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Macbeth Act II: Porter and Disorder in Nature | ISC 11

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English LiteratureISC Class 11 · Macbeth – Act II

Macbeth Act II, Scenes iii and iv: The Porter and Disorder in Nature

Updated 18 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In Macbeth Act II scenes iii and iv, the drunken Porter imagines himself porter of hell gate, which gives comic relief and dramatic irony after the murder, and Lennox, Ross and the Old Man report unnatural events (a wild night, darkness by day, a falcon killed by an owl, horses eating each other) that show nature's response to the killing of a king.

Notice that the murder of a king causes disorder in nature (pathetic fallacy), while the Porter's comedy is dramatic irony: the castle is truly like hell.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand The Porter and Disorder in Nature (Act II, Scenes iii and iv)

Scene iii: the Porter. After the knocking begins, the drunken Porter is slow to open the gate. He imagines himself the porter of hell and lets in a farmer, an equivocator and a tailor. His speech releases tension after the murder, yet the audience knows the castle has become a kind of hell. This is comic relief with dramatic irony. He then admits Macduff and Lennox.

The wild night. Lennox describes a wild night of storms and screams. The disorder includes chimneys blown down, screams in the air and the earth 'feverous'.

The discovery. Macduff cries 'O horror, horror, horror!' Macbeth says he killed the grooms in his fury ('Th' expedition of my violent love / Outrun the pauser, reason'). Lady Macbeth faints. Malcolm and Donalbain flee, saying 'There's daggers in men's smiles'.

Scene iv: the omens. Ross and an Old Man describe darkness by day, a falcon killed by an owl and Duncan's horses turning wild and eating each other. The Old Man says it is 'unnatural, / Even like the deed that's done'.

Reading it. The murder of a king was seen as a crime against the natural order, so nature responds (pathetic fallacy). The minor characters act as a chorus. Macduff reports that Macbeth has gone to Scone to be crowned, and says he will go home to Fife instead.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

  • If a man were porter of hell gate

    The Porter: II.iii.

    Comic relief with dramatic irony.

  • There's daggers in men's smiles

    Donalbain: II.iii.

    The theme of deceit.

  • 'Tis unnatural, Even like the deed that's done.

    Old Man: II.iv, about the darkness by day.

    Links disorder in nature to the murder.

The Porter and Disorder in Nature (Act II, Scenes iii and iv): key facts

Omens in scenes iii and iv
  • wild night
  • chimneys blown down
  • darkness by day
  • falcon killed by owl
  • horses eat each other
Learn the sequence.
Function of the Porter
  • comic relief
  • dramatic irony
  • hell imagery
  • equivocator
Use for questions on his purpose.
Devices
  • pathetic fallacy
  • dramatic irony
  • chorus
  • hyperbole
Quote one example each.

How to answer The Porter and Disorder in Nature (Act II, Scenes iii and iv) questions

Use this for questions on the Porter scene or the omens.

  1. 1Say where in the play and the preceding event.
  2. 2Describe what the Porter or the Old Man says.
  3. 3Link it to the murder.
  4. 4Name the device with a quotation.
  5. 5Conclude with the effect on the audience.

The Porter and Disorder in Nature (Act II, Scenes iii and iv) in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Relief after a shocking moment

Suppose in a school play, just after a frightening scene, a comic guard stumbles in half asleep and mutters nonsense that is, without his knowing, true about what just happened.

Why would a playwright place such a speech there?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. It lets the audience breathe.
  2. It carries a hidden meaning.
  3. It makes the earlier shock feel stronger.

Answer: It is comic relief with dramatic irony, like the Porter's speech after Duncan's murder.

Memory hook: Laugh, then notice the hell.

Tricks to remember The Porter and Disorder in Nature (Act II, Scenes iii and iv)

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • P-O-F-H

    Porter, Omens, Falcon, Horses.

    Use it when: The sequence of the two scenes.

  • Nature answers

    A crime against the king is a crime against nature.

    Use it when: Why the omens appear.

The Porter and Disorder in Nature (Act II, Scenes iii and iv): solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: The equivocator · 3 marks · Long answerBoard level

Read the extract and answer: 'Faith, here's an equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either scale; who committed treason enough for God's sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven.' (i) Who speaks these words and in what situation? (ii) What is the significance of the reference to the equivocator?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Identify the speaker and the moment: Act II scene iii, after the knocking begins.
  2. Explain what an equivocator does: speaks with double meanings.
  3. Link it to the deceit surrounding the murder and to dramatic irony.

Answer: (i) The Porter speaks, in Act II scene iii, while he is slow to open the gate after the knocking begins; he imagines himself porter of hell gate. (ii) The equivocator is someone who speaks with double meanings and swears both ways. This suits the world of the play, where Macbeth and his wife hide their guilt behind false words. The audience sees the dramatic irony that the castle has indeed become like hell.

Example 2: Assertion and reason · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonBoard level

Assertion (A): The Porter scene provides comic relief. Reason (R): The audience knows the castle has become like hell after the murder.
(a) Both true, R explains A (b) Both true, R does not explain A (c) A true, R false (d) A false, R true

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. R gives the dramatic irony behind the comedy but does not explain the relief.

