Setting: Inside Macbeth's castle at Inverness

Porter: "Here's a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old
turning the key."

●​ The Porter hears knocking at the gate and jokes that if he were the gatekeeper of
hell, he'd be constantly busy opening the door.

[Knocking continues]

"Knock, knock, knock! Who's there, i' the name of Beelzebub?"

●​ He pretends to be the devil's gatekeeper, asking who's knocking in the name of

Beelzebub (another name for Satan).

"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."

●​ He imagines the visitor is a farmer who committed suicide when expecting good
crops. He tells him to bring handkerchiefs because hell is hot.

[More knocking]

"Knock, knock! Who's there, in the other devil's name?"

●​ He continues his hell-gate fantasy, asking who else is knocking.

"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."

●​ He imagines the next visitor is someone who twisted words and committed treason,
but couldn't lie his way into heaven.

[Knocking again]

"Knock, knock, knock! Who's there?"

●​ Continuing his game of pretending to be hell's doorkeeper.

"Faith, here's an English tailor come hither, for stealing out of a French hose: come in, tailor;
here you may roast your goose."
 ●​ He imagines a tailor who cheated customers by skimping on fabric. "Roast your
goose" is both a reference to the tailor's iron (called a "goose") and to being
punished in hell.

[More knocking]

"Knock, knock; never at quiet! What are you?"

●​ He's annoyed by the persistent knocking.

"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."

●​ He decides to stop pretending to be hell's gatekeeper, saying it's too cold to be

hell. He had planned to imagine sinners of all professions heading to hell (the
"primrose way" means an easy, pleasant path leading to destruction).

[Knocking continues]

"Anon, anon! I pray you, remember the porter."

●​ He calls out that he's coming ("anon" means "right away") and hints that visitors
should tip him.

[Porter opens the gate for Macduff and Lennox]

Macduff: "Was it so late, friend, ere you went to bed, That you do lie so late?"

●​ Macduff asks if the Porter went to bed very late, since he's slow to answer the door.

Porter: "'Faith sir, we were carousing till the second cock: and drink, sir, is a great provoker
of three things."

●​ The Porter admits they were drinking until the second rooster crow (around 3am),
and says alcohol causes three effects.

Macduff: "What three things does drink especially provoke?"

●​ Macduff asks what these three effects are.

Porter: "Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine."

●​ The Porter answers: red noses ("nose-painting"), sleepiness, and frequent urination.
"Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes the desire, but it takes away the
performance:"

●​ He adds a fourth thing - sexual desire - but notes alcohol both increases desire and
decreases ability to perform sexually.

"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;"

●​ He calls alcohol an "equivocator" (someone who uses ambiguous language)

because it gives mixed messages about sex - creating desire but preventing action.

"it persuades him, and disheartens him; makes him stand to, and not stand to;"

●​ More wordplay about alcohol's contradictory effects on sexual ability.

"in conclusion, equivocates him in a sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him."

●​ Finally, alcohol puts the drinker to sleep, making a mockery of his sexual intentions.

Macduff: "I believe drink gave thee the lie last night."

●​ Macduff jokes that the Porter himself was deceived by alcohol last night.

Porter: "That it did, sir, i' the very throat on me: but I requited him for his lie;"

●​ The Porter agrees, saying alcohol tricked him "in the throat" (by drinking).

"and, I think, being too strong for him, though he took up my legs sometime, yet I made a
shift to cast him."

●​ He jokes that although alcohol made his legs wobbly, he got revenge by vomiting it
up ("cast him").

Macduff: "Is thy master stirring?"

●​ Macduff asks if Macbeth is awake.

[Macbeth enters]

"Our knocking has awaked him; here he comes."

●​ Macduff notes their knocking woke Macbeth.

Lennox: "Good morrow, noble sir."

 ●​ Lennox greets Macbeth with "good morning."

Macbeth: "Good morrow, both."

●​ Macbeth returns the greeting to both men.

Macduff: "Is the king stirring, worthy thane?"

●​ Macduff asks if King Duncan is awake.

Macbeth: "Not yet."

●​ Macbeth says Duncan isn't awake yet (though he knows Duncan is dead).

Macduff: "He did command me to call timely on him: I have almost slipp'd the hour."

●​ Macduff explains that Duncan asked to be woken early, and he's nearly late.

Macbeth: "I'll bring you to him."

●​ Macbeth offers to take Macduff to Duncan's chamber.

