The feast that Macbeth disrupts in Shakespeare's
Macbeth occurs in Act 4.3. Macbeth puts an abrupt end to the feast
and once again brings his wife's wrath down on
himself.
Macbeth in lines 41-45 continues his strategy of
giving the appearance to others that he doesn't know Banquo is probably dead by now, by
announcing that he wishes all of the "country's honor [were] roofed" at the feast: all
the honorable men in Scotland were together at this feast. He specifically mentions
Banquo, saying that he will rebuke Banquo for his unkindness in not being
present.
Unknown to Macbeth, Banquo is present, in the
form of a ghost, having entered according to the stage directions between the split
parts of line 38. When Macbeth does notice him a few lines after his speech, the
ghost's presence, in effect, rebukes Macbeth.
Macbeth
shouts and shrieks and the honors that are present--in bodily
form--"start to rise" according to the stage direction between lines
54-55.
Lady Macbeth tries to calm the men by lying to
them, saying that her husband is often this way, and has been since his youth. It is
just an illness, she claims.
Lady Macbeth chastises her
husband--telling him his vision is nonsense, and that it's just like the bloody dagger
he saw just before he killed Duncan (imaginary)--and the feast settles down once the
ghost disappears.
When the ghost reappears, however,
Macbeth panics again, and in Lady Macbeth's words:
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You have displaced the mirth, broke the good
meeting
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With most admired [amazing] disorder. (Act
4.3.110-111)
Lady Macbeth
then dismisses the men, telling them to exit quickly and not to worry about exiting in
an orderly manner--just to go.
Once again, Macbeth has
behaved in a way his wife keeps warning him against--in a way that draws attention to
their guilt.
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