Explication of Important Quotes from Act 2 of Shakespeare's Macbeth

Macbeth Quote Explications – Act 2

Theme: Gender Roles

Quote: “Help me hence, ho!” (II, III)

Explication: Lady Macbeth says this to all of the men around her after she walks into the room in which King Duncan is lying, dead. The gore overwhelms her, causing her to faint; at least that is what everybody is led to believe. Other possible reasons can explain her dramatic entrance: she is just trying to play along and acts like an innocent bystander, she is trying to draw attention away from her husband, who is being questioned, or she is genuinely surprised by Macbeth’s bold action when he killed the two guards. The most plausible scenario is a combination of two; she is surprised by her husband’s newfound strength and she is trying to direct everyone’s attention away from her husband, so that he is not placed under suspicion. This quote reflects the theme of “Gender Roles” because Lady Macbeth is characterized as being feminine and squeamish.

Theme: Nature as Symbols

Quote: “And Duncan’s horses – a thing most strange and certain…contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would make war with mankind/ ‘Tis said they eat each other.” (II, IV)

Explication: This is a conversation occurring between Ross and an old man, who is a priest coming to see King Duncan’s corpse. King Duncan has just been murdered and all of the horses are fighting with each other. The fact that the horses are fighting with each other has a deeper meaning than it suggests. Significantly, this quote uses nature as symbols to represent all of the turmoil that has recently happened. The quote reflects the theme of “Nature as Symbols” by using horses, which are noble and strong creatures, to symbolize the power struggle between Macbeth and King Duncan. The horses, who are most likely related and usually get along well, symbolize Macbeth’s relationship with King Duncan since they were cousins and Macbeth was loyal to him.

Theme: Fair and Foul

Quote: “…where we are there’s daggers in men’s smiles: the near in blood, the nearer bloody.” (II,III)

Explication: Donalbain, one of King Duncan’s sons, says this to his brother Malcolm. Their father has just been found lying dead in his bed and people are beginning to ask questions as to who committed the offense. They quickly become suspects, being the King’s sons, especially Malcolm, who was recently named the Prince of Cumberland and is next in line to inherit the throne. They also feel like their safety is threatened because if someone killed their father to gain the throne, then they would have to kill both sons as well. The quote serves to show the brothers’ feelings of uneasiness and that they can no longer trust those who are most loyal and closest to them. “The near in blood” is describing their relatives and “the nearer bloody” means that those relatives will do anything to see that they inherit the throne. This quote reflects the theme of “Fair and Foul” because the people who were supposedly loyal to King Duncan, whom he placed his trust in because they appeared to loyal and friendly, unexpectedly killed him.