Macbeth - Act 3

Macbeth - Act 3

1. Macbeth plots Banquo's murder

   • Banquo's soliloquy
     • He is suspicious of Macbeth
     • He's still thinking about the Witches' prediction
     • He's ambitious, but unlike Macbeth he's willing to let fate take its course
   • Macbeth thinks he can change fate and prevent Baquo's sons from becoming kings
     • He does this by deciding to kill Banquo and Fleance
     • Fate and Free Will
   • Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo
     • His murder character has changed
       • In Act 1, Scene 1 he was a fearless hero but now he is a coward
   • He has become more like Lady Macbeth
     • He persuades the murderers to do what he wants by questioning their masculinity and telling lies to convince them Banquo is the enemy

2. The Macbeths are feeling insecure

   • They both feel insecure about Macbeth's position as king
   • "doubtful joy"/"restless ecstasy"
     • Shakespeare uses oxymorons to show mixed emotions
       • They've got what they want but they still feel uneasy and guilty
   • A change in their relationship
     • This scene shows that Macbeth hints to kill Banquo, but he refuses to confide in Lady Macbeth
       • This suggests that he wants to protect her
       • This shows that he is so consumed by his own ambition that her opinion doesn't matter

3. Banquo's murder

   • Macbeth sends murderers to kill Banquo
     • This is because he is paranoid and doesn't trust anyone
     • Macbeth is sometimes emphasised as the third murderer
   • Banquo carries a torch
     • The light symbolises his goodness
     • When he is murdered, his light goes out
       • His goodness has been destroyed
     • The sun is setting and darkness is coming
       • Symbolises Macbeth's reign
   • Fleance escapes
     • The Witches' prediction about Banquo's sons becoming kings may still come true

4. Banquo's ghost

   • Macbeth is in a good mood because he thinks Banquo and Fleance are being dealt with
     • "play the humble host"
       • 'play' suggests his hospitality is fake
   • "cabined, cribbled, confined"
     • This alliteration emphasises how trapped Macbeth feels
   • Only Macbeth can see the ghost
     • This makes the audience unsure of whether it is real or a trick of Macbeth's guilty conscience
     • The Supernatural
     • Suggests a guilt-inspired hallucination