Discuss the importance of Act 2, Scene 2 to the play Macbeth.

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*Shakespeare Coursework…*

*Discuss the importance of Act 2, Scene 2 to the play…*

Having killed Duncan, Macbeth is standing in his courtyard with Lady Macbeth. He is in as state of shock at the heinous crime he has just committed. In the era which Macbeth was set in, loyalty to your King, guests and kinsmen is very important. He proved to be disloyal in all three relations. Lady Macbeth tries to console him as his shock turns to hysteria; she firsts praises him and when that fails she taunts and insults him. Macbeth ignores her and continues to be lost in the thought of his deed.

In lines 47 and 48 Lady Macbeth praises Macbeth for being a “worthy Thane” and having “noble strength”. She does this in hope to revive him back to reality. This is also said to build his confidence and encourage him to forget what he has done. This implies that Lady Macbeth approves of the murder . She then becomes impatient with his stubbornness and starts ordering him about. She uses imperatives such as; “Go get some water…” and “Go carry them…”. This shows us that Lady Macbeth is the dominant partner in this relationship. There is still blood on Macbeth’s hands. She refers to this as the “filthy witness” because if Macbeth is seen with the blood on his hands then he will be captured.  This has a tremendous dramatic impact on the audience because the atmosphere has been created to make them anxious. The tones of voice that should be used in this speech are very important. I would suggest her voice for lines 47-48 should be spoken at first very calmly and confidently. From lines 48-53 her tone should be venomous and bold. She should convey that her femininity is her strongest power against her husband.

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In line 51 Lady Macbeth glimpses the daggers in Macbeth’s hand, she tells him to return them to “the place”. However, her refuses to “look on’t again”. In Macbeth’s speech the crime is never mentioned by its name; this could be a result of his guilt. He is also afraid to look at what he has done; we can say this because he openly admits to his wife; “I am afraid to think what I have done”. It is apparent that Macbeth is overwhelmed with guilt and depression. This speech (lines 53-54) for Macbeth should be spoken with a ...

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