Macbeth Story Timeline | Shakespeare Learning Zone

Act 2

Macbeth has a vision

On the way to kill Duncan, Macbeth sees a vision of a dagger with the handle pointing towards him. He dismisses it as an illusion caused by the ‘bloody business’ he is about to do and goes on to murder King Duncan in his bed.

Key Scene

Planting the weapons

After the murder, Macbeth returns to Lady Macbeth with his hands covered in blood and still holding the daggers. He was meant to leave them with the guards but won’t go back. Lady Macbeth takes them from him saying ‘give me the daggers’ and she goes back and plants them by Duncan’s sleeping guards to make it look like they murdered the king. Investigate the reaction to Duncan's Death

Macduff asks questions

Macduff and Lennox arrive at the castle to meet Duncan. They discover the murdered king and Macbeth explains that he killed Duncan’s guards out of ‘fury’. Macduff questions his actions, so Lady Macbeth pretends to faint to distract them.

The suspects flee

Malcolm and Donalbain, Duncan’s sons, decide to flee Scotland for their safety and, because they are ‘stol’n away and fled’, they are suspected of murdering the king. It is announced that Macbeth will be the new king. View Act 2 Scene-by-scene breakdown