73 pages • 2 hours read
William ShakespeareMacbeth
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1623A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Act IIIChapter Summaries & Analyses
Scenes 1-3 Summary
In Forres, Banquo ponders the meaning of Macbeth’s coronation and with the rest of the witches’ prophecy. He suspects that Macbeth won the throne through nefarious means but is intrigued that his own children might one day be crowned King of Scotland. Macbeth and his wife enter as King and Queen. They invite Banquo to a feast and he accepts, though he plans to go riding in the afternoon first. Macbeth hopes to talk to Banquo about Duncan’s sons, who might be plotting after fleeing the country. Banquo departs, mentioning that his son Fleance will accompany him on his ride.
A group of men has arrived to talk to Macbeth. While they make their way to Macbeth’s chamber, Macbeth has a moment alone to reflect on Banquo, who he fears is a daring and brave opponent. Macbeth worries about the witches’ prophecy; if they were correct about Macbeth taking the crown, then they may be correct about Banquo’s sons inheriting it. Will Macbeth not produce an heir? Has Macbeth set up Banquo’s sons to do the same to him that he did to Duncan? Did Macbeth damn his soul for the benefit of Banquo’s sons?
The servant returns with men described in the stage directions as murderers. Macbeth reminds the murderers of all the wrongs Banquo has inflicted upon them in the past, goading them into killing him. When the murderers agree, Macbeth reminds them to kill Fleance also. Macbeth tells them to wait for his signal.
Lady Macbeth is racked with despair, worried that her “desire is got without content” (3.2.7). She wonders whether it is better to be dead than to live with the guilt and anxiety of being a murderer. She and Macbeth share their worries with each other. Macbeth points out that their work is not yet finished—Banquo and Duncan’s sons are still threats. Macbeth asks his wife to be kind and pleasant to Banquo at the feast, so as to ensure that he does not suspect that he is about to be killed.
As the sun sets, three murderers wait while Banquo approaches. The murderers attack Banquo and Fleance; Banquo is killed in the struggle but Fleance escapes. As Fleance runs, Banquo implores him to seek revenge. Having only completed half of their mission, the murderers return to the castle to tell Macbeth what has happened.
Scenes 4-6 Summary
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth arrive at the banquet closely followed by their court and attendants. Macbeth bids them welcome and they sit. Macbeth walks among the guests, promising that he will talk with them individually. One of the murderers comes to the door and Macbeth approaches him quickly, warning the man that he has blood on his face. The murderer informs Macbeth that Banquo is dead, which pleases Macbeth, but then adds that Fleance has escaped. Suddenly, Macbeth is gripped by doubt. He promises to talk to the murderer the following day and returns to his feast.
As he approaches the chair at the head of the table, however, Macbeth finds Banquo’s ghost occupying his seat. Only Macbeth is able to see the ghost and he begins to speak directly to it, defending his actions. Lady Macbeth abruptly announces that her husband is not well; he is simply having one of the spells that have bothered him since childhood. Quietly, she urges Macbeth to act normally and questions whether he is a man. The ghost vanishes and Macbeth regains his composure. He apologizes to his guests and toasts their presence. But as he does so, the ghost reappears and turns him again into a stuttering wreck. Lady Macbeth, beginning to panic, dismisses the guests and ends the feast. When Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are alone, Macbeth curses the notion that “blood will have blood” (3.4.128)—that the dead will take revenge. He worries about Macduff, who has grown suspicious and has stayed away from the feast. This, Macbeth believes, is treasonous behavior. Macbeth wants to discover more about the future and any plots against him, so plans to visit the three witches again. Lady Macbeth worries that her husband has not slept enough, so leads him to bed.
As a storm rages once more, the three witches meet with Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Hecate is furious, demanding to know why the witches have been meddling in the affairs of men without her knowledge. Hecate announces that she will take over the situation with Macbeth and, when Macbeth next visits, they will present him with a series of strange and mysterious visions. These visions will confuse Macbeth and convince him that he is above fate and destiny. Hecate believes that security “is mortals’ chiefest enemy” (3.5.33). When Hecate leaves, the witches prepare.
Lennox and a lord reflect on recent events. Fleance has been blamed for the murder of Banquo’s body. However, Lennox and the lord believe that Macbeth was involved and that Macbeth has become a tyrant. The lord informs Lennox that a force is assembling to fight Macbeth—Macduff has fled to England to meet Malcolm, and they are raising an army with the English king. This news has reached Macbeth, who is preparing for imminent war. Both Lennox and the lord hope that Macduff and Malcolm will free Scotland, which is suffering “under a hand accursed” (3.6.51).
Act III Analysis
In Act III, the play begins to hurtle along toward a seemingly inevitable conclusion, which highlights the core idea of the play—Macbeth’s ambition becoming his downfall. The violence undertaken by Macbeth and his wife leads to more violence; each murder follows on from the last, creating a vicious, bloody chain of events from which Macbeth cannot break free. Not content with simply being king, Macbeth next worries about his legacy. The threat of Banquo’s prophecy leads him to murder Banquo and try to murder Fleance. Macbeth’s ambition is no longer limited to the crown. Instead, he wants to cement his political dynasty.
Macbeth’s inversion of the rightful order has normalized the supernatural in the play. The prophecy from the witches kindles Macbeth’s first murderous thoughts, but his guilt and his fear manifest in other magical ways. The ghost of Banquo embodies the corruption inside Macbeth. The murders are still a secret, and only Macbeth knows the true extent of his cursed ambition, so it is apt that only Macbeth can see Banquo’s ghost, the product of his evil actions. Macbeth’s proposed solution to the increased presence of unnatural forces is to invoke more of them: He resolves to return to the witches and consult with them, almost as though they are a service which he can hire. The supernatural is now a common part of Macbeth’s existence, just like murder and extreme ambition. The three factors work together, leading Macbeth down an inescapable past.
The deployment of violence and supernatural within the play reflects the degradation of Scotland’s moral character and the turn away from natural morality. The mise en scène echoes the emotions on stage, heightening the sense of foreboding in the play: The storms in the sky, for instance, are manifestations of the storms at the heart of Macbeth’s character. As Macbeth becomes more powerful, the storms and the ominous feeling of anxiety and horror increase. As more blood is spilled, the natural world of Scotland begins to revolt. Falcons eat owls, horses cannibalize one another, storms ravage, and the kingdom seems as doomed as its king.
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