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MACBETH NOTES
KIRSTY CLYNE

ACT 3
SCENE 1
In the first scene of Act 3, it is obvious that Banquo fully suspects Macbeth of killing
Duncan to become king (“playd’st most foully for’t”
...

Macbeth enters with his court, including Lady Macbeth who is no longer his equal
...
“Ride you this afternoon?” - He is asking if Banquo is going riding
...
“Is’t far you ride?” - He is asking if Banquo is having a long journey
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“Goes Fleance with you?” - He is asking if his son will be going with him
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He needs to know the details of their ride in order to kill them and not
have it pointing back to him
...
(“They hailed him father to a line of kings: / Upon my head they placed a
fruitless crown”)
...

Macbeth’s mind has been messed up and he cannot sleep, as he believes he will be going
to hell as he has killed God’s representative on Earth - the rightful king, Duncan
...
Macbeth’s conscience is beginning to really disappear now, and he has not even
informed his wife of this plan which will cause a major crack in their relationship as
although it is originally seen as Macbeth needs Lady Macbeth, she is actually the one who
needs him to survive
...
This is itself is ironic as he is acting like a “demi-wolf”
as he is the one planning this murder
...

The first thing obvious in this scene between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth is the distance
between them and how strained their relationship has gotten since Act 1
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(“Come, seeling night…” - MB, “Come, thick night…” - LM)
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Macbeth even goes as far to note that even Duncan has more peace
than he does from life’s “fitful fever”
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This also links back to Act 1, Scene 5 as Lady Macbeth had spoke
about “the raven” and “the serpent”, but in this scene it is now Macbeth who references
animals, using the idea that his mind is “full of scorpions” to describe his depression and
he also speaks about the “shard-bon beetle”
...
(“And, with thy bloody and
invisible hand / Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond”)
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It symbolically takes place in the dark, as all the murder
scenes do
...

He sends an extra murderer which shows that he needs the securities he does not
completely trust the other two
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Banquo is beaten to death by the murderers (“dies
...

The murderers know that they have not fully completed their task but return to Macbeth,
knowing that they have at least killed Banquo
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The banquet itself is very formal,
and everyone has their assigned seats and nothing is unorganised
...
However, this is a stark contrast to the ending of this scene where it has
became complete chaos
...
Macbeth almost looses his place when he is informed
that Fleance escaped, but calms down as he realises that Fleance can be dealt with later

and is of no danger to him
...

As Macbeth starts his speech (after Lady Macbeth brings him back to the table), he tells
the guests that he wishes Banquo was there (“grac’d person if our Banquo present”)
...

However, as it is only Banquo’s ghost and no one else knows that he is dead, only
Macbeth can see the ghost and henceforth appears delusional to the other guests
...

Macbeth jumps back, causing Lennox to ask “what is’t” that caused it
...

He jumps back because he can now see the twenty deep gashes on Banquo’s ghost
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This causes Macbeth to
exclaim not to shake his “gory locks at me”
...

The atmosphere has progressed from calm and formal to uncomfortable and eerie
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(“Are you a
man?”) She calls him a coward in the hopes of bringing him back but he still points to the
chair, referencing Banquo’s ghost
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She further repeats the idea that Macbeth is a coward until he
starts to gain control again
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As he turns back to the feast, the ghost disappears
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(“Would he be here”)
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Despite her excuses, Lady Macbeth realises that Macbeth is not coping well and tells the
Lords to leave, (“go at once”) and telling them to ignore the order they usually leave in
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This is a sign of his depression
...

He also uses the image of a river of blood, with him almost sinking due to the deaths he
has caused
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Lady Macbeth normally would have comforted him or tried to soothe him but here she has
no words for him, having used up everything she has with trying to protect him
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SCENE 5
Hecate is with the witches and is not happy at all about the events that have occurred
...
She knows that he is coming to see the three witches
and hatches a plan to deliberately trick him
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And you all know, security
Is mortal’s chiefest enemy”

This highlight’s Macbeth’s need for security and the witches know this is his weakness,
and shall play on this weakness to trick him to his death as they cannot kill him
themselves
...
However, we notice that he truly believes that Macbeth killed Duncan or was at least
involved in it all
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(“Was that not
nobly done?”)
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He asks where Macduff has gone, before noting that Macduff “lives in disgrace”
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He is trying to form an army to fight Macbeth
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(“give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights / free from out fears”)
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Lennox once again references the idea of the country
being diseased
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