Act II, scene 3

This scene can be divided into four main parts:

1) The comic relief from the porter, who is drunk. Ironically, he pretends to be guarding the gate of hell.

2) The arrival at the castle, and the greeting by Macbeth of Macduff. Macduff tells of the strange lamentings and bizarre weather (chimneys blown down, etc.). Macbeth seems much more calm and sure of himself--he speaks in understatements. First, he says, when asked if the King is stirring "Not yet" and then he says in response to the strange occurences of the previous evening "Twas a rough night."

3) Then, we get the castle's reaction to the murder. Everyone is horrified--even Lady M puts on a good show, crying and fainting when Macbeth begins to go a little overboard in his exclamations and sorrow over the death of Duncan. At first, Macbeth's speech sounds sincere, but then he elaborates a little too much. He also admits to having killed the two chamberlains outside of Duncan's room, stating that when he saw the King, he needed to seek revenge on the person who did this to him. This was clearly due to the fact that Macbeth was worried that the chamberlains might tell everyone that he was the one who did it. However, just in the nick of time, Lady M faints and draws attention away from her husband.

4) Malcolm and Donalbain now take the stage to show us their reaction to the death. They fear for their lives, as they believe that the closer they are in blood relation to the King, the more likely they will also be murdered. They also say that it is easy to put on a false sorrow, and so choose not to consort with the rest of the characters. They flee to separate countries--Ireland and England, believing they will have a better chance if separated.