Macbeth Act 2
Macbeth finds Banquo awake with his son, Fleance, and Banquo tells Macbeth of a dream he had about the three witches. Macbeth comments that he hasn’t thought about the prophecy, but that he would like to discuss the matter further with him at a later time. They all leave for bed while Macbeth sees a phantom dagger floating before him. He tries to catch the dagger but realizes that the blood-spattered dagger is an indication of the crime that he plans to commit. He hears the bell that signals the completion of preparations by Lady Macbeth. She stands outside the chambers of the king and notes with pleasure that her concoctions have made the chamberlains sleep soundly. She hears a noise and turns to find Macbeth who carries two daggers in his bloody hands. He tells her that he has killed the king, but he is visibly shaken by his murderous deed. Lady Macbeth admonishes him for dwelling on the action and reminds him to replace the daggers on the bodies of the drunk servants, but Hamlet refuses to do so. She calls him a coward and proceeds to do the deed herself. She goes off to replace the daggers and smears Duncan’s blood on their faces to ensure they appear guilty of his murder. Macbeth and his wife then retreat to their chambers as they hear a knocking.
A drunk porter hears the knocking on the door and pretends as if it's the knocking of lost souls on the doors of hell. He finally decides to open the door and welcomes Macduff and Lennox. Macbeth comes out to greet the men, and lies that he believes the king is still asleep. He leads Macduff to the door that leads to the king’s quarters and returns to make conversation with Lennox. They hear an outcry and turn to find a visibly horrified Macduff declaring the death of the king. Macbeth rushes into the chambers with Lennox as Macduff raises the alarm. Banquo and Lady Macbeth rush out and learn about the King’s death from Macduff. Macbeth returns with Lennox and informs Malcolm and Donaldbain about the death of their father. It is then revealed that Macbeth killed the men who appeared to be guilty of the crime, and claims that he did so because his anger and loyalty commanded that he avenge the murder of the king. The rest of the noblemen decide to reconvene in the hall, while the King’s children secretly decide to leave Scotland. They believe that their lives are in danger, and so they decide to separate.
Ross discusses the strangeness of the murder of the king with an old man and meets Macduff. He tells Ross that the dead servants of the king are suspected to have been hired by the princes who have now fled Scotland. Macbeth has already been named king and is traveling to Scone to be 'Invested'. Ross decides to leave for Scone while Macduff decides to return to Fife.
Analysis
Banquo acts as a foil for Macbeth, since he too receives a prophecy that he will father a line of kings. Yet, Banquo does not let his ambition lead him towards moral degradation. The witches are right in claiming that Banquo will be greater and happier than Macbeth despite not rising to the throne since Banquo never betrays his loyalty to his king and leads a better life than Macbeth who is tortured by his bloody deeds. The prophecy about Banquo pays homage to King James, who was the reigning monarch of England at the time of Macbeth, as he traced his lineage from the real Banquo of history.
Macbeth's bloody hands after the murder of Duncan serve as a symbol of the bloodshed that he precipitates during his time as the king of Scotland. The murder of Duncan also raises the question of whether Lady Macbeth can truly be considered a villain or whether she is simply another victim of Macbeth. It is evident that Lady Macbeth is just as ambitious as her husband but due to her position as a woman, she can only raise herself in status through her husband. Macbeth's ascension to the throne would allow Lady Mabeth to become Queen and thus she pushes her husband to murder Duncan. She seems like an obvious villain from such a perspective, however, if the reader focuses on the things that Lady Macbeth says and the things she does, it would be evident that she is not quite as callous as she claims to be. During Duncan's murder, Lady Macbeth says that she would have killed Duncan had he not looked like her father in his sleep, and she then faints when everyone learns that the king has been killed.
