Macbeth – ABOUT MACBETH OM OSS Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare’s plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606. It is frequently performed at both amateur and professional levels, and has been adapted for opera, film, books, stage and screen. Often regarded as archetypal, the play tells of the dangers of the lust for power and the betrayal of friends. For the plot Shakespeare drew loosely on the historical account of King Macbeth of Scotland by Raphael Holinshed and that by the Scottish philosopher Hector Boece. There are many superstitions centred on the belief the play is somehow «cursed», and many actors will not mention the name of the play aloud, referring to it instead as «The Scottish play». he play opens among thunder and lightning, with the Three Witches deciding that their next meeting shall be with Macbeth. In the following scene, a wounded sergeant reports to King Duncan of Scotland that his generals, Macbeth (who is the Thane of Glamis) and Banquo, have just defeated the allied forces of Norway and Ireland, led by the rebel Macdonwald.

Macbeth, the King’s kinsman, is praised for his bravery and fighting prowess. The scene changes. Macbeth and Banquo enter into conversation, remarking on the weather and their victory («So foul and fair a day I have not seen»). While they wander into a heath, the three Witches, who have been waiting, greet them with prophecies. Even though it is Banquo who first challenges them, they address Macbeth. The first hails Macbeth as «Thane of Glamis», the second as «Thane of Cawdor», and the third proclaims that he shall «be King hereafter». Macbeth appears stunned into silence; so again Banquo challenges them. The Witches inform Banquo he shall father a line of kings. While the two men wonder at these pronouncements, the Witches vanish, and another Thane, Ross, a messenger from the King, soon arrives and informs Macbeth of his newly bestowed title—Thane of Cawdor. The first prophecy is thus fulfilled. Immediately, Macbeth begins to harbour ambitions of becoming king. Macbeth writes to his wife about the Witches’ prophecies.

When Duncan decides to stay at the Macbeths’ castle at Inverness, Lady Macbeth hatches a plan to murder him and secure the throne for her husband. Although Macbeth raises concerns about the regicide, Lady Macbeth eventually persuades him to follow her plan by challenging his manhood. On the night of the visit Macbeth kills Duncan. The deed is not seen by the audience, but it leaves Macbeth so shaken that Lady Macbeth has to take charge. In accordance with her plan, she frames Duncan’s sleeping servants for the murder by planting bloody daggers on them. Early the next morning, Lennox, a Scottish nobleman, and Macduff, the loyal Thane of Fife, arrive. The porter opens the gate and Macbeth leads them to the king’s chamber, where Macduff discovers Duncan’s corpse. In a feigned fit of anger, Macbeth murders the guards before they can protest their innocence. Macduff is immediately suspicious of Macbeth but does not reveal his suspicions publicly. Fearing for their lives, Duncan’s sons flee, Malcolm to England and his brother Donalbain to Ireland.

The rightful heirs’ flight makes them suspects and Macbeth assumes the throne as the new King of Scotland as a kinsman to the dead king. Macbeth seeing the Ghost of Banquo by Théodore Chassériau.Despite his success, Macbeth remains uneasy about the prophecy that Banquo would be the progenitor of kings. So Macbeth invites Banquo to a royal banquet and discovers that Banquo and his young son, Fleance, will be riding out that night. He hires two men to kill Banquo and Fleance. (A third murderer appears mysteriously in the park before the murder). While the assassins murder Banquo, Fleance escapes. At the banquet Banquo’s ghost enters and sits in Macbeth’s place. Only Macbeth can see the ghost; the rest panic at the sight of Macbeth raging at an empty chair, until a desperate Lady Macbeth orders them to leave. Macbeth, disturbed, goes to the Witches once more.

They conjure up three spirits with three further warnings and prophecies, which tell him to «beware Macduff», but also that «none of woman born shall harm Macbeth» and he will «never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to High Dunsinane Hill shall come against him». Since Macduff is in exile in England (he meets with Malcolm and together they begin to raise an army) Macbeth assumes that he is safe; so he puts to death everyone in Macduff’s castle, including Macduff’s wife and their young children. Lady Macbeth becomes racked with guilt from the crimes she and her husband have committed. In a famous scene she sleepwalks and tries to wash imaginary bloodstains from her hands, all the while speaking of the terrible things she knows. Lady Macbeth sleepwalking by Johann Heinrich Füssli.In England Malcolm and Macduff plan the invasion of Scotland. Macbeth, now identified as a tyrant, sees many of his thanes defecting. Malcolm leads an army, along with Macduff and Englishmen Siward (the Elder), the Earl of Northumberland, against Dunsinane Castle.

While encamped in Birnam Wood, the soldiers are ordered to cut down and carry tree limbs to camouflage their numbers, thus fulfilling the Witches’ third prophecy. Meanwhile Macbeth delivers the famous soliloquy («Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow») upon his learning of Lady Macbeth’s death (the cause is undisclosed, and it is assumed by some that she committed suicide, as Malcolm’s final reference to her reveals «’tis thought, by self and violent hands / took off her life»). A battle ensues, culminating in the slaying of the young Siward and Macduff’s confrontation with Macbeth. Macbeth boasts that he has no reason to fear Macduff, for he cannot be killed by any man born of woman. Macduff declares that he was «from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d» (i.e., born by Caesarean section)—and was therefore not «of woman born». Macbeth realizes, too late, the Witches have misled him. They fight, and Macduff beheads Macbeth off stage, and thereby fulfils the last of the prophecies.

