Act 2 Scene 3

Characters: Macbeth,Lady Macbeth,Porter,Macduff,Lenox,Banquo,Donalbain,Malcolm

Scene set:Inside Macbeth’s Castle

Brief summary: A Porter is drunk and stumbles through the hall way to open the gates for Lennox and Macduff. Lennox and Macduff complain about the slow response of the porter. Macbeth then enters and Macduff asks whether the king is awake Macbeth doesn’t think so He brings him to the king instead Macduff goes him self.  Macduff then comes back in horror and says”O horror, horror, horror!Tongue nor heart cannot conceive nor name thee!“.He says h found the king dead and they ring the alarm bell. Lady Macbeth then enters and pretends to be confused. Every one else enters to here the news. Macbeth then says how he now regrets killing them but that he couldn’t hold back his rage. Lady Macbeth faints and Lennox and Macduff are suspicious. Malcolm and Donalbain are fearful that who ever killed Duncan might go after them. They declare that they will split ways to separate the fortune. Malcolm will go England and Donalbain to Ireland.

Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes and unprovokes. It provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore, much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery. It makes him, and it mars him; it sets him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him, and disheartens him; makes him stand to and not stand to;” Although this quote at first glance may have a sexual meaning as drinking alcohol makes people more confident and increases the sex drive but decreases the performance and it sets you up to fail.  If we change the factors like the alcohol to the factors that influenced Macbeth to do what he did and change the what it effects (sex drive) to macbeth him self you will see something interesting. The factors that affected Macbeth decision were the witches giving him there prediction and Lady Macbeth constantly pushing him and convincing to go through with the deed.” It provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance” If we now look at the first part of the quote we can see that the witches and lady Macbeth did defientally provoke his desire to be king as back to act 1 scene 3 he never even thought of the prospect of being king but once the witches gave him there prediction he began speculating and imaging what it would be like. This is the provekening the desire. “All hail,Macbeth! that shall be king hereafter”.If we look at the second part of the quote “but take away the performance” you can see after Macbeth has killed Duncan his mind begins to deteriorate and freaks out at very small details which will in time affect him as king. This will effect his performance. Because this is all correct so far could we then predict that it will lead to his down fall as in the quote ” It makes him, and it mars him“. This could be Shakespeare’s way of hinting the future.

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