English resources/Macbeth/Act 3, Scene 2

Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 2

Lady Macbeth is not happy as queen. Macbeth says his mind is full of scorpions. He hides his plan from her.

Macbeth has 28 scenes in 5 acts, and Act 3 has 6 of them. Act 3, Scene 2 comes after Act 3, Scene 1 and before Act 3, Scene 3. The 4 key lines here come from Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.

This scene in five words

Macbeth'smindfillswithscorpions

Hide these. Ask the class for their five. Then show them. Then play today's sentence.

What happens, in more detail

Lady Macbeth is now queen, and she finds that getting what she wanted has not made her happy. Macbeth has been keeping to himself, sleeping badly and having terrible dreams, and he says Duncan, safe in his grave, is better off than they are.

She tells him to look cheerful at the feast tonight. He tells her his mind is full of scorpions because Banquo and his son Fleance are still alive, and he hints that something dreadful will happen to them before night falls. When she asks what, he will not tell her, and says she should stay innocent until it is done.

Why it matters: at the start of the play Lady Macbeth made the plan. Now Macbeth plans murder without her, and the couple start to drift apart.