Act 3 Scene 1
Short SummaryIn act 3, scene 1, Banquo thinks that Macbeth killed Duncan to complete the witches prophecies. Macbeth announces that there will be a banquet held that night. Banquo and his son go horseback riding until the evening but they say that they will make it in time for the banquet. In this scene, Macbeth feels that he is not secure in his kingship since he remembers the witches' prophesies for Banquo (Banquo's son is going to be the future king). Macbeth hires two murderers and tells them that Banquo is their enemy and he wants to kill them. So the murderers agree to kill Banquo and Fleance that evening.
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Comments/Notes |
Theme
The theme is guilt, Macbeth is guilty of murdering Duncan and it makes him want the murder to be "worthwhile." Therefore, it pushes him to commit another crime: "No son of mine succeeding. If 't be so, For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd; Put rancours in the vessel of my peace Only for them; and mine eternal jewel Given to the common enemy of man, To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! Rather than so, come fate into the list. And champion me to the utterance! Who's there" (Shakespeare 68-76) This quote shows that Macbeth thinks that it's not worthwhile to kill Duncan if his kingship is going to be taken over by Banquo's son anyways. The reason is because the prophecies predict that Fleance will become the future king instead of Macbeth's child. Characters description Macbeth has totally turned into another person, it seems like he is famous for murdering people. Banquo thinks Macbeth is suspicious of the murder of Duncan. Reaction to the play I am angry at Macbeth for deciding to kill Banquo who is his best friend. I am upset that Banquo’s son is also going to be murdered. I feel that Macbeth is going insane because he has committed a crime and now he plans to kill another person to protect his kingship. Questions Will Banquo and his son die? If Banquo and his son die what will Macbeth do next? Will Macbeth stop murdering people? Predictions I think Macbeth will kill Lennox and Ross later on. The reason is because Macbeth wants to keep his position as the King of Scotland. I think Banquo has another son that will be able to become the king if Fleance and Banquo get killed because of the witches' predictions. |
Extra (CONNECTION) |
In act 3, scene 1, Macbeth's actions remind me of myself when I do tasks. When I do things I must do them carefully and make sure that I make the right decisions in order to achieve my goal. When Macbeth wants to make sure that he will keep the kingdom for himself, it is like me when I want to keep my academic average high to achieve my future goal. I will do whatever it takes to keep my average high. For example, I chose to spend my time at tutorial class and spend my time wisely rather than spending my time on media. I also study and reread my homework or tests before I hand them in. In Macbeth's case, he decides to kill all the people who might interfere with his goal of keeping his blood running in the Royal family.
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