ISC Class 11 English Drama Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3 Summary, Theme, Explanation along with difficult word meanings
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ISC Class 11 – Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3
By William Shakespeare
Act 2, Scene 3 of Macbeth starts with a drunk Porter joking around as the gatekeeper of hell, adding some humor. He eventually lets in Macduff and Lennox, who come to wake King Duncan. When Macbeth takes Macduff to Duncan’s room, Macduff is shocked to find the king dead and raises the alarm, causing panic.
- Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3 Summary
- Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3 Summary in Hindi
- Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3 Theme
- Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3 Explanation
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Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3 Summary
The scene begins immediately after King Duncan’s murder with a loud, persistent knocking at the castle gate. A drunken Porter comes to answer the door, making jokes as he pretends to be the doorkeeper of Hell. He humorously imagines letting in sinners like a cheating farmer, an equivocator i.e. a liar, and a thieving English tailor.
The knocking finally stops, and Porter opens the door to Macduff and Lennox, who have come to wake the King. Macduff complains that they are late, and Porter engages him in a brief, vulgar, and comic exchange about the effects of too much drinking, noting that alcohol can create a strong initial impulse but ultimately prevent the desired outcome.
Macbeth appears, greeting Macduff and Lennox. Macduff immediately asks for the King, as Duncan had commanded Macduff to call on him early. Macbeth points out the way to the King’s chamber.
While Macduff is inside, Lennox describes the terrifying night they just endured, listing unnatural events like howling winds, strange screams, the earth shaking, and an owl clamoring all night long. Macbeth offers only a brief comment agreeing with him that it was a rough night.
Macduff returns, utterly horrified. He cries out that King Duncan has been murdered. He urges Macbeth and Lennox to go see the terrible sight for themselves. Macduff then rings the alarm bell to wake everyone, calling for Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain and Banquo to wake up and look upon it themself.
Lady Macbeth rushes in and feigns shock, asking what the noise is about. Banquo enters, and Macduff tells him the news. Lady Macbeth feigns concern that the murder has happened under their roof.
Macbeth, Lennox, and Ross enter. Macbeth delivers a hypocritical speech, saying that if he had died just an hour before this moment, he had lived his blessed life but after the death of Duncan all of life, honor, and grace have become meaningless and trivial.
Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, arrive. Lennox then reports that the King’s two servants were the murderers, as they were found covered in blood, their daggers lying unwiped near them, and they seemed distracted. Macbeth then admits that, in a fit of passionate love for Duncan, he killed the two servants before anyone else could question them. Macduff immediately questions this action, asking the reason behind his actions.
To save Macbeth from having to explain his highly suspicious move, Lady Macbeth cries out for help and pretends to faint, successfully distracting everyone.
While Banquo and Macduff attend to Lady Macbeth, Malcolm and Donalbain speak quietly aside to each other. They realize that the murderer is likely still among them and that they are the next targets. To separate their fortunes and stay safe, they decide to flee quickly and without ceremony: Malcolm heads to England, and Donalbain goes to Ireland. They believe this is the safest course.