Although Malcolm is placed on the throne and not Fleance, the witches’ prophecy concerning Banquo, «Thou shalt [be]get kings», was known to the audience of Shakespeare’s time to be true, for James I of England was supposedly a descendant of Banquo. Macbeth 2015. All rights reserved. Why does Macbeth see Banquo's ghost in Act 3, Scene 4 of Macbeth? | eNotes Why does Macbeth see Banquo's ghost in Act 3, Scene 4 of Macbeth? William Delaney | (Level 3) Distinguished Educator Posted on April 15, 2014 at 7:12 PM Banquo is an important character in the play, and therefore Shakespeare gave the part to an important actor. Shakespeare probably disliked killing this character off so early in the play. While he was writing the script he probably thought of bringing Banquo back as a ghost, thereby getting more exposure for the actor playing the part. Once Shakespeare had established that Banquo was a ghost, he could use the same actor yet again in the scene in which Macbeth confronts the three witches and demands to know more about the future.

I conjure you, by that which you profess, Howe'er you come to know it, answer me: Though you untie the winds and let them fight Against the churches, though the yeasty waves Confound and swallow navigation up, Though bladed corn be lodged and trees blown down, Though castles topple on their warders’ heads, Though palaces and pyramids do slope Their heads to their foundations, though the treasure Of nature's germens tumble all together Even till destruction sicken, answer me To what I ask you. (Act 4, Scene 1) The witches conjure three apparitions and finally show Macbeth eight kings with the ghost of Banquo standing behind them to symbolize that they are his own descendants. Macbeth realizes that his assassination of Duncan was futile, since he only made it possible for Banquo's progeny to inherit the throne. Shakespeare got extra exposure out of actors in other plays besides Macbeth. In Hamlet, for example, he has the ghost of Hamlet's father appear several times. First the ghost appears to Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo in Act 1, Scene 1. Then it appears again in Act 1, Scenes 4 and 5.

And much later in the play it will appear to Hamlet when he is having his violent confrontation with his mother in Act 3, Scene 4. There was no great necessity for using the ghost again in Act 3, but it gives the actor and an interesting character more exposure. Shakespeare must have used minor actors many times in different roles in the same play. It seems likely, for instance, that the same boy actor played Portia and Calpurnia in Julius Caesar wearing different gowns and different wigs. Sources: Let's start with the fact that Macbeth is paranoid. Not only does he ask the murderers twice if Banquo is really dead, but he also admits that he is uneasy because Fleance got away: MURDERER: Most royal sir, MACBETH: Then comes my fit again: I had else been perfect, His paranoia shows again in this quote: MACBETH: It will have blood: they say blood will have blood. Stones have been known to move and trees to speak. He is afraid of what he has brought down upon himself, and begins to believe that his evil actions will have consequences. Also, remember that Banquo had been Macbeth's best friend.

Macbeth had offerred Banquo "honor" in Act II, scene i, if only Banquo agreed to "cleave to [Macbeth's] consent." Although Banquo angers Macbeth by refusing, this was still someone with whom he had fought in battle, a true ally. To have been the instrument of his death is bound to create guilt. We know from Macbeth's reaction to Duncan's murder, when he says he shall never sleep again, that he is capable of guilt. The ghost is a manifestation of that, just as the dagger was a manifestation of his ambition. Sources: Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 - Banquo's ghost appears Explanatory Notes for Act 3, Scene 4 From Macbeth. Ed. Thomas Marc Parrott. New York: American Book Co. (Line numbers have been altered.) ______ From every point of view this superb scene is one of the most remarkable in the whole play. The poetry rises to the highest pitch, and the theatrical effects are overwhelming. But it is, perhaps, most noteworthy for the light it casts upon Macbeth's state of mind.

As, from the point of view of plot construction, the last scene marked the climax of the play, so, to the student of character, this scene is the turning-point in Macbeth's career. Up to this time, with all his hesitation and wild fancies and gloomy suspicions, he has had strength of mind and self-control enough to push forward to his objects and to hide from public view the bloody means by which he has obtained them. In this scene, however, we see a fatal collapse of his powers. Confronted by the spectre of his murdered victim he loses all self-control, and before the assembled nobility breaks out into speeches which must inevitably betray his guilt. It is interesting to compare his behaviour immediately after the discovery of the murder of Duncan with his actions in the presence of Banquo's ghost. In the former case he retained all his presence of mind; his speeches, though perhaps somewhat exaggerated, conveyed the impression of wild grief for the king's death, and his act of putting the bewildered grooms to instant death was, perhaps, the most practical thing that he could have done at such a time.

