Macbeth, Scene 2.

Option 2: Read the text or go on the Internet and read what happens in Act II. Summarize act II and then make a prediction about what you think will happen in the rest of the play.

Act 2 of the play is where the murders happen. In the first two scenes, many things happen. Lady Macbeth has her big speeches of wanting to be braver and bolder, asking the evil spirits to take away any 'womanly qualitys' that she has, and asking that the gods not watch on what is about to happen. Banquo and Macbeth have a conversation about "the three weird sisters' but decide to discuss them at another time. A popular part in scene one act 2 is when Macbeth sees the dagger in front of him, the blade pointing in the direction of where King Duncan is. Macbeth tries to grasp the dagger, but realizes it is just a hallucination, mostly of guilt. Lady Macbeth hears the call of Macbeth, and she thinks the chamberlains have awoken, and that no one has been killed yet. However, Macbeth comes unto Lady Macbeth and tells her that the deed is done. He is very shaken up though because he heard the guards say their prayers before going back to sleep, just before Macbeth killed them. They soon plant the evidence on the guards, and went to go wash their hands of the blood. Macbeth felt like he would never be cleaned, but Lady Macbeth would just keep reassuring him that everything would be fine. In scene 3 is when they find King Duncan dead. Macduff went to go talk to King Duncan but was surprised to find that he was dead, evidence planted on the guards. Everyone was shocked at this dismay, and chaos started when everyone came into the room. Then Macbeth declares that in his rage of the Kings death, he murdered the two guards. Everyone becomes suspicious of who the murderer is, and soon begin to think thoughts that it might be the kings two sons, Malcom and Donaldbain, because they have fled the scene. The reason they fled the scene is because they did not feel safe, because whoever was after their father could be after them as well.  In scene 3, Ross who is a thane and an old man begin to discuss the weird things that have been happening since the kings death. Its very dark in the daytime, tame horses are becoming wild and eating each other, and an owl even killed a falcon. Soon the news that Macbeth has been made king by the other lords and is soon leaving to be crowned.
 What I think is going to be happening in the rest of the play is that the witches will start to get involved, causing trouble with the people around Macbeth. I also think Lady Macbeth will start to turn into an evil woman, taking her rage out on everyone around her. I think that people might be suspicious about Macbeth being king and might find out that he is actually the murderer, and that he himself will be killed, and someone unexpected will be his murderer.
biblioggraphy : http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/section3.rhtml

Witches & Witch hunts

Witches and warlocks, wizardry and magic, spells and potions, all something we hear in fairy tales and books. These things are not something commonly believe in by most people in today society. However, in the Elizabethan era, witches,witchcraft, and witch hunts were highly believed in. People would often blame unexplainable events and diseases on witches and their work. When the Black Death outbreaks happened, there was no cure for the disease so the people had to direct their anger and sadness onto someone, and witches were the main target. When people would die, houses would burn down, when there would be bad harvests, or when food would go bad people would just blame it on the work of the witches. This era brought a new intellect of supernatural things, but mostly the work of witches, witchcraft and witch hunts. The item that was responsible for people believing in these types of things were bibles and books containing religious themes. These books had many ideas about witchcraft and witches, which promoted the witch hunts in the 15th and 16th century. When books about astrology and magic started to be released in the new Renaissance the witch hunts intensified. The web site http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-witchcraft-and-witches.htm  says that in "1562 Elizabethan Witchcraft Act was passed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was an act 'agaynst Conjurations Enchantments and Witchecraftes'."  The people that were often thought to be witches were the old, poor, single, widowed, and unprotected. Also those with prominent deformities like extra fingers or toes and moles. When  the fear of witches and witchcraft increased, the catholic church said that anyone who had knowledge of herbs (since many women would because of trying to find cures for diseases) that they would have had a pact with the Devil, either explicit or implicit. If you were in possession of herbs, especially those who have physcidellic effects, would be executed by burning in Europe. As for a punishment to those convicted of murder by witchcraft in England would be executed by hanging, not burning at the stake which was the terrible death that was only used on French and Spanish witches. Crimes by witchcraft that were not as harsh would result in a punishment by being pilloried. Torture towards witches was not aloud as a procedure for punishing one for witchcraft.
 A witch hunt is the search for witches or evidence of witchcraft. The main reason for witch hunts was because of social, emotional and religious transformations. Witch hunts took many lives of people, including innocent ones. There are still witch hunts going on today, but no where as intense or like the ones that took place in the Elizabethan era. Now a days they take place in southern Africa, and Saharan Africa. Witches and witch hunting play a big role in the story of Macbeth because they were a big influence on him and what choices he should consider and what actions he should make.

http://www.gendercide.org/case_witchhunts.html
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-witchcraft-and-witches.htm 
http://web.uvic.ca/~mbest1/ISShakespeare/Resources/Witches/Witches.html