Summary of Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3 in Hindi
दृश्य राजा डंकन की हत्या के तुरंत बाद महल के द्वार पर एक जोरदार, लगातार दस्तक के साथ शुरू होता है। एक शराबी पोर्टर दरवाजे का जवाब देने के लिए आता है, मजाक करता है क्योंकि वह नरक का द्वारपाल होने का नाटक करता है। वह हास्यपूर्ण रूप से एक धोखेबाज किसान, एक इक्विवोकेटर i.e की तरह पापियों में जाने की कल्पना करता है। एक झूठा, और एक चोर अंग्रेज़ी दर्जी।
दस्तक अंत में रुक जाती है, और पोर्टर मैकडफ और लेनोक्स के लिए दरवाजा खोलता है, जो राजा को जगाने आए हैं। मैकडफ शिकायत करता है कि उन्हें देर हो गई है, और पोर्टर उसे बहुत अधिक पीने के प्रभावों के बारे में एक संक्षिप्त, अश्लील और हास्यपूर्ण आदान-प्रदान में संलग्न करता है, यह देखते हुए कि शराब एक मजबूत प्रारंभिक आवेग पैदा कर सकती है लेकिन अंततः वांछित परिणाम को रोक सकती है।
मैकबेथ प्रकट होता है, मैकडफ और लेनोक्स का अभिवादन करता है। मैकडफ तुरंत राजा के लिए पूछता है, क्योंकि डंकन ने मैकडफ को उसे जल्दी बुलाने का आदेश दिया था। मैकबेथ राजा के कक्ष का रास्ता बताता है।
जब मैकडफ अंदर होता है, तो लेनोक्स उस भयानक रात का वर्णन करता है जिसे उन्होंने अभी-अभी सहन किया, जिसमें अप्राकृतिक घटनाओं को सूचीबद्ध किया जाता है जैसे कि गर्जन वाली हवाएं, अजीब चीखें, धरती हिलती है, और एक उल्लू पूरी रात चिल्लाता रहता है। मैकबेथ ने उनसे सहमति जताते हुए केवल एक संक्षिप्त टिप्पणी की कि यह एक कठिन रात थी।
मैकडफ पूरी तरह से भयभीत होकर लौटता है। वह रोता है कि राजा डंकन की हत्या कर दी गई है। वह मैकबेथ और लेनोक्स से आग्रह करता है कि वे अपने लिए भयानक दृश्य देखने जाएं। मैकडफ फिर सभी को जगाने के लिए अलार्म की घंटी बजाता है, डंकन के बेटों, मैल्कम और डोनलबैन और बैंको को जागने और खुद इसे देखने के लिए कहता है।
लेडी मैकबेथ दौड़ती है और सदमे का नाटक करती है, पूछती है कि शोर किस बारे में है। बैंको प्रवेश करता है और मैकडफ उसे खबर बताता है। लेडी मैकबेथ चिंता का नाटक करती है कि हत्या उनकी छत के नीचे हुई है।
मैकबेथ, लेनॉक्स और रॉस प्रवेश करते हैं। मैकबेथ ने एक पाखंडी भाषण देते हुए कहा कि अगर वह इस क्षण से सिर्फ एक घंटे पहले मर गया होता, तो उसने अपना धन्य जीवन जिया होता, लेकिन डंकन की मृत्यु के बाद सारा जीवन, सम्मान और अनुग्रह अर्थहीन और तुच्छ हो गए हैं।
डंकन के बेटे, मैल्कम और डोनलबैन आते हैं। लेनॉक्स ने तब बताया कि राजा के दो नौकर हत्यारे थे, क्योंकि वे खून से लथपथ पाए गए थे, उनके खंजर उनके पास बिना पोंछे पड़े थे, और वे विचलित लग रहे थे। मैकबेथ तब स्वीकार करता है कि डंकन के लिए भावुक प्रेम में, उसने दो नौकरों को मार डाला, इससे पहले कि कोई और उनसे सवाल कर सके। मैकडफ तुरंत इस कार्रवाई पर सवाल उठाता है और अपने कार्यों के पीछे का कारण पूछता है।
मैकबेथ को उसके अत्यधिक संदिग्ध कदम की व्याख्या करने से बचाने के लिए, लेडी मैकबेथ मदद के लिए चिल्लाती है और बेहोश होने का नाटक करती है, सफलतापूर्वक सभी का ध्यान भटकाती है।
जबकि बैंको और मैकडफ लेडी मैकबेथ में भाग लेते हैं, मैल्कम और डोनलबैन एक-दूसरे से चुपचाप बात करते हैं। उन्हें एहसास होता है कि हत्यारे के अभी भी उनके बीच होने की संभावना है और वे अगले लक्ष्य हैं। अपने भाग्य को अलग करने और सुरक्षित रहने के लिए, वे जल्दी और बिना किसी समारोह के भागने का फैसला करते हैंः मैल्कम इंग्लैंड चला जाता है, और डोनलबैन आयरलैंड चला जाता है। उनका मानना है कि यह सबसे सुरक्षित मार्ग है।
Theme of Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3
The Disruption of Nature
The most immediate consequence of killing the king is the violent disruption of the natural and cosmic order. Shakespeare uses the character of Lennox to give an account of the ‘unruly’ night that mirrored the wicked deed. Lennox describes chimneys being ‘blown down’, ‘lamentings heard i’ th’ air’, and ‘strange screams of death’. This is a manifestation of the theme of the Great Chain of Being, an ancient belief system where the King was God’s deputy on Earth. His murder is not merely a crime against a man, but a sin against Heaven, and the resulting spiritual imbalance causes the physical world to convulse. By framing the news of Duncan’s death with these ominous, supernatural occurrences, Shakespeare solidifies the idea that Macbeth’s ambition has brought chaos not just to Scotland, but to the very fabric of existence.