In the banquet scene, after one feeble effort to play his part, he loses consciousness of the witnesses and speaks to the ghost as if they were alone together. Equally noticeable is the fact that in this scene he passes altogether beyond his wife's control. She had been able to brace him up to the murder of Duncan and to control and direct him in the outburst of excitement which followed. In this scene, however, she is utterly unable to restrain him, and is forced to listen helplessly to the ravings that betray his guilty secret. In the dialogue between Macbeth and his wife which follows the retirement of the guests, we see evident signs of moral degeneration as well as of the collapse of his mental powers. His expressed determination to seek out the witches and to wade through a sea of blood to obtain his objects shows how far he has fallen from the Macbeth who was horrified by the suggestion implied in the witches' greeting, and who needed all the powerful influence of his wife to nerve him to the murder of Duncan. The mention of Macduff and the witches serves also to link this scene to those of the next act, and so provides for continuity of action. 1. degrees, ranks. 1, 2.

at first And last, from the beginning to the end of the feast, once for all. 3. Ourself, we (the royal plural). 5. keeps her state, remains in her throne; the "state" meant originally the canopy over the chair in which a king sat. 6. require, ask for. 9. encounter thee with their hearts' thanks, meet thy greeting with hearty thanks. 10. Both sides, of the long table at which the guests are sitting. Macbeth is playing the part of the genial king who leaves his throne to mingle with his nobles. He says he will sit down among them, but his anxiety to get news of the assault on Banquo keeps him on his feet. At this moment he catches sight of the murderer at the door, and telling the nobles that in a few moments he'll drink a formal toast, a "measure," with them, he turns to the door and converses in low tones with the assassin. 11. large, unrestrained. 11. anon, soon. 14. 'Tis better ...

within, An ungrammatical but very emphatic way of saying, "Banquo's blood is better on your face than in his body." 21. my fit, Macbeth speaks as if he were subject to an intermittent fever. He had hoped to be wholly cured of it by the death of Banquo and Fleance, but with the news of the latter's escape, his "fit" of fear attacks him again. 21. I had else been perfect, I would otherwise, i.e. if Fleance had been killed, have been completely well. 22. founded, firmly based. 23. general, free to go everywhere. 23. casing, enveloping. 24. cabin'd cribb'd, shut up in a narrow space, as in a cabin, or a hovel. 24, 25. bound in To, confined along with. 25. saucy, insolent. 27. trenched, carved. 29. worm, snake. 29. By Banquo's death Macbeth is, at least, relieved of his present fears.

Fleance, although one of the hated house to whom the witches have prophesied that the kingdom shall descend, is as yet too young to undertake anything against Macbeth. 32. hear ourselves, talk with each other. 33. the feast is sold, like a meal at an inn. 33. cheer, welcome. 37. Meeting, a formal gathering. 40. roof'd, under one roof. 40. our country's honour, the best men in the country. 41. graced, gracious. 42, 43. who may ... mischance, I hope I may rather be obliged to rebuke him as an unkind friend who forgot his engagement to sup with us, than to pity him for any misfortune which may have prevented him from keeping it. This speech is shamelessly hypocritical, for Macbeth is secretly rejoicing that his dreaded enemy will trouble him no more. All the more overwhelming is the effect when he turns and perceives the ghost. 46. The table's full. Macbeth at first does not realize what has happened; he only sees that all the seats at the long table are occupied.

When Lennox calls his attention to the seat reserved for him, Macbeth recognizes Banquo's ghost sitting in it. 48. moves, excites. 49. Which of you have done this? At the sight of the ghost Macbeth utterly loses his self-command. He makes, however, one vain attempt to shake off the overpowering sense of guilt by shifting the burden of the crime upon some member of the company. 53, 54. my lord ... youth. Note the quick tact with which Lady Macbeth comes to her husband's help. Laying the blame of Macbeth's sudden emotion and wild words upon a disorder which has afflicted him from his youth, she induces the nobles, who are rising excitedly from their places, to sit down again. Then she leaves the throne and hurries to Macbeth. Catching his arm, she draws him aside and attempts in low whispers to shame him into presence of mind by taunting him with cowardice. 55. upon a thought, in a moment. 56. note, pay attention to. 57. passion, suffering. 57. You shall offend him, you are bound to make him worse, do him harm. 60. proper, fine.

61. painting of your fear, an image created by your fear, like the air-drawn dagger. 62. air-drawn, drawn in the air, imaginary. 63. flaws, outbursts. 64. become, suit. 64. Impostors to true fear, mere counterfeits when compared to those caused by an object truly to be feared. 66. Authorized, the accent is on the second syllable. 68. stool, chair. 71. charnel-houses, places where the bones of the dead are stored. 72. monuments, tombs. 72, 73. our monuments Shall be the maws of kites, our graves shall be in the stomachs of carrion crows. Macbeth seems to think that if the dead body were torn to pieces by kites, it would be impossible for the ghost to rise. 73. An Alexandrine with the feminine ending. 76. Ere humane statute ... weal, before laws passed by men, "humane statute," freed the country from anarchy and rendered it civilized.

