© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.NOTESScene iv • Outside Macbeth’s castle.
[Enter Ross with an Old Man.]
Old Man. Threescore and ten I can remember well:
Within the volume of which time I have seen
Hours dreadful and things strange, but this sore^1 night
Hath trifled former knowings.
Ross. Ha, good father,
Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man’s act,
Threatens his bloody stage. By th’ clock ’tis day,
And yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp:^2
Is ’t night’s predominance, or the day’s shame,
That darkness does the face of earth entomb,
When living light should kiss it?
Old Man. ’Tis unnatural,
Even like the deed that’s done. On Tuesday last
A falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place,^3
Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed.
Ross. And Duncan’s horses—a thing most strange
and certain—
Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,
Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,
Contending ’gainst obedience, as they would make
War with mankind.
Old Man. ’Tis said they eat^4 each other.
Ross. They did so, to th’ amazement of mine eyes,
That looked upon ’t.
[Enter Macduff.]
Here comes the good Macduff.
How goes the world, sir, now?
Macduff. Why, see you not?
Ross. Is ’t known who did this more than bloody deed?
Macduff. Those that Macbeth hath slain.
Ross. Alas, the day!
What good could they pretend?^5
Macduff. They were suborned:^6
Malcolm and Donalbain, the king’s two sons,
Are stol’n away and fled, which puts upon them
Suspicion of the deed.
Ross. ’Gainst nature still.
Thriftless ambition, that will ravin up^7
Thine own life’s means! Then ’tis most like
The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth.- sore grievous.
5- traveling lamp the sun.
10- tow-ring... place soaring at
its summit.
15- eat ate.
20 - pretend hope for.
25 6. suborned bribed. - ravin up devour greedily.
30
The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act II 291LIT17_SE12_U03_A2_WC.indd 291 20/03/16 1:46 AMInvestigate Symbolism and
Imagery
Students may have marked Scene iv,
lines 4–19 during their first read. Use these
lines to help students understand how
Shakespeare uses symbolism and imagery to
express ideas. Encourage them to talk about
the annotations that they marked. You may
want to model a close read with the class
based on the highlights shown in the text.
ANNOTATE: Have students mark details
in these lines that use imagery to describe
happenings in nature, or have students
participate while you highlight them.QuEsTiON: Guide students to consider what
these details might tell them. Ask what a
reader can infer from what Ross and the old
man describe to be happening around them,
and accept student responses.
Possible response: The things that are happening
are not natural: Ross notes that it is dark out when
it should be light. This darkness, as well as the
behavior of the owl and horses, is unnatural.
CONCLuDE: Help students to formulate
conclusions about the importance of these
details in the text. Ask students why the
author might have included these details.
Possible response: The wild night and behavior
of the horses is a sign that the natural order
is disrupted by the king’s murder. When the
old man says, “‘Tis unnatural, even like the
deed that’s done,” it is the first indication that
Duncan’s sons are suspects.
Remind students that Shakespeare often
uses imagery, or the development of visual
pictures through figurative language, in his
writing. In some cases, imagery helps to
reinforce a symbol the author is presenting.
Here, the imagery of wild horses, disorder
in the natural light, and dark patterns may
symbolize corruption and a breakdown of
moral order.CLOSER LOOK
Whole-Class Learning 291
LIT17_TE12_U03_A2_WC.indd 291 4/9/16 11:06 AM