Guilt and Hypocrisy
The scene forces Macbeth to perform his greatest act of hypocrisy. Upon hearing Macduff’s news, Macbeth delivers a grand, over-the-top eulogy for Duncan: ‘Had I but died an hour before this chance, / I had lived a blessèd time’. This language is deliberately excessive, serving as a smoke screen to mask his profound guilt and conceal his role in the murder. His confession that he killed the grooms, the alleged murderers, in a fit of ‘violent love’ for Duncan is the most suspicious moment. This rash act, which eliminates the only witnesses, is immediately questioned by Macduff. Lady Macbeth must then intervene, drawing attention away from her husband by feigning a faint. This calculated move successfully diverts suspicion, illustrating how both Macbeths use dramatic performance and deceit to protect their treacherous secret.
Appearance vs. Reality
The theme of deception is established right at the start of the scene by the drunken Porter. The Porter mentions an ‘equivocator’ who ‘could swear in both the scales against either scale’, setting the conceptual stage for Macbeth’s own duplicity. Equivocation is the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth, and the entire scene is structured around this theme. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are forced to maintain the appearance of innocent, heartbroken subjects, creating a stark contrast with the bloody reality that they are the ruthless regicides. This duality, the noble appearance versus the murderous reality, is the central psychological burden the couple must bear, and it quickly begins to unravel their composure.
Theme of Suspicion
The final moments of the scene shift the focus to Malcolm and Donalbain, King Duncan’s sons. Their quiet, chilling dialogue reveals their immediate realization that the danger has not passed; it has only been transferred. They understand that those who appear the most grief-stricken may be the most false, and they articulate the terrifying atmosphere of suspicion, ‘There’s daggers in men’s smiles’. They conclude that the person who has the most to gain from Duncan’s death is a son, who is also the most likely to be framed or murdered next. Their decision to flee Scotland, Malcolm to England and Donalbain to Ireland, is an act of crucial self-preservation. However, this flight is later misinterpreted by others, cementing the suspicion against them and inadvertently clearing the path for Macbeth to seize the crown.
Comic Relief and Dramatic Tension
The entire scene opens with Porter’s famous comic monologue, which, while offering a brief release of tension after the brutal murder, simultaneously deepens the dramatic horror. Porter imagines himself as the gatekeeper of Hell, letting in various sinners. This joke is heavy with dramatic irony because the audience knows that the castle is now home to an infernal act of killing the King, and the man behind the door i.e. Macbeth has just opened the gates of political and spiritual hell upon Scotland. Thus, the comedy is darkly intertwined with the tragedy, serving both to lighten the mood momentarily and to underscore the gravity of the setting.
Setting of the Scene
The setting for Act 2, Scene 3 of Macbeth is Macbeth’s castle at Inverness, specifically the main gate and the immediate inner courtyard, during the cold, pre-dawn hours following King Duncan’s murder. The scene begins at the castle gate, where the persistent, urgent sound of knocking shatters the night’s quiet, lending an immediate atmosphere of tension and impending discovery. This entrance is initially characterized by the drunken Porter’s monologue, who transforms the physical gate into a metaphorical ‘hell gate’, reflecting the sin and darkness that Macbeth has brought into his home. The setting quickly shifts to the interior, where the characters gather near the King’s chambers. This internal space is imbued with a sense of cosmic disturbance, as Lennox describes the night as wild, reporting strange screams and the shaking of the Earth, signaling that the entire natural order has been thrown into chaos by the crime committed within the castle’s walls. Thus, the location acts as a charged place of changes and revelation where the political and supernatural consequences of killing the king are first violently revealed to the world.
Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3 Explanation
The knocking at the gate comes from Macduff and Lennox, who have come to wake up king. The drunken porter at the gate imagines that he is at the hell-gate and various sinners are knocking for their admission to hell. When Macduff goes to Duncan’s chamber he is horrified at the scene of assassination. Macbeth in an apparent fury kills the two grooms to destroy the evidence of the crime. Lady Macbeth faints; Malcolm and Donalbain flee. Banquo stays behind expressing his dismay.
Play
Scene 3. Macbeth’s castle.
Enter a Porter.
[Knocking within]
Porter
Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter
of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key.
[Knocking within]
Knock, knock, knock!
Who’s there, i’ the name of Beelzebub?
Here’s a farmer that hanged himself on the
expectation of plenty: come in time; have
napkins enow about you; here you’ll sweat for’t.
[Knocking within]
Knock, knock! Who’s
there, in the other devil’s name? Faith, here’s
an equivocator that could swear in both the
scales against either scale; who committed
treason enough for God’s sake, yet could not
equivocate to heaven: O, come in, equivocator.
[Knocking within]
Knock, knock; knock!
Who’s there? Faith, here’s an English tailor
come hither, for stealing out of a French
hose: come in, tailor; here you may roast your goose.
[Knocking within]
Knock, knock;
never at quiet! What are you? But this place is
too cold for hell. I’ll devil-porter it no
further: I had thought to have let in some of
all professions, that go the primrose way to
the everlasting bonfire.
[Knocking within]
Anon, anon! I pray you, remember the porter.
[Opens the gate
Enter Macduff and Lennox
Word Meanings
hell-gate: entrance to hell.
old turning: he would grow old turning the gate.
Beelzebub: one of the main devils in hell.
plenty: bumper crop.
napkins: handkerchiefs.
enow: enough.
other devil’s name: in the name of Satan.
equivocator: a person who uses ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid commitment.
hither: to or towards this place
goose: tailor’s iron.
let in: allowed entrance.
primrose way: the path of pleasure.
everlasting bonfire: eternal hell-fire.
Explanation of the above dialogues— The scene started with loud, ongoing knocking inside Macbeth’s castle. The drunken Porter came in and immediately grumbled about all the noise, joking that if he were the doorman of hell, he would be constantly busy with the keys. As the knocking continued, he yelled out, asking who was there in the devil’s name. He then pretended the first person was a greedy farmer who had killed himself after his hopes for a huge, profitable harvest failed. Porter told the farmer to bring many handkerchiefs because he would sweat a lot in hell. Hearing more knocks, the Porter addressed a second imaginary visitor, a liar who used confusing words (an equivocator). He claimed this man was so tricky he could swear false oaths and had committed serious treason for religious reasons, but still couldn’t lie his way into heaven. Porter invited the liar inside. When the knocking happened a third time, Porter welcomed an English tailor, saying he was going to hell for stealing fabric while making French trousers. He told the tailor to come in and said he could heat his tailoring iron there. Finally, Porter complained that the knocking never stopped and asked who the visitors actually were. He then stopped his imaginary game, deciding the castle was too cold to be hell, and declared he would stop being the ‘devil-porter’. He explained he had planned to let in many different kinds of sinners who take the easy road to eternal punishment. He then promised the real people outside that he would open the gate right away, asking them to remember him. Porter then opened the gate, and Macduff and Lennox entered. Here, the primary technique is dramatic irony. The drunken Porter, hallucinating that he is guarding the gate of Hell and welcoming sinners, is unconsciously telling the absolute truth. Macbeth’s castle, having just housed the regicide, is a site of damnation, and the crime itself has thrown the world into moral chaos. The equivocator directly mirrors Macbeth, who has just committed treason while verbally swearing loyalty, demonstrating the central theme that deception and broken faith lead to damnation. The persistent knocking represents inescapable judgment and reality demanding entry.
