What does the knocking in Act 2, Scene 2 of Macbeth represent?
After Macbeth follows through with the assassination of King Duncan, he appears from the king's chamber distraught and overwhelmed with guilt. Macbeth then begins to experience auditory hallucinations and his wife tries her best to calm his nerves. At the end of the scene, the couple hears a mysterious...
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knocking coming from offstage and Macbeth comments that he wishes the knocking would wake King Duncan, which highlights his guilt.In the following scene, the audience learns that Macduff has been knocking at the gate and enters Macbeth's estate at Inverness. The knocking itself is ominous and foreboding, which corresponds to Macduff's purpose in the play. It is Macduff who will oppose Macbeth and eventually kill him in the final battle. At the beginning of act 2, scene 3, the porter answers the door and allows Macduff to enter Macbeth's castle. Shortly after entering the castle, Macduff discovers that the king and his chamberlains have been murdered.
What does the knocking in Act 2, Scene 2 of Macbeth represent?
At the end of the scene, Macduff and his companions are arriving at the castle. They apparently had been told by Duncan to come early-- indeed, earlier than Macbeth had expected them. The last line of the scene has Macbeth shouting, "Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou could'st." The exasperated plea is similar to the cliche that something is so loud, it could wake the dead. Macbeth immediately follows up with a statement of guilt. He regrets what he has done, and the guilt will subsequently consume him.
What is the effect of the knocking at the end of Act 2, Scene 2 in Macbeth?
The knocking designates the actual arrival of Macduff and Lennox, but its powerful effect is to startle Macbeth, who has just killed Duncan. Macbeth's first response to the knocking is: "Whence is that knocking? / How is 'twith me, when every noise appals me?" That is, "Where is that noise coming from and why does it bother me so much?" The noise piques his conscience. The pragmatic Lady Macbeth says they need to get dressed for bed (as if they were awakened by the sound), but Macbeth expresses remorse when he ends the scene with "Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!" The knocking heightens an already suspenseful scene. At this point, the suspense is so high that Shakespeare introduces comic relief with the porter, who answers the door and jokes about the knocking. But as he is "the porter of hell gate," we don't forget about the gruesome murder that has just taken place.