Macduff: "I know this is a joyful trouble to you; But yet 'tis one."

●​ Macduff acknowledges hosting the king is both an honor and a burden.

Macbeth: "The labour we delight in physics pain."

●​ Macbeth responds that work we enjoy cures the pain of effort.

"This is the door."

●​ Macbeth indicates Duncan's chamber.

Macduff: "I'll make so bold to call, For 'tis my limited service."

●​ Macduff says he'll go in, as that's his assigned duty.

[Macduff exits to Duncan's chamber]

Lennox: "Goes the king hence to-day?"

●​ Lennox asks if the king is leaving today.

Macbeth: "He does: he did appoint so."

 ●​ Macbeth says yes, that was Duncan's plan.

Lennox: "The night has been unruly: where we lay, Our chimneys were blown down;"

●​ Lennox describes the violent storm the previous night, saying chimneys were blown
down.

"and, as they say, Lamentings heard i' the air; strange screams of death, And prophesying
with accents terrible Of dire combustion and confused events New hatch'd to the woeful
time:"

●​ He describes hearing wailing in the air, death screams, and terrible prophecies
about chaos and disaster.

"the obscure bird Clamour'd the livelong night:"

●​ An owl (the "obscure bird") cried all night long.

"some say, the earth Was feverous and did shake."

●​ Some claimed there was an earthquake.

Macbeth: "'Twas a rough night."

●​ Macbeth simply calls it a rough night.

Lennox: "My young remembrance cannot parallel A fellow to it."

●​ Lennox says in his young life, he can't remember a storm to equal it.

[Macduff returns]

Macduff: "O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart Cannot conceive nor name thee!"

●​ Macduff returns in shock, saying what he's seen is too horrible to describe.

Macbeth and Lennox together: "What's the matter?"

●​ They ask what's wrong.

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!"

●​ Macduff says chaos has created its masterpiece: someone has murdered the king
(the "Lord's anointed temple") and stolen his life.
Macbeth: "What is 't you say? the life?"

●​ Macbeth pretends to be confused.

Lennox: "Mean you his majesty?"

●​ Lennox asks if Macduff means the king is dead.

Macduff: "Approach the chamber, and destroy your sight With a new Gorgon:"

●​ Macduff tells them to go see for themselves, warning the sight will turn them to
stone (like the mythological Gorgon).

"do not bid me speak; See, and then speak yourselves."

●​ He refuses to describe it, telling them to see for themselves.

[Macbeth and Lennox exit to see Duncan's body]

"Awake, awake! Ring the alarum-bell. Murder and treason!"

●​ Macduff calls for everyone to wake up and sound the alarm.

"Banquo and Donalbain! Malcolm! awake! Shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit,
And look on death itself!"

●​ He calls for Banquo, Donalbain, and Malcolm to wake from sleep (which resembles
death) to witness actual death.

"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."

●​ He urges them to rise like ghosts from graves to witness this horror, and calls again
for the alarm bell.

[Bell rings, Lady Macbeth enters]

Lady Macbeth: "What's the business, That such a hideous trumpet calls to parley The
sleepers of the house? speak, speak!"

●​ Lady Macbeth asks why an alarm is waking everyone.

Macduff: "O gentle lady, 'Tis not for you to hear what I can speak: The repetition, in a
woman's ear, Would murder as it fell."
 ●​ Macduff says the news is too horrible for a woman to hear.

[Banquo enters]

"O Banquo, Banquo, Our royal master 's murder'd!"

●​ Macduff tells Banquo that King Duncan has been murdered.

Lady Macbeth: "Woe, alas! What, in our house?"

●​ Lady Macbeth feigns shock that the murder happened in their castle.

Banquo: "Too cruel any where. Dear Duff, I prithee, contradict thyself, And say it is not so."

●​ Banquo says such a murder would be cruel anywhere, and begs Macduff to take
back his words.

[Macbeth and Lennox return, with Ross]

Macbeth: "Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had lived a blessed time;"

●​ Macbeth says if he'd died an hour before this event, he'd have died happy.

"for, from this instant, There 's nothing serious in mortality: All is but toys: renown and grace
is dead;"

●​ He claims life now means nothing; fame and virtue are dead.

"The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees Is left this vault to brag of."

●​ He compares life to wine that's been drained, leaving only dregs.

[Malcolm and Donalbain enter]

Donalbain: "What is amiss?"