Play
Macduff
Was it so late, friend, ere you went to bed,
That you do lie so late?
Porter
Faith, sir, we were carousing till the second cock.
Macduff
Is thy master stirring?
Our knocking has awaked him; here he comes.
Re-enter Macbeth
Lennox
Good morrow, noble sir.
Macbeth
Good morrow, both.
Macduff
Is the king stirring, worthy thane?
Macbeth
Not yet.
Macduff
He did command me to call timely on him:
I have almost slipp’d the hour.
Macbeth
I’ll bring you to him.
Macduff
I know this is a joyful trouble to you;
But yet ’tis one.
Macbeth
The labour we delight in physics pain.
This is the door.
Macduff
I’ll make so bold to call,
For ’tis my limited service..
[Exit
Lennox
Goes the king hence to-day?
Macbeth
He does: he did appoint so.
Lennox
The night has been unruly: where we lay,
Our chimneys were blown down; and, as they say,
Lamentings heard i’ th’ air; strange screams of death;
And prophesying, with accents terrible,
Of dire combustion and confused events
New hatch’d to th’woeful time: the obscure
bird clamour’d the livelong night: some say, the earth
Was feverous and did shake.
Word Meanings
lie: sleep.
carousing: drinking.
till the second cock: until the cock crowed for a second time (till 3 a.m.)
joyful trouble: pleasurable effort.
physics: cures or relieves.
limited: special.
appoint: arrange, plan.
Lamentings: cries of weeping.
prophesying with accents terrible: predicting with terrible voice.
obscure bird: the owl that cries at night.
Explanation of the above dialogues— The scene continued with Macduff asking Porter if he had been up so late that he was just getting out of bed. The Porter happily explained that they had been drinking and partying until three in the morning. Macduff then asked if Macbeth, his master, was awake, assuming their knocking must have woken him, just as Macbeth returned. Lennox greeted Macbeth, and Macbeth greeted both of them back. Macduff then asked Macbeth if the King was awake, but Macbeth said he was still sleeping. Macduff apologized, explaining that Duncan had strictly ordered him to call on him early, and he was worried he had almost missed the time. Macbeth immediately offered to take him to the King’s room. Macduff thanked him, noting that while it was a pleasant thing to do, it was still an inconvenience for Macbeth. Macbeth brushed off the concern, saying that work done with pleasure takes away the difficulty of the task. He pointed out the door. Macduff excused himself for being so bold as to enter, saying it was his specific job, and then left. As Macduff departed, Lennox asked Macbeth if the King was planning to leave that day. Macbeth confirmed that Duncan had scheduled his departure for then. Lennox then started describing the terrible night they had just been through, calling it wild. He reported that where they were sleeping, strong winds had knocked down the chimneys, and they had heard crying and strange screams of death in the air. He added that horrifying voices were predicting great disaster and confusing, chaotic events, suggesting the current time was full of sorrow. Lennox mentioned that the owl had shrieked all night long, and some people believed the earth itself was sick and had violently shaken. The literary tool, Pathetic fallacy used here is to show chaos in the macrocosm i.e. nature validates the gravity of the event in the microcosm i.e. Macbeth’s castle before the body is even officially discovered.
Play
Macbeth
‘Twas a rough night.
Lennox
My young remembrance cannot parallel
A fellow to it.
Macduff
Re-enter Macduff
Macduff
O horror, horror, horror, tongue nor heart
Cannot conceive, nor name thee!
Macbeth, Lennox
What’s the matter?
Macduff
Confusion now hath made his masterpiece!
Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope
The Lord’s anointed temple, and stole thence
The life o’ the building.
Macbeth
What is’t you say? the life?
Lennox
Mean you his majesty?
Macduff
Approach the chamber, and destroy your sight
With a new Gorgon: do not bid me speak;
See, and then speak yourselves.
