Table of Contents
Why does Porter take so long to open the door?
Why does the porter say he opened the door so slowly? The porter says he was up all night drinking. Why did Macduff come to Macbeth’s castle? He offers to take Macduff to the king.
Who is at the door when the porter answers?
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. At the end of the scene, Macduff and his companions are arriving at the castle.
When the porter opens the door What does he explain?
The porter (or the guy who answers the door) is a bit of comic relief in the bloody tragedy of Macbeth. When he answers the knocking of the door in act 2, scene 3 of the play, he imagines what it would be like to be the porter at the door of hell.
Who does the Porter hear knocking at the door?
A porter hears knocking at the gate of Macbeth’s castle. It’s Macduff and Lennox, who have come to rouse Duncan. Macbeth arrives and tells them the king is still sleeping.
What 3 things does drinking provoke according to the Porter?
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macduff asks the Porter, “What three things does drink especially provoke?” The Porter replies, “nose painting, sleep, and urine”—the first of which is usually taken to mean the red flush that comes across a drinker’s face.
What ironic statement does the porter make?
The porter pretends that he is opening the gates of hell, as he opens the gate to Macbeth’s castle. This is ironic because Macbeth has committed sins that damn him to hell, and he lives in his castle.
What three things does the Porter say drinking provokes?
What four things does the Porter say drinking provokes?
According to the Porter, drink provokes three things: a red nose (“nose-painting”), sleep, and urine (line 29). It provokes sexual desire, but takes away the ability to act on it: “Lechery, sir, it provokes and unprovokes. It pro- / vokes the desire, but it takes away the perfor- / mance” (lines 30–32).
What purpose does the Porter serve?
Primarily, the Porter functions as comic relief, lessening the tension in the audience after the murder of King Duncan. The Porter also serves a thematic function, indicating that the gates to Macbeth’s home are synonymous with the gates of hell.
What gate does the Porter pretend to open instead of the gate to Macbeth’s castle?
The porter pretends to be opening the gates to Hell instead of Macbeth’s castle. This is a comment on Macbeth’s situation because he just killed King Duncan and it is a very bad sin to commit.
What does the Porter say about drinking?
In act 2, scene 3, the porter says that drink is an equivocator because “it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance.” In other words, when one has had a bit too much to drink, the alcohol can increase one’s sexual desire but at the same time decrease one’s ability to perform sexually.