Answer: (b)

Example 3: Function of the Porter · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

What is the purpose of the Porter scene in Act II? Answer in about 100 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Comic relief after the murder.
  2. Dramatic irony: hell.
  3. The equivocator.

Answer: After the tension of the murder, the drunken Porter speaks comically as porter of hell gate and lets in a farmer, an equivocator and a tailor. The humour releases tension. It also gives dramatic irony, because the audience knows the castle has become like hell, and the equivocator suits a world of double meanings.

Example 4: Omens · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe the unnatural events reported in Act II, scenes iii and iv, and say what they show.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Wild night and screams.
  2. Darkness by day, falcon and owl, horses.
  3. Order of nature disturbed.

Answer: Lennox reports a wild night of storms and screams, and in scene iv Ross and the Old Man report darkness by day, a falcon killed by a mousing owl and Duncan's horses turning wild and eating each other. These show that the murder of a king is a crime against the natural order, so nature is disturbed too.

Example 5: Dramatic effect · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

'Even like the deed that's done.' Explain how the Old Man's remark links nature and human crime, and why the audience needs such a comment.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. He calls the darkness unnatural.
  2. He compares it to the murder.
  3. He acts like a chorus for the audience.

Answer: The Old Man calls the darkness 'unnatural, Even like the deed that's done', so the omens are tied directly to the killing of the king. He acts as a chorus that tells the audience the moral meaning of the events, since the characters themselves hide it.

Where students lose marks in The Porter and Disorder in Nature (Act II, Scenes iii and iv)

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Treating the Porter as unrelated comedy

    It has a function.

    Wrong working

    A funny scene for amusement.

    Right working

    Comic relief with dramatic irony.

    Do this: Mention hell.

    Usually costs: 2 marks

  • Mistake: Listing omens without meaning

    Meaning is needed.

    Wrong working

    Only a list.

    Right working

    Disorder in nature after regicide.

    Do this: Link to the murder.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks

  • Mistake: Confusing Lennox and the Old Man

    Different scenes.

    Wrong working

    Lennox reports the falcon.

    Right working

    The Old Man reports the falcon.

    Do this: Learn speakers.

    Usually costs: 1 mark

Exam tips

  • Mention the Porter's hell gate and the equivocator.
  • Link every omen to the murder.
  • Name pathetic fallacy and dramatic irony.
  • Use the Old Man's line as a quotation.
  • Mention the princes' flight.

Practice questions on The Porter and Disorder in Nature (Act II, Scenes iii and iv)

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 3 marks · Long answerBoard level

    'There's daggers in men's smiles.' Who speaks these words, in what context, and what do they show?

    Hint

    Think of the princes' decision after the murder is discovered.

    Answer

    Donalbain speaks them in Act II scene iii, after the murder is discovered, when he and Malcolm decide to flee. He means that people who appear friendly may hide murderous intentions, so they cannot trust those around them. The line supports the theme of deceit.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Ross asks, 'Will you to Scone?' and Macduff replies, 'No, cousin, I'll to Fife.' Give the context of this exchange and say what Macduff's choice suggests.

    Hint

    Macduff reports where Macbeth has gone.

    Answer

    In Act II scene iv, Macduff reports that Macbeth has gone to Scone to be crowned. When Ross asks if he will go there, Macduff says he will go home to Fife instead. By staying away from the coronation he shows distrust of Macbeth.

  3. Q3 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    How does Macbeth explain killing the grooms? Answer in about 80 words.

    Hint

    Violent love outran reason.

    Answer

    Macbeth says he killed them in fury, and justifies it with 'Th' expedition of my violent love / Outrun the pauser, reason'. This hides his own guilt and removes the only witnesses; Macduff asks 'Wherefore did you so?', hinting at suspicion.

  4. Q4 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Explain how the princes' flight changes the way others see them, and who gains from it.

    Hint

    The near in blood.

    Answer

    Their flight makes them look guilty and leaves the throne open, so Macbeth gains. They fled because they distrusted the show of grief around them.

  5. Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    Discuss the use of pathetic fallacy in Act II.

    Hint

    Storm, darkness, animals.

    Answer

    Nature mirrors the crime: Lennox's unruly night, darkness by day, the falcon killed by an owl and the horses eating each other. They show disorder in nature as a response to regicide.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who opens the gate?Show answer

    The drunken Porter.

  2. 2.Who discovers the murder?Show answer

    Macduff.

  3. 3.Where do the princes flee?Show answer

    Malcolm to England, Donalbain to Ireland.

  4. 4.Which bird is killed by an owl?Show answer

    A falcon.

  5. 5.Where does Macbeth go to be crowned?Show answer

    Scone.

The Porter and Disorder in Nature (Act II, Scenes iii and iv): frequently asked questions

Is the Porter in the Class 11 text?

Yes, the Porter appears in scene iii.

What is pathetic fallacy?

Nature mirroring human events.

Which Acts are prescribed?

Acts I and II.