Macbeth: Act III, Scene iv Characterization

o The banquet that we see Macbeth trying to host (without Banquo) is a high point of Macbeth’s reign but also the beginning of his downfall. We start to see Macbeth’s bizarre behavior, which puzzle and disturb his subjects, confirming their impression that he is mentally troubled.

o Despite her actions seen in Act II, Lady Macbeth continues to show an assertive and strong side to her character, taking control of the situation via telling the lords about the “hallucinations” that Macbeth is seeing at the moment. Her cunning yet deceitful manners of dealing of the issue is what you would expect from her, just like the first Act, but unlike the first Act, we see that Lady Macbeth is no longer able to control Macbeth in the manner that we saw in the beginning of the play.

o There is a reason why Shakespeare decided to reintroduce Banquo as a ghost to “haunt” Macbeth.

Partly because Shakespeare wrote this part of the play to please King James I, the reigning monarch at that time, and thus by having Banquo play a larger role, it would most definitely please King James.

But also, compared to the original historical context where we see Shakespeare draw inspiration for his play, where Banquo was Macbeth’s accomplice in Duncan’s murder, we see in Shakespeare’s version a man to rebuke Macbeth’s behavior and represent a path not taken, by the main character.

This highlights the fact that there is a form of disorder as Macbeth has become king.

Motifs: Blood – seeing Banquo as a bloody ghost (feels resentment and

guilt that was outlined in the end of Scene ii for having Banquo murdered),

The Unnatural and Disorder– seeing Banquo as a ghost and sitting in his seat; that the supernatural has a significant part of the play, and perhaps the witches prophesies become more and more true.

manhood – Lady Macbeth questioning Macbeth’s manhood after he was shocked/scared when he saw Banquo,

Reputation – Macbeth struggle to maintain his reputation as a strong king, but he tries to grasp it as tightly as possible after he sees the ghost, but because of the fact that he “needs a full glass of wine” to suppress his thoughts and “hallucination” as LM would call it.

Plot development – post climax; shows the beginning of Macbeth downfall and his downfall of his reputation yet it is also the height of his rule by seeing that he is hosting a banquet of some sort.

o It is here where we find that through Macbeth’s acts of dictatorship; there are scenes with supernatural elements to increase the audience’s sense of ill omen and the fulfillment of the witches’ prophesies. Also to indicated

that the great chain of order has been broken- somewhat a moral element of the story.

Imagery patterns – blood on the ghost = regret/guilt for Macbeth; not much imagery

pattern in this scene because it’s mainly for plot and character development

Contrast – Macbeth in Act I where he was a respected Thane of King Duncan, worthy of praise and in control vs him becoming king and appearing crazy and ill to his lords. He is constantly worried more often and paranoid, lacking the qualifications of a king that we actually saw in Act I

We also see Lady Macbeth turn from a more humane and passive character from Scene II to again, a more assertive character once again, asking Macbeth if he’s a man.

Themes- Appearance vs reality- he tries to be the autocratic, strong king that those around him want to see to lead Scotland, but actually he is incredibly insecure about his feelings regarding killing Banquo

Reputation: Macbeth sees a ghost that no one else can see, and Lady Macbeth constantly has to be reminded that he has guests over- doesn’t want to lose face with those around him (the lords).

Purpose – it is a necessary scene since it shows the beginning of Macbeth’s downfall as a character directly after the climax. We also see Lady Macbeth, being a contrast from Scene II, but unlike in the beginning of the play, she can’t control Macbeth to the extent.

o We also see the questioning of the Lords currently about Macbeth’s state, and that might play a role later on in his downfall.

Strength and weaknesses o Strength: Shakespeare was able to show the contrast of M being a strong

and powerful king, to someone who appears weak and ill. The audience begins to pity M because of the illusions he is seeing, due to his guilt and regret for killing Banquo. We are able to see that M is having self conflict which is use to shows what is going on in the scene

o Weaknesses: Although this is a strong scene with characterization and the continuation of the plot with the witches prophesies intact, there is a portion of the scene where the ghost enters on stage, but Macbeth fails to see it until several lines later, so we wonder why that is. Wouldn’t it be more impactful if Macbeth saw the ghost move and sit directly in his chair?

Emotions – for Macbeth we are able to see that he is feeling some guilt and regret [which is symbolized by blood], as well as confusion and fear once he sees Banquo’s ghost at the banquet. Lady Macbeth has a sense of frustration and worry since Macbeth is losing his ‘manhood’ in front of the lords which is ruining his reputation. The lords appear concurred about Macbeth wellbeing.