act 2 scene 1

• "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand?" (Macbeth after he kills Duncan, Act 2, Scene 1)


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• 'with tarquin's ravishing strides towards his design' (Act 2)


  Macbeth's ambition is futher fuelled by the lingering emasculation he experienced at the hands of Lady Macbeth in the beginning of the play. For him, power becomes synonymous with brutality, which is compounded by his insatiable ambition which propels him towards a relentless pursuit of dominance through brute force. Alternatively, the diction 'design' connotes intentional creation, mirroring Macbeth's intentional crafting of his desired position as King through ambitious pursuits.
• 'I dream'd of the three weird sisters last night' (Banquo Act 2) / 'I think not of them (Macbeth Act 2) 


  The abstract noun 'dream'd' signifies Banquo's affliction, suggesting that not only haunted in his walking moments but also in the realm of sleep. This implies the intrusion of superstition into Banquo's consciousness trespassing on his unconscious mind.
• 'tarquin's ravishing strides' link to 'The Rape of Lucrece'


  This line is an allusion to Shakespeare's poem 'the rape of lucrece' which depcits the king of Rome, Tarquinius, who raped Lucrece the Wife of Collatinus, which lead too her suicide and the rise of the democracy in Rome. What happens to Tarquin is like Macbeth, in that they are both punished. Lady Macbeth and Lucrece both commited suicide, they both are simliar because of the guilt they both felt from recent events
• motif of sleep

  the motif of sleep in the play becomes synonymous with the loss of innocence. As Macbeth grapples with guilt, he declares he will 'sleep no more' echoing LM's somnambulant state towards the end of the play. Intriguingly, Banquo retains the capacity to sleep, but acknowledges his ability to 'dream'. This dichotomy illuminates Banquo's preservation of innocence, as he truthfully admits to being captivated by the supernatural without succumbing to guilt-induced insomnia like the Macbeth's
• 'is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle towards my hand?'


  the rhetorical question suggests he is ridding himself of the responsibility over the murder he will commit. Even before the treacherous act of regicide, he understands that it will plague his conscience, so he poses that it has been put 'towards' him - he has involuntarily been subjected to inner turmoil.