The Tragedy of
Macbeth
Act II
William Shakespeare
Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.ANCHOR TEXT | DRAMANOTESREVIEW AND ANTICIPATE
In Act I, we learn that Macbeth has distinguished himself in battle.
Returning from the battlefield, he and Banquo meet three witches
who predict not only that Macbeth will be rewarded by King Duncan,
but also that he will become king himself. However, the witches
also greet Banquo as the father of kings. Motivated by the witches’
prophesies, Macbeth considers killing Duncan. The assassination
becomes more likely when the king decides to visit Macbeth’s castle.
Lady Macbeth, on hearing about the witches’ predictions and the
king’s visit, resolves that she and her husband will kill Duncan. When
Macbeth hesitates, she urges him on. As Act II begins, they are about
to perform this evil deed.Scene i • Inverness. Court of Macbeth’s castle.
[Enter Banquo, and Fleance, with a torch before him.]
Banquo. How goes the night, boy?Fleance. The moon is down; I have not heard the clock.Banquo. And she goes down at twelve.The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act II 281LIT22_SE12_U03_A2_WC.indd 281PERSONALIZE FOR LEARNING 23/03/21 12:17 PM
English Language Support
Punctuation Review Banquo’s speech in Scene i,
lines 4–10. As students begin the frst read of Act
II, remind them that the end of a line does not
always signal the end of a sentence. Students may
become confused because lines begin with capital
letters, but in plays written in poetry, capital
letters do not necessarily indicate the beginning
of a new sentence. Remind students that commasindicate a brief pause and that semicolons show
pauses between related but distinct thoughts. As
students read, ask them to rewrite a sentence that
confuses them by beginning with a capital letter
and ending with a period. Then have students
paraphrase the meaning of the sentence using
their own words. ALL LEVELSWhole-Class Learning 281
LIT21_TE12_U03_A2_WC.indd 281 14/04/21 1:55 PM