●​ Donalbain asks what's wrong.

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."

●​ Macbeth tells Duncan's sons that the source of their blood (their father) has been
stopped.

Macduff: "Your royal father 's murder'd."

 ●​ Macduff directly tells them their father is murdered.

Malcolm: "O, by whom?"

●​ Malcolm asks who killed him.

Lennox: "Those of his chamber, as it seem'd, had done 't: Their hands and faces were an
badged with blood;"

●​ Lennox says it appears Duncan's chamberlains (guards) did it, as their hands and
faces were covered in blood.

"So were their daggers, which unwiped we found Upon their pillows:"

●​ Their bloody daggers were found unwashed on their pillows.

"They stared, and were distracted; no man's life Was to be trusted with them."

●​ The guards looked wild and dangerous.

Macbeth: "O, yet I do repent me of my fury, That I did kill them."

●​ Macbeth admits he killed the guards in his anger.

Macduff: "Wherefore did you so?"

●​ Macduff asks why Macbeth killed them.

Macbeth: "Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious, Loyal and neutral, in a
moment? No man:"

●​ Macbeth claims no one could be both calm and furious at once.

"The expedition my violent love Outrun the pauser, reason."

●​ He says his love for Duncan made him act before thinking.

"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:"

●​ He poetically describes Duncan's pale body covered in blood, with wounds like
openings for destruction.

"there, the murderers, Steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers Unmannerly
breech'd with gore:"
 ●​ He describes the guards covered in blood, with daggers improperly "dressed" in
gore.

"who could refrain, That had a heart to love, and in that heart Courage to make 's love
known?"

●​ He asks who, loving Duncan, could stop themselves from acting.

Lady Macbeth: "Help me hence, ho!"

●​ Lady Macbeth pretends to faint, calling for help.

Macduff: "Look to the lady."

●​ Macduff calls attention to Lady Macbeth.

Malcolm: [Aside to Donalbain] "Why do we hold our tongues, That most may claim this
argument for ours?"

●​ Malcolm quietly asks his brother why they're silent when they have most reason to
speak.

Donalbain: [Aside to Malcolm] "What should be spoken here, where our fate, Hid in an
auger-hole, may rush, and seize us?"

●​ Donalbain replies that speaking could be dangerous - their "fate" (an assassin) could
be hiding nearby.

"Let 's away; Our tears are not yet brew'd."

●​ He suggests they flee, saying they haven't even processed their grief yet.

Malcolm: [Aside to Donalbain] "Nor our strong sorrow Upon the foot of motion."

●​ Malcolm agrees, saying their grief hasn't yet begun to move.

Banquo: "Look to the lady:"

●​ Banquo again calls attention to the fainting Lady Macbeth.

[Lady Macbeth is carried out]

"And when we have our naked frailties hid, That suffer in exposure, let us meet,"
 ●​ Banquo suggests they dress (their "naked frailties" refer to being in nightclothes)
and meet again.

"And question this most bloody piece of work, To know it further. Fears and scruples shake
us:"

●​ He proposes investigating the murder further, saying they're all shaken.

"In the great hand of God I stand; and thence Against the undivulged pretence I fight Of
treasonous malice."

●​ Banquo declares he stands with God against any hidden treasonous plots.

Macduff: "And so do I."

●​ Macduff agrees.

All: "So all."

●​ Everyone agrees.

Macbeth: "Let's briefly put on manly readiness, And meet i' the hall together."

●​ Macbeth suggests they quickly dress and meet in the hall.

All: "Well contented."

●​ Everyone agrees.

[Everyone exits 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."

●​ Malcolm suggests they not join the others, saying only a false man can easily
pretend grief.

"I'll to England."

●​ He says he'll flee to England.

Donalbain: "To Ireland, I; our separated fortune Shall keep us both the safer:"

●​ Donalbain will go to Ireland, saying separating will be safer.

"where we are, There's daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood, The nearer bloody."

●​ He warns that smiles hide danger, and those closest to them by blood are most
dangerous.

Malcolm: "This murderous shaft that's shot Hath not yet lighted,"

●​ Malcolm says the "murderous arrow" (the plot) hasn't reached its final target yet.

"and our safest way Is to avoid the aim. Therefore, to horse;"

●​ Their safest option is to avoid being targeted by fleeing.

"And let us not be dainty of leave-taking, But shift away:"

●​ They shouldn't waste time saying goodbye, but leave immediately.

