Macbeth-Act 3

Macbeth-Act 3

1. Key events

   • Macbeth is now King but he is worried about the Witches' prophecy about Banquo's decendants being Kings. He orders some murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance.
   • The murderers kill Banquo but Fleance escapes. Macbeth hosts a feast and sees Banquo's ghost. He decides to visit the witches again.
   • Lennox and a Lord suspect Macbeth of murdering Duncan and Banquo. They say that Macduff is getting an army together to attack Macbeth and put Malcom on the throne.

2. Characters and how they are presented

   • Banquo: Suspicious of Macbeth yet takes into consideration what the witches said and is willing to let fate take its course.
   • Macbeth: He is more like Lady Macbeth yet he feels insecure about his position as King. Macbeth does not confide with Lady Macbeth before ordering to kill Banquo which suggests that he either wants to protect her from the guilt or that he does not care about her opinion seen as he is so passion driven.
   • Lady Macbeth: She does not seem too bothered by the blood on her hands and accuses Macbeth as becoming mad which is ironic because she herself later becomes mad.
   • Lennox: He suspects that Macbeth was the murderer of Duncan and Banquo. He is a potential threat to Macbeth-planning an uprising.
   • Murderers: They are hired to kill Banquo and Fleance but let Fleance escape. They show hoe ruthless Macbeth has become. Yet Macbeth is not willing to commit the murders himself.

3. Shakespeares' intentions for the plot/themes

   • Shakespeare wanted to highlight the themes of fate and free will through Macbeth wanting to become kings. He also wanted to use foreshadowing to hint at Macduff's uprising and the English attack at the end of the play. Shakespeare also wanted to highlight the theme of supernatural through Banquo's ghost. Finally, Shakespeare wrote the play from the point of view from minor characters to develop the feeling of unrest in Scotland.

4. Key quotations

   • "Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, as the weird women promised"
     • "Do you find your patience and predominant in your nature, that you can let this go?"
       • "May soon return to this our suffering country under a hand accursed!"
   • "In such bloody distance that every minute of his being thrusts against my nearest of life"
     • "Tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy"