Macbeth Act 2 Scene 1 Passgae Analysis PDF

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Act 2, Scene 1: Macbeth: Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable As this which now I draw. Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going; And such an instrument I was to use. Mine eyes are made the fools o’ the other senses, Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There’s no such thing: It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes. Now o’er the one halfworld Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse The curtain’d sleep; witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate’s offerings, and wither’d murder, Alarum’d by his sentinel, the wolf, Whose howl’s his watch, thus with his stealthy pace. With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth, Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear Thy very stones prate of my whereabout, And take the present horror from the time, Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives: Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives. [a bell rings] I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.

Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell That summons thee to heaven or to hell.

Passage Analysis questions: 1. At what point in the play does this passage occur? Provide context, not just Act & Scene. (2 marks) This passage occurs from the middle to the end of Act 2 scene 1, right before Macbeth is to kill Duncan. 2. Is Macbeth enduring a hallucination? Give two pieces of evidence to support your answer. (3 marks) Here in this passage it is clear that Macbeth is hallucinating, Shakespeare communicates this to his audience through the dagger that Macbeth can “see before” him. Macbeth states that “I have thee not, yet I see thee still” suggesting that in his hallucinating state he knows he doesn’t have the dagger with him but he can still see it. Shakespeare reinforces this again when Macbeth describes the dagger as “ a dagger of the mind” clearly suggesting that the dagger is not tangible but in fact a hallucination. 3. Consider the meaning of the line “but A dagger of the mind.” What does this reveal about Macbeth’s character and mental state in this scene? (3 marks) In a literal sense “but a dagger of the mind” is Macbeth questioning whether the dagger he sees before him is real or a figment of his imagination, the vision here is the audiences first glimpse into Macbeth’s spiral into madness. Macbeths visions suggest that he is on the edge of mental sanity and his mind is under a great deal of stress particularly surrounding the decision to kill Duncan. 4. What is the significance of “gouts of blood” appearing on the dagger? (2 marks) Here, Shakespeare is attempting to foreshadow Macbeth’s murder of Duncan where Duncan’s blood will be on Macbeths blade.

5. Macbeth refers to witchcraft, wolves and a ghost. In what ways does such language contribute to the mood of this scene? (3 marks) These words help to create a haunting and eery, the witches are introduced in “fog and filthy air” language like “fog” contributes to an eery atmosphere because you cannot see through it or what might be hiding in it. All of these beings are also considered dangerous and could kill so the mood of the play almost feels like it has death in the air which helps to foreshadow Duncan’s death. 6. What compels Macbeth to take action at the end of the scene? (2 marks) Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” to become king is what finally pushes Macbeth over the edge and convinces him to kill Duncan, however his wife’s relentless persuading and the subconscious effects of the witches prophecies also played a significant role in convincing Macbeth to kill Duncan. 7. Based upon the whole play up until the end of this passage, respond to the following question using correct paragraph structure: ‘To what degree is Macbeth responsible and in control of his own actions?’ (15 marks) Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play that explores the consequences of uncontrolled ambition, the play up to the end of the given passage has explored themes of fate, manipulation and the dangers of ambition. Ultimately thus far Macbeth has been responsible for his own actions however that does not mean other the witches and Lady Macbeth persuading him and corrupting his mind were not significant factors in his decision to kill Duncan. Macbeth’s own ambition, desires and susceptibility to manipulation were the primary factors in control of Macbeths actions. Although Macbeth was manipulated it is still repeatedly shown that his own desires were not pure either, when speaking to the witches Macbeth tell them “stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more” this shows that he had a desire to be king and was intrigued by what the witches had to say about his prophecy. In this moment Macbeth made the conscious and unmanipulated choice to believe the prophecy showing that he invited it to manipulate him. Macbeth’s desires are exposed again in the passage when he says “come, let me clutch thee”, here Shakespeare is demonstrating that Macbeth is drawn to the dagger suggesting that deep down he does have desires to kill Duncan. It is through faults in Macbeth’s own character that he is able to be easily manipulated and his underlying desires are able to be strengthened into action. Macbeth has been primarily responsible for his own actions, however at the beginning of the play he was considered to be a “good” man and it was through the manipulation of others that he was brought to commit the crime of killing Duncan. The witches were the first step in Macbeth’s spiral into madness, upon hearing the witch’s prophecy that he will be “king hereafter” the thought of killing Duncan is first planted in Macbeth’s mind. However at this

point Macbeth is still a morally sound man, this is shown shortly after when he instructs Lady Macbeth to “proceed no further in this business”. As the play continues Lady Macbeth is able to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, she insists that it will make him “so much more the man”, Lady Macbeth knows of Macbeth’s strong ambition and uses that to manipulate him. Thus far, up to the end of the passage Macbeth has been in control and responsible for his own actions, whilst he was manipulated by the Witches and Lady Macbeth ultimately it was flaws in Macbeth’s character like being easily manipulated and having dark desires driven by strong ambition that caused him to take action and kill Duncan....