“ ’Tis safer, to be that which we destroy,
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.”
- Through this soliloquy, Shakespeare enables the audience to gain direct experience of Lady Macbeth’s mind, and also depicts the complexity of her character.
- “How now, my Lord, why do you keep alone?” shows that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are not meeting often, as they earlier used to. This also shows that their relationship has changed from before. At the same time, it also shows that Lady Macbeth wants to be a support system to Macbeth.
- “of sorriest fancies your companions making” connotes to Macbeth engaging in unhappy thoughts, which are responsible for his troubled state of mind.
- Lady Macbeth counsels Macbeth not to spend his time alone worrying about what they have done, because “what’s done, is done.”
- “We have scorch’d the snake, not kill’d it:” has biblical connotations depicted throughout the play. This metaphorical use of language suggests that Macbeth feels that they have gained the throne, but they are not out of danger. He still fears Banquo and his son Fleance, because of the witches had predicted before that Banquo “shalt get kings”, meaning that he shall be the father of kings, imposing a threat to Macbeth. Many evil images of snakes are created in the audience’s minds through “scorch’d the snake”
- Many sleep imageries are created through out through many words like “terrible dreams”, “he sleeps well”
- Macbeth also says that he envies Duncan, who sleeps peacefully in his grave.
- Through these lines:
“Come on:
Gentle my Lord, sleek o’er your rugged looks,
Be bright and jovial among your guests to- night.”
Lady Macbeth tries to motivate Macbeth, always wanting him to happy.
- Macbeth on the other hand, tries to misdirect Lady Macbeth, when tells her to “Present” Banquo “eminence, both with eye and tounge:”
- In the scene just before, Macbeth plans to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. He hires assassins to murder the two, because he is afraid of the witch’s prophecy. This plan of killing Banquo and Fleance is hidden from Lady Macbeth. Macbeth decides not to disclose this plan to his always supporting wife also. So this the reason why Lady Macbeth is being misdirected by Macbeth.
- Through the conversation of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare tries to bring out their intimacy and tender relation.
- Macbeth refers to Lady Macbeth as “chuck”, which shows a very dear way of addressing each other, adding to their love and understanding.
- Many dark, horrified images are brought about in the last few lines of this scene.
- “Good things of Day begin to droop, and drowse,
Whiles Night’s black agents to their preys do rouse.
Thou marvell’st at my words: but hold thee still,
Things bad begun, make strong themselves by ill:”
These closing lines also depict a rhythm and a rhyming scheme. Many words like “drowse” and “rouse”, “still” and “ill” are rhyming. This along with “Night’s black agents” remind the audience of the witches who also talk in a chant like rhythmic manner.
- Mainly the motive of this scene is to show that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth repent on what has been done in the past (referring to the killing of Duncan, who now rests in ‘peace’). The audience also witnesses a complexity of the character of Lady Macbeth, who now appears to more human. There is clear transition in Macbeth’s character, which is portrayed through this scene.
- Moreover this scene also prepares the audience of what expect next on stage. Directly after this scene, the three murderers appear on stage, and Banquo is killed. Fleance luckily escapes from the murderers.
- Bloody imageries are created in “ thy bloody and invisible hand”, which is depicted throughout the play and is also one of the motifs of the play.
- Dark imageries are also created in “Come seeling night, Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day”, which create a sense of evil that pervades much of the play.
- Antithesis is the opposition of ideas, words or phrases against each other, and gives force to the play Macbeth, since conflict is the essence of drama. When the murder has brought status but not security, Macbeth makes a sardonic comment on his situation, speaking antithetically:
“Better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace”
“Peace” has the two ironically opposite meanings of comfort and death. A further antithesis is in ‘gain’, implying that something comes towards the speaker, as opposed to ‘sent’.
- A descriptive antithesis is also portrayed in this scene, when Macbeth evokes a new world of evil the transition from good is strengthened not only by the oppositions of ‘good things’ with ‘black agents’ and day versus night, but also opposite meanings of the rhyming words:
“Good things of Day begin to droop, and drowse, Whiles Night’s black agents to their preys do rouse.”
‘Begin to droop and drowse’ describes the gradual decline of goodness, whereas the sharper single verb ‘do rouse’ suggests an energetic predator.
