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Analysis Of Act 3 Scene 1 Of Macbeth

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Macbeth practice essay:

The following analyse deals with an extract, Act 3, scene 1, from Shakespeare's play, Macbeth. Prior to this extract Macbeth, our main character, has recently murdered the king, Duncan, and has ascended to the throne himself. This extract deals with interactions of Macbeth with others and himself just before he sends an assassin to kill Banquo, a 'friend' of Macbeth's who Macbeth thinks may suspect him. In this extract we see Macbeth grappling with his own conscience as well as his anger and paranoia over the witches' prophecy that it will be Banquo's sons, not Macbeth's, that will take over the throne. This extract also deals with a lot of irony and foreshadowing especially revolving around a feast that Macbeth throws …show more content…

In this section Macbeth implores the attendants to “let every man be master of his time”, directly this is simply an instruction for the lords to do whatever they like until the feast, but subconsciously Macbeth is also thinking about the limited time Banquo has left to what he wants – already we can see the guilt Macbeth has over what he is about to do. Macbeth further urges his guests to keep to themselves “to make society the sweeter welcome” perhaps because he hopes this time to themselves will allow his guests to take the news of Banquo's murder easier, but mostly Macbeth wants to ensure he is not interrupted, the decision to murder Banquo is eating him and he does not want to have to deal with other people while he carries out his plan of assassination. Finally, Macbeth wishes that “God be with [his guests]” which is ironic because Macbeth's intentions for the same time period are far from …show more content…

Macbeth ponders Banquo's “royalty of nature” and “dauntless temper”, showing that even while he is plotting his 'friend's' murder Macbeth can still recognise the positive attributes Banquo has, especially in comparison to Macbeth's own “[rancorous]” “vessel of...peace”. Macbeth angrily deals with the witches' prophecy, after all why, after Macbeth gave his “eternal jewel” to the “common enemy of man” by murdering the “gracious Duncan”, should Banquo, after he “chid the sisters” have the privilege of being a “father to a line of kings”? Macbeth also deals with his divided-self in this soliloquy – he acknowledges that Banquo is a better man than him, knows that his “genius is rebuked”, knows that he has poisoned his own mind and sold himself to “the common enemy of the man” and yet his own paranoia ensures that he cannot help but vindictively try to murder Banquo and his line so that all his 'hard work' does not result in a “fruitless crown”. This section deals very heavily with the weight of Macbeth's decisions as well as his

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With Macbeth being a general in the Scottish military, he had major influences on people and their daily lives. After the murder of King Duncan, Banquo’s suspicion of who committed the murders arose around a single suspect, Macbeth. Knowing that Banquo most likely knew the truth that Macbeth killed King Duncan, Macbeth went back to his evil ways with ease. Through his attendant, Macbeth summons three murderers. Shakespeare introduces the murders with stage direction “[Re-enter Attendant, with two Murderers]” (Shakespeare, 363), in which Macbeth he uses Banquo as bait in order to gain their graces and loyalty “That it was he in the times past which held you so under fortune, which you thought had been our innocent self: this I made good to you in our last conference, pass'd in probation with you, how you were borne in hand, how cross'd, the instruments, who wrought with them, and all things else that might, so half a soul and to a notion crazed, Say 'Thus did Banquo.'”

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Banquo says, “I fear thou play’ds most foully for’t” (Act 3 sc 1 lines 2-3). I feel that Banquo is seeing that Macbeth is getting everything that he wants and Banquo is noticing that it’s out of the ordinary and he ends up getting suspicious of Macbeth. Macbeth notices that Banquo is getting suspicious of him. Also, the weird sister told Macbeth that one of Banquo sons is going to be king one day. Macbeth doesn’t like the idea of both of these, so Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance.

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Macbeth argumentative essay In Shakespeare's Macbeth the main character Macbeth goes to battle against his country's enemy, three witches appear who tell him that he will soon become Thane of Cawdor and then one day king of Scotland. His best friend Banquo is told from the witches as well that his sons will be king one day after Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth gets word of this she becomes manipulative and greedy, she can’t wait to be in power, she comes up with a plan to kill king Duncan. Macbeth doesn’t agree with this plan so Lady Macbeth manipulates him into killing King Duncan.

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After achieving the title of the King of Scotland, Macbeth wants to secure his position as the king and desires to inherit the Scottish throne to his ancestors. His aim was showed in “To be thus is nothing, /But to be safely thus” (III, i, 52-3). This quote reveals that Macbeth not only wanted to become the king but also wants to secure his position as the King of Scotland for the welfare of his upcoming generation. This reveals Macbeth’s is implying the witches’ prophecies; as long Banquo’s sons live, Macbeth’s throne would not be able to inherit down to his ancestors. As the play progresses, Macbeth’s hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, as represented through, “Banquo, thy soul’s flight, /If

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After killing Banquo Macbeth evokes fear from the audience. Yet at a banquet thrown in honor of Macbeth’s new title of King, Macbeth begins hallucinating about the ghost of Banquo haunting him, this not only ruins the evening, but causes the audience to question the mental deterioration of Macbeth. Yes he is to be feared for his actions taken against Banquo, but the audience is left to question if Macbeth’s actions are not still reactions from the prophecies the witches gave him. They played on his ambitious tendencies and clearly manipulated him, which draws pity, although Macbeth is acting on his own, not under the constructs of any direction which causes fear of what he is capable of. In this moment with the apparition of Banquo the audience has to question the confounds of Macbeth’s sanity, it is easy to fear Macbeth because of what he is doing, but circumstances such as these and the encounters with the Weird Sisters make it difficult for the audience to despise Macbeth, instead they take pity on what they view as a delusional mind.

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They told Macbeth that he was going to be king, and told Banquo that his children were going to be king. With the knowledge that there is a possibility to become king, along with the selfish human nature, noble Macbeth was easily swayed by this prophecy. At first, Macbeth’s conscience took care of his ambitions, he was afraid he would betray the king, because he knew that he was “his kinsman and his subject” (1.7.13). However as the three witches continue to encourage Macbeth with carefully chosen words, he eventually pushes his conscience away and committed crimes that were dishonourable. Macbeth, easily controlled by his ambitions, loses his noble and heroic title in fear of losing his power.

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