[Exeunt Macbeth and Lennox
Awake, awake!
Ring the alarum bell. Murder and treason!
Banquo and Donalbain! Malcolm! awake!
Shake off this downy sleep, death’s counterfeit,
And look on death itself! up, up, and see
The great doom’s image. Malcolm! Banquo!
As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprites.
To countenance this horror! Ring the bell.
[Alarum-bell rings
Re-enter Lady Macbeth
Word Meanings
Confusion: destruction.
Confusion now… masterpiece: destruction has reached its climax.
sacrilegious: unholy.
broke: broken.
ope: open.
anointed: nominated or chosen as successor to or leading candidate for a position.
The life o’ the building: The soul which exists in the body.
Gorgon: In Greek mythology, the Gorgons were three sisters; to look at them turned one to stone.
counterfeit: made in exact imitation of something valuable with the intention to deceive or defraud. Here, it is referred to as sleep.
countenance: a person’s face or facial expression.
Explanation of the above dialogues— Macbeth simply agreed that it had been a very bad night. Lennox replied that he was young, but he could not remember anything else that had ever been so terrible. Macduff returned, showing extreme sadness and fear. He cried out that the horror was so great that he could neither describe it nor even fully grasp it. Macbeth and Lennox quickly asked him what was wrong. Macduff answered that total chaos had taken over, explaining that a wicked murder had broken into ‘The Lord’s anointed temple’, meaning the King’s sacred body and had stolen life from within it. Macbeth, pretending to be shocked, asked Macduff to confirm if he meant the life had been taken. Lennox specifically asked if he meant the King. Macduff refused to say more, instead ordering them to go into the room and ruin their own sight with the horrible scene, which he compared to a ‘new Gorgon’. He told them to see it and then speak for themselves. Macbeth and Lennox left immediately. Left alone, Macduff began shouting frantically for everyone to wake up and ring the alarm bell, declaring that murder and treason had happened. He specifically called for Banquo, Donalbain, and Malcolm, urging them to wake from their sleep, which he called an imitation of death, and look upon death itself. He told Malcolm and Banquo to rise as if they were ghosts leaving their graves, commanding them to face the horror, and again ordered the bell to be rung. The alarm bell then started ringing, and Lady Macbeth came back into the room. Macduff’s command to view the body, which will ‘destroy your sight / With a new Gorgon’, is a striking classical allusion. He suggests the sight is so paralyzing and unnatural that it will literally turn the observers to stone.
Play
Lady Macbeth
What’s the business.
That such a hideous trumpet calls to parley
The sleepers of the house? speak. speak:
MacduffO gentle lady.
Tis not for you to hear what I can speak:
The repetition, in a woman’s ear,
Would murder as it fell.
Enter Banquo
O Banquo, Banquo,
Our royal master’s murder’d!
Lady Macbeth
Woe, alas!
What, in our house?
Banquo
Too cruel, any where.
Dear Duff, I prithee, contradict thyself,
And say it is not so.
Re-enter Macbeth and Lennox
Macbeth
Had I but died an hour before this chance,
I had lived a blessed time; for, from this instant,
There’s nothing serious in mortality:
All is but toys: renown and grace is dead;
The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees
Is left this vault to brag of.
Word Meanings
hideous trumpet: a dramatic sound, like a blaring horn or alarm bel
parley: hold a conference with the opposing side to discuss terms.
repetition: recital, report.
Duff: Macduff.
prithee: please (used to convey a polite request).
before this chance: before this happened.
toys: insignificant objects.
renown: fame.
grace: dignity.
The wine of life: the true joy of living.
lees: sediment of wine.
vault: A secure room/chamber, a curved structure or the act of leaping. A metaphor for the human body, like an empty wine cellar or container, after the ‘wine of life’ i.e. spirit or essence is gone.
brag: To boast, show off, or speak boastfully; to flaunt.