"Humane" is the regular spelling for "human" with Shakespeare; "weal" means "the commonwealth," "the nation"; "gentle" is used to characterize the nation as it was after the passage of the laws. The line is a characteristic example of the compact brevity and force of Shakespeare's later style. 81. mortal murders, deadly wounds. Macbeth is thinking of the murderer's report in line 27. 83, 84. My worthy lord ... lack you. Lady Macbeth sees that it is useless to try to shame Macbeth back to his senses. She returns to the throne, and, speaking to him quietly as if nothing had happened, calls his attention to the fact that he is neglecting his guests. The appeal succeeds in rousing him, and he turns to the company with an excuse for his strange behaviour, and proposes a toast. In the effort to play his part, however, he overdoes it, drinks to the health of Banquo, and expresses the wish that he were present. This piece of bravado is promptly and effectively punished by the return of the ghost. 85. muse, wonder. 91. we thirst, we are eager to drink.

92. all to all, all good wishes to all of you. 92. Our duties, and the pledge, a formula equivalent to "we pay our homage to you as king, and drink the health you propose." 93. Avaunt! Note the change in Macbeth's tone. He is no longer overcome with fear at the sight of the ghost, but rather roused to wild anger. Lady Macbeth does not dare to address him, but devotes herself to the almost impossible task of inducing the peers to treat his words and actions as things of no importance. 95. speculation, power of sight. 101. arm'd, clad in armour. The reference is to the thick hide of the rhinoceros. 101. Hyrcan, Hyrcanian. Hyrcania was a district in central Asia supposed to be full of tigers. 102. nerves, muscles. 105. If trembling I inhabit then. There has been an immense amount of discussion over this passage. If "inhabit" is taken intransitively in the sense of continuing in a certain place, the meaning of the passage is plain enough.

"Come to life again," says Macbeth, "and challenge me to a duel. If I remain trembling at home, call me a coward." 105. protest, declare. 106. The baby of a girl, a little girl's doll, or, perhaps, the baby of a girlish mother, i.e. a puny infant. 109. displaced, driven away. 110. disorder. The word applies to Macbeth's conduct, not to any disorder among the nobles. 110. admired, amazing. 111. overcome, pass over. 112-115. You make me ... cheeks, you make me seem a stranger to myself, i.e. forget my natural quality of manhood, when I see that such a sight has no effect on you. Macbeth is addressing his wife, not the guests, whom he no longer notices. 113. disposition, character. 113. owe, own, possess. 117. speak not. Lady Macbeth interposes hastily lest Macbeth should tell the nobles plainly what it was he saw.

She herself has not seen the ghost, but from what she knew of her husband and his hatred of Banquo, and from the hints he had dropped in the afternoon, it was not difficult for her to guess what the vision was that had so affected him. 119. stand not ... going, do not depart ceremoniously in the order of your ranks. 122. It will have blood. With the departure of the guests Macbeth relapses into melancholy brooding over the consequences of his deed. He feels sure that the murder of Banquo will be discovered and that he will have to pay the penalty. Note that Lady Macbeth makes no effort either to reproach or to comfort him; she sees plainly that her influence over him is gone. All she can do is to try to get him to sleep and forget his thoughts. 124. Augures, auguries. 124. understood relations, the secret relations between things, understood by diviners and soothsayers. 125. maggot-pies, magpies. 125. choughs, jack-daws. 126. What is the night? What time of the night is it? 127.

Almost at odds with morning, so near day that you can hardly tell whether it is night or morning. 128, 129. How say'st thou ... bidding? What do you say to Macduff's refusing to accept our royal invitation to the feast. 130. by the way, incidentally, i.e. I have not received a direct refusal from Macduff, but I know that he will not come. Macbeth explains the source of his information in the following reference to the paid spies he keeps in the houses of his nobles. 139. Strange thirds. Macbeth is perhaps referring to his designs against Macduff. 142. My strange and self-abuse, my strange self-deception. Macbeth speaks as if he were now convinced that the vision of Banquo was only a deception of his senses, 143. the initiate fear, the fear of the novice. 144. young in deed, inexperienced in deeds of bloodshed. ________ How to cite the explanatory notes: Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Thomas Marc Parrott. New York: American Book Co., 1904. Shakespeare Online. 10 Aug.

2010. < >. ________ Characteristics of Elizabethan Tragedy Differences Between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth "The antithesis between the two is that between the practical life and the intellectual, and the effects of this difference are everywhere apparent. Macbeth is bold and resolute in the moment of action; he can kill a king, and he has a curious gift of ready speech throughout, which avails him to answer unwelcome questions. But when there is nothing to be actually done he is devoid of self-control; he cannot wait nor stand still; he becomes a prey to countless terrible imaginings; he is wildly superstitious. In all this Lady Macbeth is the exact converse; she has banished all superstition from her soul; she is strong enough of will to quell her husband's cowardly fears; she can scheme and plot, but she cannot act; she must leave the actual doing of the deadly deed to Macbeth." E. K. Chambers. Read on...

