![]() ![]() ![]() As Macbeth once again bursts out in a speech directed at the ghost, Lady Macbeth tries to smooth things over with the guests. Just as the party resumes and Macbeth is offering a toast to Banquo, the ghost reappears. After Lady Macbeth scolds him for being "unmanned in folly" (73), Macbeth returns to his guests and claims that he has "a strange infirmity," which they should ignore (85). Ignoring her, Macbeth charges the ghost to speak but it disappears. She draws Macbeth aside and attempts to calm him by asserting that the vision is merely a “painting of fear”-just like the dagger he saw earlier (60). Lady Macbeth reassures them, however, by saying that he has had similar fits since youth and that he will soon be well. The guests, confused by his behavior, think that he is ill. Never shake / Thy gory locks at me" (49-50). He addresses the ghost, saying, "Thou canst not say I did it. When Lennox points to Macbeth's empty seat, Macbeth is shocked to see Banquo’s ghost. The guests urge Macbeth to sit and eat with them but Macbeth says that the table is full. At this point Banquo's ghost appears unobserved and takes Macbeth's seat. Looking over the table, Macbeth declares that the banquet would be perfect if only Banquo were present. The murderer leaves and Macbeth returns to the feast. Shaken, Macbeth thanks him for what he has done and arranges another meeting on the following day. He informs Macbeth that Banquo is dead but Fleance has escaped. Act 3, Scene 4Īt the banquet, a murderer arrives and reports to Macbeth just as the dinner guests begin to arrive. The murderers leave to report back to Macbeth. The murderers attack Banquo but Fleance manages to escape. Horses are heard approaching and Banquo and Fleance enter. ![]() The two murderers are joined by a third, who says that he has also been hired by Macbeth. Macbeth responds by telling her that "a deed of dreadful note" will be done in the night, though he will not divulge the details (33). She also tries to comfort him by reminding him that Banquo and Fleance are by no means immortal. Lady Macbeth warns him to act cheerful in front of their dinner guests. He even envies Duncan, who now sleeps peacefully in his grave. But Macbeth declares that their job is not done: he still spends every waking moment in fear and every night embroiled in nightmares. Macbeth enters looking upset and she counsels him to stop mulling over the crimes they have committed. Act 3, Scene 2Īlone on stage, Lady Macbeth expresses her unhappiness: there seems to be no end to her desire for power and she feels insecure and anxious. Macbeth proceeds to detail the particulars of the murder: they must attack him as he returns from his ride-at a certain distance from the palace-and they must also kill Fleance at the same time. He now tells them that while Banquo is his own enemy as much as theirs, loyal friends of Banquo's prevent him from killing Banquo himself. Macbeth has already blamed their current state of poverty on Banquo. The men are not professional assassins, but rather poor men who are willing to work as mercenaries. He will put an end to such worries by hiring two men to kill Banquo and Fleance. While he waits for them, he voices his greatest worry of the moment-that the witches' prophecy will also come true for Banquo, making his children kings. ![]() Left alone, Macbeth summons the two murderers he has hired. After confirming that Fleance will accompany Banquo on his trip, Macbeth wishes Banquo a safe ride. Macbeth tells him that Malcolm and Donalbain will not confess to killing their father. Banquo states that he must ride in the afternoon but will return for the banquet. Macbeth announces that he will hold a banquet in the evening and that Banquo will be honored as chief guest. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth enter to the fanfare of trumpets, along with Lennox and Ross. He muses that perhaps the witches' vision for his own future will also be realized, but pushes the thought from his mind. Alone at Macbeth's court, Banquo voices his suspicions that Macbeth has killed Duncan in order to fulfill the witches' prophesies. ![]()
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