Explanation of the above dialogues— Lady Macbeth hurried in, demanding to know the reason for the terrible noise that had woken everyone in the castle. Macduff quickly told her that the news was too awful for her to hear, explaining that just hearing the facts would be enough to harm a woman. When Banquo arrived, Macduff announced clearly that their king had been murdered. Lady Macbeth cried out in sorrow and surprise, asking if the terrible crime had happened right there in their house. Banquo agreed that it was too cruel no matter where it happened, and begged Macduff to take back what he had said, hoping it was untrue. Macbeth and Lennox returned. Macbeth then gave a dramatic speech, saying he wished he had died an hour earlier, because now that Duncan was gone, life had lost all its meaning. He claimed everything was worthless, saying that honor and goodness were dead, and comparing the King’s life to wine that had been completely drained, leaving only the worthless dregs behind.
Play
Enter Malcolm and Donalbain
Donalbain
What is amiss?
Macbeth
You are, and do not know’t:
The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood
Is stopp’d; the very source of it is stopp’d.
Macduff
Your royal father’s murder’d.
Malcolm
O, by whom?
Lennox
Those of his chamber, as it seem’d, had done’t:
Their hands and faces were all badg’d with blood;
So were their daggers, which unwiped, we found
Upon their pillows:
They stared, and were distracted; no man’s life
Was to be trusted with them.
Macbeth
O, yet I do repent me of my fury, that I did kill them.
Macduff
Wherefore did you so?
Macbeth
Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious,
Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man:
The expedition of my violent love
Outran the pauser, reason. Here lay Duncan,
His silver skin laced with his golden blood;
And his gash’d stabs look’d like a breach in nature
For ruin’s wasteful entrance: there the murderers,
Steep’d in the colours of their trade, their daggers
Unmannerly breech’d with gore: who could refrain,
That had a heart to love, and in that heart
Courage to make’s love known?
Word Meanings
amiss: wrong.
badg’d with blood: marked with blood.
distracted: confused.
Wherefore: Why.
amazed: stunned.
temperate: restrained.
furious: angry.
expedition: speed.
violent: impulsive, passionate.
Unmannerly: savagely.
breech’d: covered all over.
gore: blood.
Explanation of the above dialogues— Malcolm and Donalbain entered, and Donalbain asked what was wrong. Macbeth told them that they were the victims of the wrong but did not yet know it, and explained that the source of their lifeblood, their father, the King had been stopped (killed). Macduff delivered the terrible news directly: their royal father had been murdered. Malcolm immediately demanded to know who had committed the crime. Lennox provided the apparent details, stating that the men of the King’s chamber seemed to have done it. He described their hands and faces as being marked with blood, and reported that their daggers, which were found unwiped upon their pillows, were similarly bloody. He noted that the guards were staring and seemed distraught, suggesting no man’s life would have been safe with them. Macbeth then declared that he regretted his fury which had led him to kill those two guards. Macduff immediately questioned Macbeth’s motives, asking why he had done such a thing. Macbeth launched into a passionate defense, arguing that no man could simultaneously be wise, amazed, temperate, and furious, or loyal and neutral. He explained that the speed of his violent love for Duncan had entirely overtaken his reason, which would have typically advised caution. He described the gruesome sight: Duncan lying there, his silver skin (which represents his innocence and purity), mixed with his noble blood, his wounds looking like a giant breach in nature allowing destruction to enter. He contrasted this with the murderers, who were covered in the colours of their trade, their daggers marked with blood that had been shed. He concluded by asking rhetorically who could have restrained themselves if they had a heart capable of love and the courage to act on that love.
Play
Lady Macbeth
Help me hence, ho!
Macduff
Look to the lady.
Malcolm
[Aside to Donalbain] Why do we hold our tongues,
That most may claim this argument for ours?
Donalbain
[Aside to Malcolm] What should be spoken
here, where our fate,
Hid in an auger-hole may rush, and seize us?
Let’s away;
Our tears are not yet brew’d.
Malcolm
[Aside to Donalbain] Nor our strong sorrow
Upon the foot of motion.