____ It is unclear whether Banquos ghost really sits in Macbeths - ENGLISH - 3 View Full Document It is unclear whether Banquo’s ghost really sits in Macbeth’s chair or whether the spirit’s presence is only a hallucination inspired by guilt. Macbeth, of course, is thick with supernatural events and characters, so there is no reason to discount the possibility that a ghost actually stalks the halls. Some of the apparitions that appear in the play, such as the floating dagger in Act 2, scene 1, and the unwashable blood that Lady Macbeth perceives on her hands in Act 4, appear to be more psychological than supernatural in origin, but even this is uncertain. These recurring apparitions or hallucinations reflect the sense of metaphysical dread that consumes the royal couple as they feel the fateful force of their deeds coming back to haunt them. Given the role that Banquo’s character plays in Macbeth, it is appropriate that he and not Duncan should haunt Macbeth. Like Macbeth, Banquo heard the witches’ prophecies and entertained ambitions. But, unlike Macbeth, Banquo took no criminal action.

His actions stand as a rebuke to Macbeth’s behavior and represent a path not taken, one in which ambition need not beget bloodshed. In Holinshed’s Chronicles, the history that served as the source for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Banquo was Macbeth’s accomplice in Duncan’s murder. Shakespeare most likely changed Banquo’s role from villain to moral pillar because Shakespeare’s patron, King James I of England, was believed to be Banquo’s descendant. Shakespeare also portrays the historical figure of King Edward the Confessor, to whom Malcolm and Macduff have gone to receive help combating Macbeth. Edward is presented as the complete opposite of the evil, corrupt Macbeth. By including mention of England and Scotland’s cooperation in the play, Shakespeare emphasizes that the bond between the two countries, renewed in his time by James’s kingship, is a long-standing one. At the same time, the fact that Macbeth’s opposition coalesces in England is at once a suggestion that Scotland has become too thoroughly corrupted to resist Macbeth and a self-congratulatory nod to Shakespeare’s English audience.

Act 4, scenes 1–3 Summary: Act 4, scene 1 In a dark cavern, a bubbling cauldron hisses and spits, and the three witches suddenly appear onstage. They circle the cauldron, chanting spells and adding bizarre ingredients to their stew—“eye of newt and toe of frog, / Wool of bat and tongue of dog” (4.1.14–15). Hecate materializes and compliments the witches on their work. One of the witches then chants: “By the pricking of my thumbs, / Something wicked this way comes” (4.1.61–62). In fulfillment of the witch’s prediction, Macbeth enters. He asks the witches to reveal the truth of their prophecies to him. To answer his questions, they summon horrible apparitions, each of which offers a prediction to allay Macbeth’s fears. First, a floating head warns him to beware Macduff; Macbeth says that he has already guessed as much. Then a bloody child appears and tells him that “none of woman born / shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.96–97).

Next, a crowned child holding a tree tells him that he is 16 This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version. safe until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. Finally, a procession of eight crowned kings walks by, This is the end of the preview. Sign up to access the rest of the document. TERM SparkNotes: Macbeth: Act 3, scenes 4–6 Act 3, scenes 4–6 Act 3, scenes 4–6 → Act 3, scenes 1–3 Act 3, scenes 4–6, page 2 page 1 of 2 Summary: Act 3, scene 4 Onstage stands a table heaped with a feast. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth enter as king and queen, followed by their court, whom they bid welcome. As Macbeth walks among the company, the first murderer appears at the doorway. Macbeth speaks to him for a moment, learning that Banquo is dead and that Fleance has escaped. The news of Fleance’s escape angers Macbeth—if only Fleance had died, he muses, his throne would have been secure.

Instead, “the worm that’s fled / Hath nature that in time will venom breed” (3.4.28–29). Returning to his guests, Macbeth goes to sit at the head of the royal table but finds Banquo’s ghost sitting in his chair. Horror-struck, Macbeth speaks to the ghost, which is invisible to the rest of the company. Lady Macbeth makes excuses for her husband, saying that he occasionally has such “visions” and that the guests should simply ignore his behavior. Then she speaks to Macbeth, questioning his manhood and urging him to snap out of his trance. The ghost disappears, and Macbeth recovers, telling his company: “I have a strange infirmity which is nothing / To those that know me” (3.4.85–86). As he offers a toast to company, however, Banquo’s specter reappears and shocks Macbeth into further reckless outbursts. Continuing to make excuses for her husband, Lady Macbeth sends the alarmed guests out of the room as the ghost vanishes again.

Macbeth mutters that “blood will have blood” and tells Lady Macbeth that he has heard from a servant-spy that Macduff intends to keep away from court, behavior that verges on treason (3.4.121). He says that he will visit the witches again tomorrow in the hopes of learning more about the future and about who may be plotting against him. He resolves to do whatever is necessary to keep his throne, declaring: “I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.135–137). Lady Macbeth says that he needs sleep, and they retire to their bed. Read the side-by-side translation of Act 3, scene 4 → Summary: Act 3, scene 5 Upon the stormy heath, the witches meet with Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Hecate scolds them for meddling in the business of Macbeth without consulting her but declares that she will take over as supervisor of the mischief.

