Act 2

• Words to describe Macbeth in act 2

  Foil to Banquo, Depiction, Dishonesty, Heinous, Volta, Fatalities, Inner turmoil, Motif of sleep, Premature guilt, Abstaining responsibility.
• Banquo as a foil to Macbeth

  Banquo isis a tool to explore man's reaction to temptation. Macbeth's dishonest dual nature juxtaposes Banquo. He is still plagued by the thoughts of the witches prophecies: "I dreamed lastlast night of the three weird sisters." It seems superstition is taking a hold of him and trespassing on his unconscious. Conrastingly, Macbeth claims "I think not of them". This shows Banquo as an honest, moral character, in order to amplify Macbeth's dishonesty and deception.
• Banquo as a foil to Macbeth.

  Arguably, he is emblematic of Jesus, as he confesses his temptations. Banquo claims the heavens " candles are all out" in reference to the lack or stars in the sky. Banquo seeks solace from heaven, contrasting Macbeth trying to hide from them: "stars hide your fires", this motif of stars exposes Macbeth and Banquo as diametrically opposes in their aspirations. Macbeth wants to hide his malicious intentions from God, yet Banquo wants to confess to be free of them
• Banquo as a foil to Macbeth

  Banquo is an important tool in characterizing Macbeth as a tragedy, as it exposes that it is Macbeth's hamartia of ambition that drives his heinous acts. Banquo too was subject to the same temptation, but actively chose to resist it. Hamartia is a key component of a tragedy
• Macbeth's soliloquy

  Soliloquies are a device used by Shakespeare to give the audience insight into the inner workings of a character's mind. In act 2, scene 1 (just before killing Duncan), we are given insight into the mental turmoil of Macbeth. This is a volta (turning point) for his character as it is when he begins to experience the effects of guilt.
• Macbeth's soliloquy - quotes 1

  The rhetorical question, "Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle towards my hand? Come let me clutch thee" shows his internal conflict and confusion, foreshadowing his later madness. The phrase 'the handle towards my hand' suggests he is ridding himself of responsibility over the murder as if it was being offered to him or forced upon him. From this, we learn that he can acknowledge the immorality of his actions, yet ambition takes over.
• Macbeth's soliloquy - quotes 2

  This is reinforced by the ambiguous phrase, "fatal vision". The adjective "fatal" simultaneously alludes to the fatalities that will come as a result of the tragedy (including Macbeth himself) and the idea that his actions are decreed by fate. The latter suggests another example of Macbeth abstaining responsibility as he dismisses it as conducted by higher powers or density.
• Macbeth's soliloquy - quotes 3

  He calls the dagger an "instrument", perhaps alluding to how the "instruments of darkness" with their dark musicality have bought him to this point of inner turmoil.

  The staging here can be interesting, as if the dagger is shown on stage, it draws the audience into Macbeth's madness. A contemporary audience would be confounded by the enigma of the supernatural and the power they hold - is the dagger a supernatural manifestation or is it a hallucination? Conversely, if the dagger if invisible, Macbeth's madness becomes apparent earlier in the play.
• Macbeth's soliloquy - the dagger

  Essentially, Macbeth uses the dagger as a scapegoat to expel himself of the blame for regicide as a coping mechanism for his premature guilt.
• Macbeth's disintegrating mind

  His abandonment of religion, the foundations of Jacobean society, is salient as in his hallucinations he hears "God bless us". The repetition of the statement, paired with the biblical cries of "Amen" highlights how Macbeth has deviated so far from God and religion, this will begin to torture his mind on earth before his will be eternally tortured in hell.
• Macbeth's disintegrating mind 2

  Macbeth after the murder is born into a climax of insanity, he exclaims "I heard a voice cry, 'Sleep no more: Macbeth does murder sleep', the innocent sleep." It portrays he is so perturbed by guilt that he is imprisoned within a state of restlessness. The repetition of "sleep" portrays him stumbling over his words, he has even lost control over his lexis and articulation.
• Motif of sleep

  Sleep plays an important part in exploring the notion of innocence throughout the play, an inability to sleep is synonymous with a loss of innocence. Sleep represents tranquillity and healing "sore labour's bath", the noun "bath" reinforces this as it connotes cleanliness, which is also synonymised with innocence through the allusions to the washing of blood.