"there's warrant in that theft Which steals itself, when there's no mercy left."

●​ It's justified to "steal yourself away" when there's no mercy left.

[They exit]

Summary
Act 2, Scene 3 takes place the morning after Macbeth murders King Duncan. The scene
begins with the Porter's comic relief as he pretends to be hell's gatekeeper while
responding to knocking at the castle gate. He eventually admits Macduff and Lennox, who
have come to wake the king. Macbeth greets them and directs Macduff to Duncan's
chamber. When Macduff discovers Duncan's body, he raises the alarm. The castle
occupants gather in shock. Macbeth reveals he killed Duncan's guards in a rage, claiming
they were the murderers. Lady Macbeth faints (or pretends to) during this revelation.
Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, decide to flee separately to England and Ireland,
fearing they might be next. Their flight later makes them appear guilty of their father's
murder.

Key Themes
1.​ Appearance vs. Reality: The Porter's joke about being hell's gatekeeper ironically
reflects the castle's transformation into a place of evil. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
pretend to be shocked and grieved, while actually being the murderers.
 2.​ Guilt and Conscience: Macbeth's excessive description of Duncan's body and his
explanation for killing the guards suggest his guilty conscience. Lady Macbeth's
fainting might indicate her struggling with guilt.
3.​ Order vs. Chaos: Duncan's murder represents the violation of the natural order.
Lennox's description of the night's violent storms symbolizes nature's response to
regicide.
4.​ Equivocation: The Porter's discussion of alcohol as an "equivocator" foreshadows
Macbeth's double-dealing. Macbeth says one thing while meaning another
throughout the scene.
5.​ Manhood and Courage: Macbeth justifies killing the guards as an act of love and
courage, twisting the meaning of these virtues.

Sample Exam Answers (100-150 words)

1. How does the Porter scene function dramatically in Act 2, Scene 3?

The Porter scene provides crucial comic relief after the intense murder scene, temporarily
releasing audience tension. However, it's not merely comic - it serves multiple dramatic
purposes. The Porter's jokes about being hell's gatekeeper are darkly ironic, as Macbeth's
castle has indeed become a hellish place of murder. His talk about equivocation
foreshadows the deception and double-dealing that follows. The Porter's discussion of
alcohol's effects - particularly how it provokes desire but prevents performance - parallels
Macbeth's situation: ambitious but troubled by conscience. The scene also practically
gives Macbeth and Lady Macbeth time to wash and change after the murder. Finally, the
delay in answering the door creates suspense, as the audience knows what Macduff will
discover while the characters don't.

2. Analyze Macbeth's behavior when Duncan's murder is discovered.

Macbeth displays calculated behavior disguised as grief and rage when Duncan's murder is
discovered. His initial pretense of ignorance ("What is 't you say? the life?") appears
unconvincing. When he returns from viewing Duncan's body, his poetic, elaborate
description of the king's corpse seems rehearsed rather than spontaneous, with ornate
phrases like "silver skin laced with his golden blood." His confession to killing the guards
reveals impulsiveness that contradicts his earlier careful planning. This unnecessary action
suggests either panic or a desire to eliminate witnesses. His justification - that his love
prompted action before reason could intervene - ironically reveals truth in its falseness.
Throughout the scene, Macbeth performs grief while watching others' reactions,
particularly when Malcolm and Donalbain enter, revealing his concern about these potential
claimants to the throne.
3. What is the significance of Malcolm and Donalbain's decision to flee?

Malcolm and Donalbain's decision to flee separately to England and Ireland reflects their
accurate assessment of the danger. Their private conversation reveals political wisdom
beyond their years: "Where we are, there's daggers in men's smiles." They recognize that
appearing to grieve appropriately would require false performance ("To show an unfelt
sorrow is an office which the false man does easy"). Their flight, while prudent, inadvertently
advances Macbeth's plans by making them appear guilty. This represents tragic irony - their
self-preservation efforts actually endanger them further by creating suspicion. Their
separation shows strategic thinking, as it ensures one might survive if the other is killed.
Malcolm's choice of England foreshadows his later raising of an army there. Their decision
demonstrates how quickly Duncan's ordered kingdom has descended into a place where
trust is impossible and kinship ("the near in blood") has become dangerous.

4. Explain the symbolic significance of the natural disturbances described

by Lennox.