She says that when Macbeth comes the next day, as they know he will, they must summon visions and spirits whose messages will fill him with a false sense of security and “draw him on to his confusion” (3.5.29). Hecate vanishes, and the witches go to prepare their charms. Read the side-by-side translation of Act 3, scene 5 → Summary: Act 3, scene 6 That night, somewhere in Scotland, Lennox walks with another lord, discussing what has happened to the kingdom. Banquo’s murder has been officially blamed on Fleance, who has fled. Nevertheless, both men suspect Macbeth, whom they call a “tyrant,” in the murders of Duncan and Banquo. The lord tells Lennox that Macduff has gone to England, where he will join Malcolm in pleading with England’s King Edward for aid. News of these plots has prompted Macbeth to prepare for war. Lennox and the lord express their hope that Malcolm and Macduff will be successful and that their actions can save Scotland from Macbeth.

Read the side-by-side translation of Act 3, scene 6 → Analysis: Act 3, scenes 4–6 Throughout Macbeth, as in many of Shakespeare’s tragedies, the supernatural and the unnatural appear in grotesque form as harbingers of wickedness, moral corruption, and downfall. Here, the appearance of Banquo’s silent ghost, the reappearance of the witches, and the introduction of the goddess Hecate all symbolize the corruption of Scotland’s political and moral health. In place of the dramatization of Macbeth’s acts of despotism, Shakespeare uses the scenes involving supernatural elements to increase the audience’s sense of foreboding and ill omen. When Macbeth’s political transgressions are revealed, Scotland’s dire situation immediately registers, because the transgressions of state have been predicted by the disturbances in nature. In Macbeth’s moral landscape, loyalty, honor, and virtue serve either as weak or nonexistent constraints against ambition and the lust for power. In the physical landscape that surrounds him, the normal rules of nature serve as weak constraints against the grotesqueries of the witches and the horrific ghost of Banquo. 1 Lady Macbeth Sec.

4-A 27 February 2001 LADY MACBETH’S DOWNFALL William Shakespeare’s Macbeth has been a theatrical favorite since Elizabethan times. Its timeless themes of ambition, fate, violence, and insanity collaborate to ... The Banquet scene is an important section of the play.ï¿½ Explain how the part of Macbeth could be interpreted, discussing how he reacts to events and the way his relationship with Lady Macbeth develops in this scene. The Banquet scene is a very important turning point in the play.ï¿½ The very start of the scene is as expected, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth greet their guest as a normal King and Queen would, but soon after they have welcomed The Wedding Banquet While watching The Wedding Banquet, I found myself thinking that it would have made a very good short film. This Taiwanese-American comedy about generational and cultural conflict has fifty minutes ... their guests, the murderer arrives.ï¿½ This is when Macbeth's character starts to change, his public side ï¿½ which is formal and proud to be king, and his private side ï¿½ afraid of being found out and possibly ashamed of what he has done, meet.

Once the murderer leaves, the ghost appears, this is the first presence of anything supernatural in this scene, until this point Macbethï¿½s character had become stronger, but at this point he weakens dramatically and this is Images of Mac Beth How does the playâs Imagery help us to understand its themes and characters? For me to answer this essay question I must first find out what exactly ... when Lady Macbeth status starts to increase.ï¿½ She takes control of the situation when Macbethï¿½s looses control.ï¿½ This reminds us of when Lady Macbeth had to take control of the situation earlier in the play, when Macbeth brought the daggers back after killing Duncan.ï¿½ It shows that she is the stronger of the two and that she can keep calm. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The second time the ghost enters, it is obvious that nobody else can see it, this could question whether Macbeth Macbeth consists of five major acts, each with a variation of scenes.

The story tells of one man's quest for dominance in the Scottish monarchy structure, and how his future ... it is really there or whether Macbeth is imagining it.ï¿½ Again earlier in the play a similar situation accured when he was just about to enter Duncan's room before stabbing him and he saw the dagger point him in the correct direction.ï¿½ So the question arises, is anything supernatural really happening or is Macbethï¿½s sanity being tried? Another important part of this section in the scene is that the ghost of Banquo sits in Macbethï¿½s chair, this could be an Shakespeares Macbeth The Plot Macbeth consists of five major acts, each with a variation of scenes. The story tells of one man's quest for dominance in the Scottish monarchy structure, and ... indication that the witches prophecy was true in that it will be Banquo's family that will inherit the throne not Macbethï¿½s.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The character of Macbeth changes dramatically through the scene.ï¿½ This is shown in the text by the changes in his state of mind, at the beginning of the scene he is proud to be there with his guest as their king, ï¿½Ourselves will mingle with society And play the humble host Our hostess keeps her state, but Illusion versus Reality in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” ;Throughout the entire text of William Shakespeare’s play, “Macbeth”, there is an evident struggle between reality and illusion. In the very first scene ... in best time Macbeth Plot Summary, Act iii, Scenes 1-4 Scene 1: The royal palace at Forres, Banquo talks on his own, he fears M has become King through evil means, but does not worry as he believes that the ...

