Thursday, December 15, 2011

What happens in Act III of Shakespeare's "Macbeth"?

In Scene 1, Banquo says that Macbeth is now Thane, and the witches' prophesy has come true.  He hopes the prophesy about his sons comes true as well, so his sons can be kings.  Macbeth fears this, and hires men to murder Banquo and Fleance.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth talk in Scene 2, and Macbeth does not tell her that he has arranged for Banquo and Fleance to be killed.

The murderers kill Banquo in Scene 3, but Fleance escapes.

In Scene 4, Macbeth is glad that Banquo is dead and plans to deal with Fleance later.  At a banquet that night, and the ghost of Banquo appears twice to Macbeth while he is sitting at the table; only Macbeth, who reacts with terror, can see him.  Lady Macbeth, afraid that he might confess to killing Duncan, tells the guests her husband is unwell and asks them to leave.  Macbeth, wondering why MacDuff did not attend the banquet, resolves to consult the witches to find out what to do next.

Scene 5 introduces a new witch, Hecate.  She is angry that the other witches did not consult her about Macbeth, and as Macbeth prepares to visit the witches again, she begins to cast a spell to lead to his destruction.

In Scene 6, Lennox suspects that Macbeth killed Duncan and Banquo, even though the general concensus is that Fleance killed his father.  Malcolm has gone to England with Macduff to raise an army and try to regain the crown from Macbeth, and Lennox hopes he will return soon and restore peace to Scotland.

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