Lennox describes a night of unprecedented natural turmoil: chimneys blown down, strange
"lamentings" in the air, "prophecies with accents terrible," and an earthquake. These
disturbances symbolize nature's response to the unnatural act of regicide. In
Shakespeare's worldview, the king was God's representative on earth, so killing him
violated divine order. Nature itself rebels against this disruption of the proper hierarchy. The
"obscure bird" (owl) crying all night represents an ill omen, as owls were associated with
death. These descriptions create a supernatural atmosphere that echoes the witches'
influence from Act 1. Macbeth's dismissive response ("'Twas a rough night") highlights his
attempt to normalize what is fundamentally abnormal. The symbolism suggests that
Duncan's murder has cosmic significance, disturbing not just the political order but the very
fabric of the natural world.

5. How does Lady Macbeth's behavior in this scene reveal aspects of her
character?

Lady Macbeth's behavior during the discovery of Duncan's murder reveals her calculated
deception and possibly the first cracks in her resolve. Her initial question ("What's the
business?") pretends ignorance while carefully avoiding appearing too calm. When told
directly about the murder, her response is tellingly brief and focuses on location ("Woe,
alas! What, in our house?"), suggesting self-preservation concerns rather than grief. Her
fainting when Macbeth describes killing the guards might be tactical - diverting attention
from Macbeth's suspicious behavior - or might represent genuine horror at her husband's
unplanned action. Either interpretation reveals her complexity; she's either an
accomplished performer maintaining their cover or someone whose imagined strength is
beginning to falter when confronted with actual bloodshed. Her absence from the scene's
conclusion isolates her, foreshadowing her eventual emotional isolation and mental
decline.

Sample Exam Answers (200-250 words)

1. Discuss how the theme of equivocation runs throughout Act 2, Scene 3

of Macbeth.

Equivocation - using ambiguous language to conceal truth while avoiding outright lies -
permeates Act 2, Scene 3, serving as both a dramatic technique and thematic element. The
scene opens with the Porter's extended joke about being "porter of hell-gate," which
becomes ironically truthful since Macbeth's castle has indeed become a gateway to hell
through Duncan's murder. The Porter explicitly discusses equivocation when describing
alcohol's effects: "it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance... it makes him,
and it mars him." This parallels Macbeth's situation - ambitious but conscience-stricken,
capable of murder but unable to enjoy its fruits.

When Macbeth directs Macduff to Duncan's chamber saying, "I'll bring you to him," he
speaks literal truth while concealing that Duncan is dead. His response to news of Duncan's
death ("What is 't you say? the life?") equivocates through feigned confusion. His elaborate
description of Duncan's corpse with poetic language ("silver skin laced with his golden
blood") obfuscates his guilt beneath performative grief.

Lady Macbeth's equivocation appears in her carefully worded reaction: "What, in our
house?" - expressing shock at the location rather than the act itself. Her theatrical fainting
diverts attention without requiring verbal deception.

Most significantly, Macbeth's explanation for killing the guards represents masterful
equivocation: "Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious, loyal and neutral, in a
moment?" This paradoxical statement reflects his own divided nature while providing
plausible justification for an impulsive act that was actually calculated to eliminate
witnesses.

The thematic significance of equivocation extends beyond deceptive speech to the play's
broader concerns with appearance versus reality and the psychological division within
characters who attempt to reconcile incompatible moral positions.
2. Analyze the dramatic function and symbolism of the Porter scene in the
context of Macbeth's overall structure.

The Porter scene serves as a multifaceted dramatic device with significance beyond mere
comic relief. Positioned immediately after Duncan's murder and before its discovery, this
interlude performs several crucial functions within the play's structure.

Most obviously, the Porter provides needed comic relief, releasing audience tension after
the murder scene's intensity. His drunken humor and sexual wordplay temporarily lightens
the atmosphere. However, Shakespeare brilliantly uses this comedy to deepen the play's
darkness rather than dispelling it.

The Porter's extended metaphor about being "porter of hell-gate" creates dramatic irony -
the audience knows Macbeth's castle has indeed become hell on earth following regicide.
His imagined conversations with damned souls (farmer, equivocator, tailor) symbolically
represent different aspects of sin and deception present in the play. The "equivocator"
reference particularly resonates, as equivocation (speaking ambiguously to hide truth)
becomes central to Macbeth's behavior throughout this scene.

Structurally, the scene delays the discovery of Duncan's body, building suspense while
practically allowing the Macbeths time to clean up after the murder.