The setting of act 2 scene 2 is Macbeth’s castle. This is shown as quit an eerie setting, as you can hear noises from the outside, and it very dark. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are on stage. In lines 1-8, Lady Macbeth is feeling bold, from line 1; “That which hath made them drunk, hath made me bold”. She comments on how she had drugged the attendants, and she says in lines 7-8; “That death and nature do contend about them, whether they live, or die”. This shows that she is not really concerned whether they live or die. However, in line 9 she begins to worry that they have been caught, and also says; “Had he [Duncan] not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t”, showing that she is not completely evil, as she could not murder Duncan as he resembled her father. At the end of the scene she becomes strong, as she takes the daggers from Macbeth (as he brought them back) and goes and puts them back.
Macbeth’s mood is that of distress and remorse. This is shown by the fact that he accidentally brings back the daggers when he was supposed to place the by the attendants. This creates dramatic tension, as this would incriminate Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At he end of the scene, Macbeth feels he can’t live with himself, and says in line 76; “To know my deed, ‘twere best not know my self” meaning that if he is to acknowledge what he has done, he must assume a new identity, as a murderer, and forget who he really is.
Dialogue on and off the stage is that of death. Lady Macbeth tries to reassure Macbeth that he has he has done the right thing, as he is very disturbed about what he has done. The dialogue also shows how the outside and natural world is reacting to what has been done; the owl hooting, the crickets crying, the knocking and also when someone laughed in their sleep and one cried “Murder!” (Line 25) The effect of these noises reflects the beliefs of that time that to change the natural order of things (how things naturally turn out) is to affect everything. It creates tension by suggesting that the outside world will find out and Macbeth will be punished. The audience’s response is that they feel that something supernatural is happening, due to the noises, and to the images Macbeth sees and sounds he hears, like the voice he hears (lines 44-46) saying he will sleep no more.
When Macbeth first appears on the scene, his first words are (line 14); “I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise?” The words ‘I have done the deed’ suggest that he cannot bring himself to admit what he has done. The words ‘didst thou not hear a noise?’ suggest that he expected to be caught, and that someone would have heard and come after him. His conversation with Lady Macbeth is that he is in some way shocked about what has happened. He says what he heard, and in lines 38-39, and 33-34, Lady Macbeth talks to him but he doesn’t hear her as he is too deep in his own thoughts. Macbeth uses short, sharp sentences; like “… when?...As I descended?...Hark, who lies i’th’second chamber?...This is a sorry sight…” (lines 17, 19, 21 and 23), because he is repeating what happened, and he is very distraught about what he has done. This effects the audience by creating tension, as Macbeth seems to have gone mad.
In lines 29-36 Macbeth says how he could not pronounce ‘Amen’ after someone cried ‘God bless us’. This shows that Macbeth does not feel he deserves God’s blessings, as he is too evil. In lines 38-46, Macbeth says that he heard a voice saying that he had murdered sleep. This shows his guilt that he will never be able to sleep again, and his remorse, as he shall never have peace from what he has done. Lady Macbeth’s reaction is to tell him not to keep thinking about these thoughts, and to reassure him. She is aware that they must put the daggers back, so at this point she has no guilt or remorse.
When Macbeth comes back after murdering Duncan, he is carrying the daggers he used. This suggests to the audience that he is not in a proper frame of mind, and is still shocked by what he has done. It also suggests that he is not in control. Lady Macbeth had told him to leave them by the attendants to incriminate them. When he comes back, Lady Macbeth tells him to go and put them, back, but when he won’t, she does it. This shows that she does not mind blaming innocent people. The audience’s reaction is that she is very much in control, and knows what both of them must do. Macbeth will not go back because he says; “I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; look on’t again, I dare not.” This reveals his guilt because he can hardly comprehend that he has done something so awful. This also shows his conscience, as he says ‘I dare not’, showing he does not know what his reaction would be, so knows he is not in control of himself.
When Macbeth returns, his hands are red with Duncan’s blood. Once Lady Macbeth puts the daggers back, her hands are also red. Macbeth says in lines 63-65; “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No: this my hand will rather the multitudinous sea incarnadine”. This means that he feels that all the seas in the world could not ash the blood off his hands, and that instead his hands would turn all the oceans red, and also that it will never wash off the blood stain on his conscience, so he feels that he will never be as innocent as he was before the murder. Lady Macbeth says in lines 67-68; “My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white.” The words ‘my hands are of your colour’ mean that her hands are red, but also that she is now as guilty of the murder as Macbeth is. The words ‘but I shame to wear a heart so white’ means that she is criticising her husband, by saying that she would not want to be so cold and heartless. The washing of the hands is significant later because Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and washes her hands in her sleep. Macbeth’s feeling’s are of extreme guilt and in line 62 he says; “What hands are here? Ha: they pluck out mine eyes.” This means that he wishes he did not have any eyes so he did not have to see the blood of the man he murdered.
At the end of the scene, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hear knocking. Lady Macbeth does not show any guilt or conscience, as she is only concerned with them getting back to their rooms to not seem suspicious and to get rid of the blood on their hands. Macbeth says how he cannot carry on if he does not forget who he is as he has a bas conscience, and in line 77 he says; “Wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would thou couldst.” This shows that he wishes Duncan was still alive, so feels guilty about him being dead. The audience’s reaction is that they feel slightly sorry for Macbeth, as he was pressured into the murder by Lady Macbeth and know has to live with his guilt.
This scene is the turning point of the play, because it is the point of no return; after Duncan is murdered there is no way Macbeth can go back. It is also the start of Macbeth’s journey from good to evil. At this point his guilt is at its highest, and later he is a bloody tyrant. This is because Lady Macbeth reassures him that once this is done everything will be fine, so he kills because he feels he has to, but later he kills because he is angry (act 4 scene 2). Lady Macbeth also changes. In the beginning, she is in control and has no conscience, but in the end, she is so out of control and so guilty that she kills herself. Her change is also shown by her speech, as in act 2, scene 2, line 70, she says; “a little water clears us of this deed”, whereas in act 5, scene 1, lines 44-45, she says:” all the perfumes in Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”. Also, she begins to sleepwalk and acts out washing her hands. Finally, in act 5, scene 9, lines 37-38, Malcolm says about Lady Macbeth; “by self and violent hands took off her life”. This has a double meaning for the audience, as it means Lady Macbeth killed herself, but it could also be interpreted and by her violence and her guilt (of her ‘blood-stained’ hands) she killed her soul. The ending of act 2 scene 2 creates dramatic tension by ending with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both in different frames of mind; Lady Macbeth making sure they don’t get caught and Macbeth lost in thought and guilty over what he has done.
