek tragedy. "I could not say "amen" when they did say "God bless us." This quote exemplifies Macbeth's guilt which really bothers him.

Lady Macbeth foreshadows her own madness. "These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us mad." Macbeth believes he has taken away everything of resources of sleep. "Methought I heard a voice cry "sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep." Macbeth also will not sleep anymore because of his guilt. He also thought someone might have cursed him. "Still it cried "sleep no more!" Macbeth's multiple identities will not sleep because of Macbeth's guilt. When everyone finds out the king has been murdered, suspicion raises. "I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal for it must seem their guilt." Macbeth blames the guards for killing king Duncan to make him look innocent. "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" This quote is a reference to Greek tragedy and a literary illusion to Oedipus Rex. 

Banquo's monologue

In Act 3 Banquo has his own monologue. He suspects that Macbeth was the one who killed king Duncan, just like the witches promised. "King, Cawdor, Glamis, all as the Weird Women promised." The reader might also think that Banquo knows the witches cursed Macbeth. Macbeths fate is to become king but its the checks he makes to make his fate come faster. This is where the theme fate vs free will plays apart in the Scottish play.  The reader also has a feeling that his monologue foreshadows Banquo's  

Banquo seems confused because his children should be next in throne. "But that myself should be the root and father of many kings." False appearance plays a huge role in this scene. Banquo knows Macbeth is faking his innocence. "And set me up in hope? But hush, no more." This quote means Banquo will stop the madness that Macbeth is causing. 

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Regicide

In act 1 scene 5 Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth about his title and how he can be next in throne if he kills king Duncan. Lady Macbeth turns to the evil spirits to make her in charge of that situation. Lady Macbeth feels like Macbeth doesn't have enough courage to kill King Duncan. "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty." Lady Macbeth also asks the evil spirits to change her sex in order to become in charge. She says she wants thick blood. Back then men had thick blood and women had thin blood because they lose blood during puberty. 

Lady Macbeth is breaking natural order because she wants to become a man for evil reasons. "Come to my woman's breasts and take my milk for gall." It is thought that in this scene Lady Macbeth might be a witch. This is also another example of Lady Macbeth breaking natural order because of witch craft. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are two faced. Their false words towards the King makes the king clueless on who they are. "Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dun nest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes." Lady Macbeth hopes that no one knows of the planning of killing King Duncan. Macbeth said this early in scene 5. This is an example of false appearance because no one knows what they are going to do. In scene 5 the two themes breaking natural order and false appearance are commonly used.  

Macbeth Thane of Cawdor

In scene three Act 1 the witches meet again to torture Macbeth. Macbeth and Banquo are on their way to the king's court at Forres. They pass by the old witches and are disgusted by their appearances. The witches congratulate Macbeth with him being the Thane of Cawdor. They also say that Banquo is "lesser than Macbeth, and greater," and "not so happy, yet much happier." Macbeth gets fixated with his new title and this is what the witches want Macbeth to do.

The witches had beards, which were their false identities to not reveal their real appearances. They also did this for evil purposes.  The witches also broke the rules of natural order. They disobeyed the role of women in society by looking like men. The witches lead Macbeth onto his fate. Macbeth will become king no matter what he does. Macbeth can make a choice that will make his fate come faster, that represents free will. Since Macbeth is Christian there might be a ray of hope. 

Three witches from Macbeth

The class watched three interpretations of act 1 scene 1 of Macbeth. All of the video clips were really gruesome. The first video clip was broadcasted by BBC. This clip started out with all the characters in a circle. Two famous characters were in it, a man who was Gandolf in the Hobbit and Petunia from Harry potter. Two witches are doing witch craft by sucking out the powers of a mentally ill woman. On the other hand the priest of Scotland is praying and worshiping God. He is dressed in all white. All of the witches have familiars which are spirits in a form of an animal. They are all worshiping and talking to their familiars and the demon just like the priest worshiping the spirit of God. The three witches represent the three themes in Macbeth which are false appearance, breaking natural order, and fate vs. free will. This clip was dull and not understandable. The video clip mostly represented breaking natural order because the three witches were doing witch craft and going against the rules.

The second video clip that the class watched was directed by Polanski. This scene starts out with a barren desert and then the desert turns into a beach. The scenery was very gloomy. The three witches meet together and draw a circle in the sand with a stick. Then the dig up the sand and put witch craft materials in it to cast a spell. The important thing the witches put in the dug up circle was a hand of glory. A hand of glory is a of a human who has been hung and used for a spell. The hand was holding a dagger. Later in the play Macbeth sees a magical dagger which might have been the dagger the witches buried. After the witches burry everything they poured blood and spat on the circle. One witch is blind but can see other things figuratively just like the Greek oracle. This clip was calming because of the sounds in the background but strange because of the witchcraft. The video clip mostly represented the theme of free will vs. fate because the witches made choices that will effect Macbeth's fate.

The last video was broadcasted by PBS. This clip was very disturbing and freaky. The scenery and costuming was based on World War 2. The start of the video is scene 2 but it leads into scene 1. This clip also had some twist and turns that the class didn't expect. There are three nurses taking care of an injured solider and they cut out his artery. Blood squirts out of his neck and he dies. The three nurses turn out to be the three witches which was unexpected. One witch pulls out the man heart and all the witches chant "fair is foul, and foul is fair, Hover through the fog and filthy air." They chant this repeatedly which might be a motif in the play. This video mostly represents false appearance because the witches were disguised as nurses.