ACT II - Scene III Practice Quiz — Macbeth
by William Shakespeare — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: ACT II - Scene III
Who is the first character to appear in Act 2, Scene 3?
The Porter, who is drunk and imagines himself as the gatekeeper of Hell.
What three sinners does the Porter imagine admitting to Hell?
A farmer who hanged himself out of greed, an equivocator who committed treason, and an English tailor who stole cloth from a French hose.
Who knocks at the gate and is admitted by the Porter?
Macduff and Lennox, who have come at Duncan’s request for an early morning audience.
What three things does the Porter say drink provokes?
Nose-painting (a red nose), sleep, and urine. He adds that lechery is provoked in desire but taken away in performance.
What unnatural events does Lennox describe from the previous night?
Chimneys blown down, strange screams of death, lamentations in the air, prophecies of dire events, an owl clamoring all night, and the earth shaking.
How does Macbeth respond to Lennox’s account of the stormy night?
"'Twas a rough night"—a masterful understatement that conceals his guilt.
Who discovers Duncan’s body?
Macduff, who went to wake the king and returns crying "O horror, horror, horror!"
How does Macduff describe Duncan’s murder metaphorically?
He calls it a sacrilegious act that broke open "The Lord’s anointed temple," comparing Duncan’s body to a holy structure.
What does Macbeth claim about life after Duncan’s death?
He says "There’s nothing serious in mortality" and that "the wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees / Is left this vault to brag of."
Who does Lennox identify as the apparent murderers of Duncan?
Duncan’s two chamber guards, whose hands and faces were smeared with blood and whose daggers were found unwiped on their pillows.
What does Macbeth reveal he has done to the guards?
He killed them both, claiming he acted out of furious love for Duncan.
Why is Macbeth’s killing of the guards significant to the plot?
It eliminates the only witnesses who could reveal the truth, but it also raises suspicion—Macduff immediately questions why Macbeth acted so rashly.
What happens when Macduff asks Macbeth why he killed the guards?
Macbeth gives an elaborate speech about his violent love for Duncan, and Lady Macbeth faints (or pretends to faint) to divert attention.
What is Lady Macbeth’s reaction when she first hears of Duncan’s murder?
"What, in our house?"—a response Banquo finds inadequate, replying "Too cruel anywhere."
Why do Malcolm and Donalbain decide to flee?
They fear the murderer will target them next. Donalbain says "there’s daggers in men’s smiles; the near in blood, / The nearer bloody."
Where do Malcolm and Donalbain each decide to go?
Malcolm flees to England and Donalbain flees to Ireland.
What is the dramatic irony of the Porter’s Hell-gate fantasy?
The Porter jokes about guarding Hell’s gates, not knowing that a damnable murder has actually taken place inside the castle, making it a kind of Hell.
What historical event does the Porter’s equivocator reference allude to?
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and the trial of Father Henry Garnet, who defended the Jesuit practice of equivocation under oath.
What practical theatrical purpose does the Porter scene serve?
It gives the actor playing Macbeth time to wash off stage blood and change costume between the murder scene and the discovery scene.
What does Banquo propose the assembled lords should do after the murder?
He suggests they dress and meet in the hall to question "this most bloody piece of work" further, declaring he stands in "the great hand of God" against treasonous malice.