Macbeth Act 2: playing darkness, knock knock jokes, and more!!

2.1

The great scene of Macbeth and Banquo meeting in the night before the King's murder... I believe this was the scene that Professor Cohen taught us his thoughts on playing darkness. I think I'd always skipped over it before that lesson, but it  has some beautiful language: "there's husbandry in heaven. Their candles are all out" or if you fancy some alliteration: A heavy summons lies like lead upon me"

It KILLS ME (ugh... no pun originally intended but now I can't bring myself to delete it) that when Banquo says who's there the answer from Macbeth is "a friend"

This scene also has the "Is this a dagger" soliloquy. I think this speech must be magical. because any time I see it on its own, even with ridiculously talented actors, I think its kind of lame. But when its in the play... it hooks me every time. Anyone else experience that? Or is it just my own experience and bias? The bell is awesome in this speech and gives us the whole for whom the bell tolls moment. also: we are continuing with the kingly couplet endings. they are huge in this play, huh?

2.2

SUCH A GREAT SCENE. and truly where the concept of "playing darkness" works best because when actors are preoccupied with trying to hide the daggers or not see them until well into the scene it always shows and makes the scene creek a bit. Lady M starts the scene and this is a FABULOUS lesson in the potential of shared lines & choices to make. Not to mention this gem of a line referring to why she sent Macbeth to kill the king instead of doing it herself: "Had he not resembled/ My father as he slept, I had done't" Daddy. Issues.

The textual culture scholar in me is still obsessed with this "stairstep shared line"

This scene also gets us the title of the adaptation I WISH I COULD SEE - "sleep no more" All the talk about sleep in this play was my mantra during my worst times of insomnia. Half the pity I feel for this murderer comes from the lines about sleep. "Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care/ the death of each day's life, sore labor's bath/ balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course/ chief nourisher in life's feast" sleep no more. ugh. (its like every parent and grad student's anthem right? painful. terrifying.)

 Then there's a lot of talk of color and juxtaposing color with the blood. and finally the scene ends with a knocking. knocking knocking knocking. "Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!" Knocking knocking knocking... until that scene ends and we get

2.3

Knock knock.... who's there?

I'd like to take a pause from the text here to applaud one of the brilliant pieces i saw presented at the 2011 Blackfriars conference. You can find the full summary here:

http://americanshakespearecentereducation.blogspot.com/2011/10/blackfriars-conference-2011-plenary_26.html

but basically Chris Barrett argues that the entire Porter's scene is a perfect example of what all knock knock jokes really are: "a tiny Aristotelian bomb" (you wont find that quote in the summary. it came from my own notes. yeah, that phrase was so perfect I wrote it down and, truth be told, I memorized it.) Now taking from the blog summary:

"A knock-knock joke has a formula that suggests not only fear, but a disruption of the rules of hospitality: the guest is an uncouth interrupter and the joke is always on the host. Implied is a laughing forgiveness for the transgression -- thus pity and fear are integral to the knock-knock joke and also, as it happens, to tragedy."

Awesome, right?

The porter scene also gives you some much needed comic relief after the last scene and a good bit of bawdy humor. I PRAY YOU REMEMBER THE PORTER!

The porter of course answers the door to Macduff and Lennox who want to see the King. macbeth enters and shortly after comes what I think is one of the most brilliant bits of dark comedy ever written:

 LENNOX

The night has been unruly: where we lay,
Our 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: the obscure bird
Clamour'd the livelong night: some say, the earth
Was feverous and did shake.

MACBETH

'Twas a rough night.

EVERYTHING about that is perfect! the long speech vs. short response. the dry humor.  etc. sooo good.

Then Macduff comes in to report the King's murder and Macbeth says something that can either be played as outward show of mourning for Macduff and lenox's sake, or a true sorrow at what he has done/fear for his soul:

Had I but died an hour before this chance,
I had lived a blessed time; for, from this instant,
There 's nothing serious in mortality:
All is but toys: renown and grace is dead;
The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees
Is left this vault to brag of.

Then we have the strange strange plot twist of Macbeth confessing he murdered the attendants though claiming it was out of rage they didnt protect the king... and Lady M asking for help/seeming to faint- likely to cover up Macbeth's big awkward screw up.(This is a moment I would teach at the college level. its so strange and the staging influences so much and I just love it more and more each time i read it)

The scene ends with the King's sons- Malcolm and Donalbain alone on stage deciding to flee to Ireland and England to escape whatever strange treason is going on here in Scotland.

2.4

The scene begins with Ross and an Old Man talking about weird wacktastic going ons. It seems that Nature is rebelling in a way that is not even a little subtle over the King's death my favorite being reports that horses are EATING EACH OTHER. WHAT?!?!?!

Since the King's sons ran away everyone thinks they have something to do with the murder and surprise surprise that leaves Macbeth to be King. Macduff and Ross decide to flee to new locations as well. I can't blame them. if horses were eating each other and day looked like night i'd want to jump that ship too!!

Act 3 tomorrow! I leave you with a video clip from one of the greatest shows of all time- expect more of these: