Act 3 study guide

Macbeth

"O, proper stuff! This is the very painting of your fear. This is the air drawn dagger which you said Led you to Duncan. O, these flaws and starts, Impostors to true fear, would well become A woman's story at a winter's fire, authorized by her grandam. Shame itself! Why do you make such faces? When all's done, you look but on a stool."

Speaker: Lady Macbeth

Talking to: Macbeth

Context: Lady Macbeth is speaking to Macbeth during the banquet scene (Act 3, Scene 4). Macbeth has just seen Banquo's ghost sitting in his chair, which is invisible to everyone else. He is reacting with horror and fear, causing a scene. Lady Macbeth is trying to shame him into regaining his composure, dismissing his vision as a figment of his imagination and a sign of weakness.

"It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood. Stones have been known to move, and trees to speak. Augurs and understood relatios have By maggot pies and coughs and rooks brought forth The secret'st man of blood.-- What is the night?"

Speaker: Macbeth

Talking to: Lady Macbeth (though it's more of a soliloquy or a desperate musing)

Context: This is also from the banquet scene (Act 3, Scene 4), shortly after Banquo's ghost has disappeared. Macbeth is deeply disturbed by the events and the implications of his actions. He feels that his crimes will inevitably be exposed and lead to further bloodshed. He is expressing a sense of paranoia and foreboding, hinting at the unnatural ways in which hidden truths might be revealed. He then asks about the time, showing his concern about what might happen next.

"To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared"

Speaker: Macbeth

Talking to: Himself (a soliloquy)

Context: This quote is from Act 3, Scene 1, shortly after Macbeth has become king. He recognizes that simply being king isn't enough; he needs to be secure in his position. His primary fear is Banquo, whose noble character and the prophecy that his descendants will be kings pose a significant threat to Macbeth's reign. This soliloquy reveals Macbeth's deep-seated insecurity and his growing paranoia, which ultimately leads him to plot Banquo's murder.

"Thou hast it now-- king, Cawdor, Glamis, all As the Weird Women promised, and I fear Thou played'st most foully for't. Yet it was said It should not stand in thy posterity, But that myself should be the root and father Of many Kings."

Speaker: Banquo

Talking to: Himself (a soliloquy)

Context: This quote is from Act 3, Scene 1, immediately preceding Macbeth's soliloquy about Banquo. Banquo is reflecting on Macbeth's rapid rise to power, acknowledging that Macbeth has achieved everything the witches promised. However, he strongly suspects that Macbeth gained these titles through treachery ("played'st most foully for't"). He then recalls the witches' prophecy about his own lineage, which makes him both suspicious of Macbeth and hopeful for his own future as the progenitor of kings.

My lord, his throat is cut. That I did for him

Speaker: First Murderer

Talking to: Macbeth

Context: This exchange occurs in Act 3, Scene 4, at the start of the banquet scene. Macbeth has sent murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. The First Murderer returns to report to Macbeth, confirming that Banquo is dead. This brief, blunt statement emphasizes the brutality of the act and the chilling efficiency of the murder.

"Great business must be wrought ere noon. Upon the corner of the moon There hangs a vap'rous drop profound I'll catch it ere it come to the ground, And that, distilled by magic sleights Shall raise such artificial sprites as by the strength of their illusion shall draw him to his confusion. He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear His hopes 'bove wisdom, grace, and fear"

Speaker: Hecate

Talking to: The Weird Sisters (witches)

Context: This quote is from Act 3, Scene 5. Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, is reprimanding the Weird Sisters for dealing with Macbeth without her involvement. She then outlines her plan to lead Macbeth to his downfall by creating illusions that will make him overconfident and believe he is invincible. This scene highlights the witches' manipulative nature and foreshadows Macbeth's tragic hubris.

"you have displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting With most admired disorder."

Speaker: Lady Macbeth

Talking to: Macbeth

Context: This quote is from the banquet scene (Act 3, Scene 4), following Macbeth's vision of Banquo's ghost. Lady Macbeth is trying to manage the situation and cover for Macbeth's erratic behavior. She is essentially scolding him for ruining the feast and causing a public spectacle with his "disorderly" conduct.