in state of mind, but on stage his body language would also indicate the change of state of mind.ï¿½ At the beginning when he is confident about being king, he would stand over his guests, showing his power over them.ï¿½ Then as his state of mind starts to deteriorate, he becomes less overpowering and his presence wouldnï¿½t seem as daunting.ï¿½ Macbethï¿½s costume would be the typical kingï¿½s robe, but would be distinctive so that the audience could clearly see the supernatural in macbeth The Supernatural in Macbeth Imagery has been used throughout the history of literature to create different effects in various writings. One author who was a master of imagery ... that they were Duncan's robes.ï¿½ This could provoke the question of whether or not Macbeth is wearing the wrong robes, also his crown would also be the crown that Duncan wore, when the ghost of Banquo appears the crown could either be taken off him by the ghost or Macbeth could take it off when he talks to the ghost, to show that he isnï¿½t the one meant to be wearing the crown.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Macbethï¿½s voice would change along with The Supernatural In Macbeth The Supernatural in Macbeth Imagery has been used throughout the history of literature to create different effects in various writings. One author who was a master of imagery is William ... his state of mind and body language.ï¿½ His voice when he welcomes his guest would be powerful and strong, to show that he is powerful and strong, also it covers his nervousness about Banquo.ï¿½ But once the murderer has visited him his voice would become less confident and would start to weaken and after the ghost has appeared his voice would be panicked and confused because it makes him seem weak and it shows the weakening in his character, I Romeo and Juliet Summary Act I, Scene ii Paris asks Capulet for his daughter Juliet's hand in marriage. Capulet replies that she is still too young to be married, but ... would do this to try to illustrate to the audience what Macbethï¿½s state of mind is at the different stages in the scene.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Macbeth uses imagery in his speeches, the most obvious being when Banquoï¿½s ghost appears for the second time and Macbeth says ï¿½What man dare, I dare Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear, Thou armed rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger:..ï¿½ He uses the idea of strong powerful animals to portray him as a strong Romeo And Juliet 5 Summary Act I, Scene ii Paris asks Capulet for his daughter Juliet's hand in marriage. Capulet replies that she is still too young to be married, but nevertheless ...

powerful person, when he is at a stage of the scene when he is actually feeling petrified and threatened by the ghost.ï¿½ The audience would understand this irony because they have been able to see what has been going on in the scene previously ï¿½ Macbeth has Banquo killed.ï¿½ He would deliver the key lines by facing the audience as if he was asking them which man challenges him and then turning to the ghost of Banquo.ï¿½ This would illustrate No Fear Shakespeare: Macbeth: Act 3, Scene 4, Page 3 No Fear Shakespeare Home → No Fear Shakespeare → Macbeth → Act 3, Scene 4, Page 3 Macbeth Now, good digestion wait on appetite, And health on both! MACBETH It’s nice of you to remind me. (raising a glass to toast his guests) Since good digestion requires a good appetite, and good health requires both of those, here’s to good appetites, good digestion, and good health! LENNOX May ’t please your highness sit. LENNOX Why don’t you have a seat, your highness?

Enter the GHOST OF BANQUO, and sits in MACBETH’s place The GHOST OF BANQUO enters and sits in MACBETH’s place. 45 Here had we now our country’s honor roofed, Were the graced person of our Banquo present, Who may I rather challenge for unkindness Than pity for mischance. MACBETH We would have all the nobility of Scotland gathered under one roof, if only Banquo were here. I hope it turns out that he’s late out of rudeness, and not because something bad has happened to him. ROSS Lays blame upon his promise. Please ’t your highness To grace us with your royal company? ROSS His absence means he’s broken his promise, sir. If it pleases you, your highness, why don’t you sit with us and grace us with your royal company?

MACBETH FREE Study Guide-Macbeth by William Shakespeare-Free Book Notes/Chapter Summary/Synopsis Act III, Scene 4 Summary This very important scene, filled with flashback, symbolism, imagery, and irony, takes place in the banquet hall of the palace, and opens with King Macbeth entering with his queen, nobles, lords, and attendants. In the beginning, all seems a picture of perfect order. The table is prepared, and Macbeth tells everyone to sit according to their rank from the top of the table downward. He then tells Lady Macbeth to stay seated in order to welcome the guests while he mingles with them. He seems a man in perfect control (an appearance that is in stark contrast to the reality of his inner being). As he passes among the guests, the king spies the first murderer, who has just entered the hall. Macbeth tells him, "There's blood upon thy face." The murderer replies that it belongs to Banquo. After Macbeth praises the murderer for this work, the king learns that Fleance has escaped. It is Macbeth's undoing.

He pales at the news and says, "Then comes my fit again," a foreshadowing of the real "fit" he is about to display in the banquet hall. The king tries to regain his composure saying that at least the "grown serpent" (Banquo) lies dead, and the smaller serpent (Fleance) is too young to fear today. But the news has visibly shaken Macbeth. The first murderer leaves, and Lady Macbeth seeks out her husband to come and give the toast. As he salutes his guests, Banquo's ghost enters the hall, unnoticed by Macbeth, and sits in his chair. When it is time to seat himself, Macbeth sees there is not an empty place for him and says, "The table's full." Since the others cannot see the ghost of Banquo, they know something is wrong with the king.

