Macbeth Act II: Eight Major Points

Macbeth Sees an Apparition of a Dagger

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In Act II Scene I of Macbeth, Macbeth has a vision of a dagger floating in the air after talking with Banquo. In this part of the scene, Macbeth wonders whether the daggers that appear before him are tangible or if they are a production of his imagination. Seeing the daggers appear before him is a major point in Act II because we start seeing the first signs of guilt and disturbance Macbeth feels toward killing King Duncan.

Lady Macbeth Feels Fearless and Bold

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In Act II Scene 2, the scene starts out with Lady Macbeth feeling a sense of power and boldness. She explains that these feelings surfaced from the fact that she got King Duncan's guards drunk. This is a major event in Act II because she shows no remorse in proceeding with killing King Duncan, but rather feels power and fearlessness.

Macbeth Kills King Duncan

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In Act II Scene II, Macbeth comes into the room where Lady Macbeth was with two bloody daggers. Once having entered the room, Macbeth confirms that he killed King Duncan. This event is pivotal to the play because it instills a turn of events and tone for future of the play.

Macbeth Starts Showing Signs of Guilt

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In Act II, Scene II, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth, regarding King Duncan's murder, that "This is a sorry sight" (2.2.18). In addition, he also tells Lady Macbeth that he heard cries of "Murder!" "God bless us" and "Amen" within the room of King Duncan (2.2.20-25). Macbeth then tells his wife that he wanted to say Amen as well, but couldn't because of the guilt he now carries of Duncan's death.

Macbeth Brings Back the Bloody Daggers

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In Act II Scene II, Lady Macbeth notices that Macbeth forgot to leave the bloody daggers on the bodies of the two guards. After she orders Macbeth to go put them on their bodies, Macbeth refuses, saying that he is afraid to go back to the scene of the crime. in the end, Lady Macbeth ends up doing it herself, depicting the stereotypical role of a woman having to take matters into their own hands and doing things themselves.

Macbeth Kills the Two Guards

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In Act II Scene III, everyone in the castle becomes aware of King Duncan's death. The suspicion is brought upon his two guards who Lennox points out were found with the bloody daggers on their person. After this, Macbeth states "O, yet I do repent me of my fury, / That I did kill them" (2.3.98-99). Consequently, this event creates a suspicion on Macbeth by Macduff, who thought that Macbeth's actions were out of the ordinary.

Macduff's Suspicion of Macbeth

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In the final scene of Act II, Macduff explains to Ross how the two sons of King Duncan fled to different areas of the world "which puts upon them / Suspicion of the deed" (2.4.26-27). With this statement, it is revealed that Macduff doesn't personally think that sons are suspicious, which emphasizes his further suspicion of Macbeth. In turn, this suspicion of Macduff may result to be pivotal later on in the play, making this an important event.

Macbeth is Crowned King

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In the last lines of Act II Scene IV, the readers learn that Macbeth will be named king in place of King Duncan. While no further details are given, this event is important because it sets the plot for the future of the play. This is because now that Macbeth is king, it will determine whether Lady Macbeth's and Macbeth's thirst for power will be quenched or if they will kill more people in order to gain more.