Discovery and Aftermath

The scene shifts dramatically when Macduff discovers Duncan's murder. The language becomes terse and fragmented, reflecting the horror of the moment.

Quote: "O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart cannot conceive, nor name thee."

Highlight: Macbeth's speech patterns change notably after the murder's discovery, becoming more controlled and calculated.

Definition: The Great Chain of Being - a hierarchical structure of all matter and life, believed to be divinely ordered in Shakespeare's time.

Consequences and Reactions

The final portion of the scene deals with the immediate aftermath of Duncan's murder, showing various characters' reactions and establishing future conflicts.

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

Highlight: Macbeth's apparent remorse for killing the guards represents his only moment of seeming loss of control in the scene.

Example: The description of natural disturbances (chimneys blown down, strange screams) reflects the disruption of natural order caused by regicide.

The Porter's Comic Interlude

The opening of Act 2 Scene 3 introduces the Porter scene significance in Macbeth through dark comedy. The Porter imagines himself as the gatekeeper of Hell, creating a moment of levity before the horror to come.

Quote: "If a man were porter of hell-gate he should have old turning the key."

Highlight: The Porter's jokes about various sinners (farmer, equivocator, tailor) provide symbolic commentary on the play's themes of deception and damnation.

Example: The Porter references contemporary events like the Gunpowder Plot through his mention of equivocators.

Vocabulary: Equivocator - someone who speaks ambiguously to avoid telling the truth.