Matters grow worse when Macbeth points to the ghost and asks, "Which of you have done this?" Then he openly incriminates himself by denying his guilt: "Thou canst say I did it," The nobleman Ross, recognizing Macbeth's state of mind, tells everyone to rise to leave, but Lady Macbeth wants to be in control and save her husband. She tells everyone to stay seated and explains that her husband often has "fits' and has had them since his youth. She further explains that "the fit is momentary; upon a thought he will again be well." She tells them that if they simply ignore him, it will pass.

Then she turns on her husband and angrily asks, "Are you a man?" Macbeth answers that he is "a bold one (man), that dare look on that which might appall the devil." Lady Macbeth then ridicules him further, saying, "This is the very painting of your fear; this is the air-drawn dagger which...led you to Duncan." She ends this first tirade by saying, "Shame itself!" She takes up the verbal abuse against Macbeth again by attacking his male ego and calling him "quite unmanned in folly." Your browser does not support the IFRAME tag. This entire dialog serves as a flashback to the former Lady Macbeth, chiding her husband about his lack of courage to murder Duncan. Macbeth then turns and challenges the ghost to speak, which causes the image of Banquo to temporarily depart. To himself, the king bemoans that "murdered men rise again....more strange than such a murder is." He tries again to regain his composure and cover up his damage by taking up his wife's story to the guests.

He tells them, "I have a strange infirmity, which is nothing to those that know me." He then goes forth with a toast to all, but the ghost reappears to taunt him. Macbeth challenges the apparition to take any shape but that of a ghost, and he will battle and defeat it, brave words from a sick mind that recalls Macbeth's former self as a proud warrior. Lady Macbeth turns on her husband again and chastises him for spoiling the party: "You have displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting." Then she turns to the guests and dismisses them, telling them to go out in any order. The well-planned, orderly banquet has dissolved into total chaos. When the guests have departed, the King and Lady Macbeth have a brief conversation that clearly reveals the depth of Macbeth's tortured mind. He says of himself, "I am in blood, stepped in so far that returning were as tedious as go o'er." He fears that "blood will have blood," (sin will have its retribution), so he has put paid spies in the houses of all his nobles. Since Banquo is now dead, he turns his fear toward Macduff.

He also says he will do whatever it takes to protect himself, for he is already in so deep it does not matter. He foreshadows further bloodshed when he says, "We are yet but young in deed." Two murders are behind him; more are to come. In order to find out his fate, Macbeth plans to go tomorrow to consult again with the three witches, the personification of evil that he now trusts. The audience can already imagine his future, but Lady Macbeth, lying to herself, says that a little sleep will cure her husband. The irony is that sleep escapes him. There is no respite from his tortured mind. Macbeth seems to slightly recover during the course of the scene and is brave enough to challenge his wife. When she asks if he is a man, he answers that it is a bold man who can look at a ghost (a symbol of his conscience) and acknowledge that what he sees appalls the devil himself. He also complains to her that she makes him doubt himself (an ironic situation when she is trying to challenge him to manhood).

Macbeth is also recovered enough to taunt the ghost by saying, "If thou canst nod, speak too." There is, in this image, a flickering hint of the old warrior, and Macbeth momentarily wins, for the apparition temporarily disappears. When the ghost returns, Macbeth challenges again, daring the figure to take any shape but a ghost, be it "the rugged Russian bear, the armed rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger." Macbeth says he will gladly fight any of these forms without fear, or even fight Banquo in person if he will come back to life, but the audience wonders if he has any fight left in him. Then the king finally orders the "horrible shadow" to depart. The irony is that Macbeth is really the "horrible shadow", a mockery of the hero he used to be. When the ghost leaves for the last time, Macbeth pathetically says, "I am a man again." When Lady Macbeth realizes that her husband is not recovering from his strange behavior, she hastily dismisses the guests (as she should have done earlier when Ross suggested it).

The scene quickly turns into an image of even greater chaos with the lords and ladies leaving without order and in loud conversation about what has just transpired. Shakespeare has written a masterful and dramatic scene, where the chaotic ending of the banquet is in total contrast to its orderly beginning, just as Macbeth is in total contrast to his former heroic self. The symbolism and irony of the banquet scene is the essence of the entire play. Macbeth in the beginning of the play had it all. He was a true man -- a brave warrior who had just won his greatest victory, saved Scotland from ruin, and was honored by the king. He had much to look forward to, until the three evil witches planted a seed of greed in his mind. Suddenly, he had thoughts of being more than just Thane of Cawdor. In weakness, he let his even greedier wife really talk him into murder. His conscience had warned him against the plot, but he was manipulated by Lady Macbeth in an unmanly manner to do it anyway. So by appearing like a man in his wife's eyes, he had, in reality, thrown away his manhood.

In this scene, Lady Macbeth is urging her husband to again become a man, when she had earlier begged him to destroy his manliness by ignoring his conscience and committing the murder. But his conscience has now stolen his self-respect, forever. He is a lost soul. His wife cannot save him, as she tries to do in this scene; he can only save himself. Ironically, he has become too unmanly to do that, as clearly demonstrated in the banquet scene. As a result, from this point forward in the play, the audience will watch Macbeth as he totally unravels himself to ruin.

Question: At a banquet, the ghost of whom enters and sits in Macbeth's chair?
Answer: Banquo