Banquo
Look to the lady:
[Lady Macbeth is carried out
And when we have our naked frailties hid,
That suffer in exposure, let us meet,
And question this most bloody piece of work,
To know it further. Fears and scruples shake us:
In the great hand of God I stand, and thence
Against the undivulg’d pretence I fight
Of treasonous malice.
Macduff
And so do I.
All
So all.
Macbeth
Let’s briefly put on manly readiness,
And meet i’ the hall together.
All
Well contented.
[Exeunt all except Malcolm and Donalbain
Malcolm
What will you do? Let’s not consort with them:
To show an unfelt sorrow is an office
Which the false man does easy. I’ll to England.
Donalbain
To Ireland, I; our separated fortune
Shall keep us both the safer: where we are,
There’s daggers in men’s smiles: the near in blood,
The nearer bloody.
Malcolm
This murderous shaft that’s shot
Hath not yet lighted, and our safest way
Is to avoid the aim. Therefore, to horse;
And let us not be dainty of leave-taking,
But shift away: there’s warrant in that theft
Which steals itself, when there’s no mercy left.
[Exeunt
Word Meanings
auger-hole: little hole.
Let’s away: Let us fly away.
Upon the foot: ready for.
motion: action.
naked frailties: bare weaknesses are hidden.
scruples; doubts.
In the great hand of God: under God’s protection.
treasonous malice: evil, treacherous intent or actions, particularly those against a sovereign or state, often hidden beneath a calm exterior
Well contented: we agree.
consort: associate.
false man: hypocrite.
easy: easily.
dainty: Being fussy or hesitant
shift away: go silently and quickly.
warrant: justification.
Explanation of the above dialogues— Lady Macbeth cried out for assistance, demanding that someone help carry her away. Macduff immediately told the others to attend to the lady. Malcolm then spoke quietly aside to Donalbain, asking why they were remaining silent when the argument most directly concerned them. Donalbain responded privately to Malcolm, asking what they should possibly say there, in a place where their fate might be hidden and seize them at any moment. He suggested they leave quickly, saying that their tears were not yet ready to flow. Malcolm agreed privately with Donalbain, noting that their powerful sorrow had not yet been put into motion as they were too stunned to act or grieve properly. Banquo urged the others to look after Lady Macbeth, who was then carried out of the room. Banquo then stated that once they had clothed their exposed, vulnerable bodies, they should meet to discuss and investigate the bloody crime further, acknowledging that Fears and scruples were shaking them. He declared that he stood in the hand of God and pledged that he would fight against the concealed, treasonous plot. Macduff agreed to join him, and all the nobles concurred. Macbeth then suggested they quickly dress themselves appropriately and meet in the hall together. Everyone agreed and exited, leaving only Malcolm and Donalbain behind. Malcolm asked Donalbain what his plan was, and suggested they should not associate with the other nobles, asserting that pretending to feel sorrow was something that deceitful people did easily. He announced that he would go to England. Donalbain replied that he would go to Ireland, explaining that separating their paths would keep them both safer because in their current location, there were hidden threats, and the the closest relative was the likelier target. Malcolm agreed, calling the murder a spear or weapon that had not yet landed, and said their safest course was to avoid its aim. He urged them to ride quickly, not worrying about taking a polite leave, as there was justification in stealing away when there was no mercy left for them. Malcolm and Donalbain then exited. Their decision to flee is logical for survival but politically disastrous, as it allows the other nobles to immediately cast them as the perpetrators of the murder, paving the way for Macbeth’s coronation. The scene concludes with the final, tragic irony i.e. the innocent flee, the guilty remain, and the kingdom is willingly placed in the hands of the traitor.
Conclusion
Act 2, Scene 3 of Macbeth starts with a drunk Porter joking around as the gatekeeper of hell, adding some humor. He eventually lets in Macduff and Lennox, who come to wake King Duncan. When Macbeth takes Macduff to Duncan’s room, Macduff is shocked to find the king dead and raises the alarm, causing panic. Students can take help from this post to understand Act 2, Scene 3 and also learn the difficult word meanings to get a better grasp of Macbeth. This post includes a summary of Macbeth, which will help students of ISC class 11, to get a quick recap of the play.