Macbeth - Act 3

• How do the guests know where to sit around the banqueting table?

  They sit in order of social rank (most to least powerful) - This is a physical symbol that reinforces the importance of hierarchy in the play, and how Macbeth has gone against the natural order in becoming King
• What character's name completes the quotation?"Fly, good __________, fly, fly, fly!"

  Fleance - He escaped so Macbeth can't rest
• What character is being described in this quotation?"Ay, my good lord. Safe in a ditch he bides,With twenty trenched gashes on his head"

  Banquo - Both Macbeth and the murderers use the word "safe" ironically, to mean that Banquo has now been killed and is out of the way
• What character is Macbeth talking to here?"Thou canst not say I did it. Never shakeThy gory locks at me"

  Banquo - "Gory locks" refers to Banquo's bloodied hair. It is a grotesque image, which emphasises Macbeth's feelings of guilt and horror.
• What character says this quotation?"For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind;For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered"

  Macbeth - Macbeth begins to resent Banquo for the fact that his children will become kings after Macbeth. This shows the grip that the witches now have on Macbeth
• What word completes the quotation?"They hailed him father to a line of kings.Upon my head they placed a __________ crownAnd put a barren sceptre in my grip


  Fruitless - Macbeth feels that it was pointless to become king if he cannot pass the power down to his children
• What character says this quotation? "Thou hast it now—king, Cawdor, Glamis, allAs the Weird Women promised, and I fearThou played’st most foully for ’t"

  Banquo - At the start of Act Three, Banquo has a soliloquy in which he reveals his suspicion that Macbeth has murdered Duncan
• What word completes the quotation?"Be __________ of the knowledge, dearest chuck"

  Innocent - Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's roles have changed by this point. He doesn't even consult her about murdering Banquo, suggesting that it will be better for her to be "innocent" of what he is doing so it doesn't upset her
• How does Lennox refer to Macbeth as he and the Lord discuss the state of affairs?

  Tyrant - It seems Macbeth is no longer able to hide his true nature. Later on, we hear that he has changed Scotland into a country "almost afraid to know itself"
• In which country is an army raised to fight against Macbeth?

  England - Lennox and an unnamed Lord report these events. Malcolm is in England and Macduff goes to join him
• After seeing Banquo's ghost, whom does Macbeth go to for counsel?

  The Witches - Macbeth decides to visit the Witches for more information. They give him further prophecies. Interestingly, he does not consult Lady Macbeth, which may suggest that their relationship is not as close and trusting as it was at the beginning of the play
• Which verb does Banquo shout at Fleance to encourage him to escape?

  Fly - Banquo says, "Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!"
• How many murderers are sent to kill Banquo and Fleance?

  3 - Macbeth perhaps does not trust his own assassins to carry out the job: only two visit him at the castle
• Which character escapes the murderers in Act Three?

  Fleance
• Where are Banquo and Fleance when the murders strike?

  Out riding - As Macbeth prepares for the feast, he asks if Banquo intends to travel far. He has decided his friend must die and hires murderers to kill him whilst out riding
• Banquo says that he fears Macbeth "played'st most foully for't". What did the witches prophesy that he would play foully for?

  The crown - As Banquo realises that the witches' prophecies have come true for Macbeth, he begins to suspect Macbeth is responsible for the King's death
• Macbeth tells his wife, "O full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!" (III.ii.37). Why does he use the word "scorpions" here?

  Scorpions are dangerous and poisonous, much like his mind - This is a symbol of the evil that is polluting Macbeth's mind. The prophecies and his ambition have corrupted his noble hero qualities
• How does Act 3 begin?

  Banquo performs a soliloquy, expressing his suspicion for Macbeth and

  Banquo prepares to go riding with his son and ponders the witches' prophecies. They have all come true. He suspects Macbeth "played'st most foully for't".
• Once his guests have left, Macbeth realises "blood will have blood". What does he mean by this phrase?


  He will suffer for the murders he has committed - This is the moment Macbeth realises he will never have peace and that he will have to keep on killing if he wants to remain King
• Which character "denies his person" from the banquet?

  Macduff / Thane Fife - Though all three characters are missing from the banquet, Macduff has chosen not to go. Malcolm has run away to England and Banquo is dead
• Macbeth shares his fears with Lady Macbeth. How does he respond to her question: "What's to be done?"

  "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck" - Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship has changed a lot by this point. Instead of confiding in her and following her orders, Macbeth now goes behind her back in killing Banquo, and uses the patronising word "chuck" when he dismisses her concerns.
• Macbeth shares with Lady Macbeth his fears about Banquo. However, the audience knows that the murderers have already been dispatched. What technique is this an example of?

  Dramatic Irony
• What is Dramatic Irony?

  Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that the characters don't
• Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. Which is NOT a likely reason for this?

  1. Macbeth is still carrying the guilt of murdering the King and cannot bring himself to murder his friend.
  2. Macbeth knows he has committed a sin and does not want to be punished by God.
  3. As King, Macbeth cannot jeopardise his crown by arousing further suspicion. This way he has an alibi.

  2 - Macbeth lets his ambition rule rather than his fear of God - he goes on to commit more murder: "they say, blood will have blood".
• Which of these is NOT a reason Macbeth gives for wanting Banquo dead?

  1. He feels there is something noble in Banquo's character that he should fear.
  2. He feels that Banquo is suspicious of him and will tell everyone he murdered the King.
  3. He feels he has murdered the King for Banquo's children.


  2 - Macbeth realises he cannot be happy being King whilst Banquo's prophecies could come true. He says "there is none but he, whose being I do fear"
• Three murderers are dispatched to kill Banquo and Fleance. Which of these is the LEAST likely reason for this?

  1. Shakespeare had three friends he had promised could be in the play; he needed to create roles for them so he made three murderers.
  2. Shakespeare shows us that Banquo is a huge threat to Macbeth, who doesn't trust the murderers to carry out the job.
  3. Shakespeare creates a symmetry in the three witches predicting Banquo's fate and the three murderers sealing his fate?

  1
• Banquo's ghost sits at Macbeth's place at the table. Which of these is the LEAST likely reason for this?

  1. to foreshadow the prophecy - that Banquo's heirs will be King - coming true
  2. to emphasise that only Macbeth can see Banquo's ghost
  3. to emphasise the fact that Macbeth does not belong there

  2 - The sighting of Banquo's ghost represents Macbeth's guilt and again links him to the witches
• Macbeth says the witches placed a "fruitless crown" on his head and a "barren sceptre" in his hand. What does he mean by these phrases?

  They have given him a crown he will not pass down to his descendants - Perhaps Macbeth's quest for ambition comes from not having fulfilled his (desired?) role of father. He wants to kill Banquo and his son and Macduff's family, perhaps due to jealousy of their family units. Is this why Lady Macbeth is successful when she questions his masculinity?