Act II: Scene 1
Summary
As Macbeth
makes his way toward the king's bedchamber, he encounters Banquo with his son
Fleance. Banquo has been unable to sleep and explains to Macbeth that he has
been dreaming of the weird sisters. After arranging to meet again in order to
discuss the matter, Banquo asserts his allegiance to the king and bids good
night to Macbeth. No sooner is Macbeth alone, than he has an extraordinary
experience. Either in the heat of the moment or through some supernatural
visitation, he sees a ghostly dagger indicating the way to the Duncan.
Convinced that "there's no such thing," he climbs to the king's chamber.
Analysis
The opening
dialogue sets the scene: It is past midnight, the moon has set, and the
"candles" of heaven — the stars — cannot be seen. Symbolically, the
airy lightness that greeted Duncan's arrival at the castle in Act I has
completely vanished, to be replaced by brooding darkness.
In this
opening scene of Act II, as in the later Porter scene, the audience feels
momentarily suspended from the action but in no way removed from the intensity
of emotion as the innocent Banquo and his son pass the time of night. The
moment at which Banquo so very nearly draws his sword on a potential intruder
(actually Macbeth) is a master-stroke of dramatic irony: Banquo has no idea of
what the audience knows.
The dagger
speech (32-65) is, deservedly, one of the most celebrated in Shakespeare. Like
"If it were done" (Act I, Scene 7), this soliloquy is a fascinating
piece of stage psychology. The structure of the lines precisely echoes the
swings from lucidity to mental disturbance that characterize Macbeth throughout
the play. There are three false alarms: "I see thee still . . . I see thee
yet . . . I see thee still!" Between each of these alarms comes a moment
of respite in which Macbeth appeals to the world of the physical senses:
"Art thou not . . . sensible to feeling?" "Mine eyes are made
the fools of the other senses," and "It is the bloody business which
informs thus to mine eyes."
Nevertheless,
as in the earlier scene with his wife, Macbeth eventually capitulates. The urge
to become king is now strong in him. In his final lines, as he ascends to the
king's chamber, he imagines himself as the personification of Murder itself,
stealthily making its way towards its victim. The change of tone to one of high
rhetoric and classical allusion (Hecate, Tarquin) may seem out of place, but
not if we imagine Macbeth putting on a "mask" of language in
preparation for the murder. The distinction between word and deed in the last
line is an idea that occurs frequently in Shakespeare. What we say and what we
do are frequently very different matters. But in the final couplet, Macbeth
seems to transfer his own doubts concerning the afterlife to Duncan: Whether
the king will go to heaven or hell is now an academic matter; ironically, for
Macbeth himself, the outcome is likely to be more certain.
Glossary
husbandry in
heaven (4) the gods are economical with their starlight
cleave to my
consent (25) approve of my plan
augment (27)
support
dudgeon (46)
handle
gouts (46)
drops
Hecate (52)
goddess of witchcraft
Tarquin (46)
murderous king of Rome
prate (58)
prattle
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