macbeth act 2

• soliloquy- act 2 scene 1

  • Act 2, Scene 1 – mental turmoil of Macbeth.
  • volta of his character – effect of guilt.
  • Rhetorical “Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand?”
  • exposes inner turmoil, conflict, and confusion.
  • Foreshadows carcass of insanity.
  • “Handle toward my hand” – ridding himself of responsibility as if murder was offered or forced upon him.
  • He acknowledges immorality but ambition takes over.
• soliloquy - “fatal vision”

  • Ambiguous phrase “fatal vision”
  • adjective “fatal”simultaneously alludes to the fatalities that subcome to tragedy and the idea that his actions are decreed by fate.
  • Later suggests another example of Macbeth abstaining responsibility as he absolves it as conducted by higher power of destiny.
• soliloquy - “instrument“

  • Calls the dagger “instrument” perhaps alluding to how the “instruments of darkness” with their show of masculinity have brought him to a point of sheer inner turmoil.
  • Staging draws attention to Macbeth’s madness
  • contemporary audience would be confounded by the enigma of supernatural entities.
  • Dagger is Macbeth’s scapegoat to expel himself of blame for regicide as a coping mechanism for premature guilt.
• foil of banquo topic sentence

  constructs banquo as foil in order to hold a mirror up to macbeth’s harmatia. banquos virtue exposes macbeth’s dishonesty and susceptibility to temptation. his extra-celestial quality appeased james 1, banquos descendent
• foil to banquo - “i dreamed of the three wierd sisters”

  • banquo is plagued by thoughts of the witches
  • superstition is trespassing his unconsciousness
  • contrasts macbeths dishonesty and deception
• foil to banquo - “candles are all out” 


  • emblematic of jesus christ in confessing temptations
  • claims the heavens ”candles are all out“ in reference to the lack of stars in the sky
  • seeks solace from heaven rather than trying to hide “stars hide your fires”
  • motif of stars exposed macbeth and banquos diametrically opposed ambitions
  • important tool in characterising macbeths harmatia and shaping the tragedy
  • banquo was subject to same temptations but consciously resisted
• disintegrating mind

  • abandons religion, the foundation of jacobean society is salient
  • hallucinations resite in ”god bless us”
  • repetition is paralleled with biblical cries of “amen“
  • highlights how macbeth has deviated so far from god and religion
  • it begins to torture his mind on earth before eternal torture in hell
• disintegrating mind- sleep

  • after murder he’s born into climax of insanity
  • “i heard a voice cry sleep no more”/“the innocent sleep”
  • so perturbed by guilt he is imprisoned within a state of restlessness
  • repetition of “sleep” portrays him we stumbling over words
  • loss of lexis and articulation