Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4

Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4

At Forres, Macbeth and his wife welcome the Thanes of Scotland to the banquet. Immediately prior to the feast, one of the murderers appears at a side door and reveals to Macbeth the truth about the mission: their success in killing Banquo but their failure to kill Fleance. Macbeth recomposes himself and returns to the table. As he raises a toast for his absent friend, he sees the ghost of Banquo. As with the ethereal dagger, the ghost of Banquo appears to come and go, propelling Macbeth into alternating fits of courage and despair. Lady Macbeth invites the Thanes to leave and, once alone, tries one last time to sooth her husband. But Macbeth’s paranoid mind is already on the next murder, that of Macduff in order to ascertain his future with greater certainty as he makes clear his intention to visit the weird sisters.

This scene starts off with the line, "You know your own degrees", this line suggests there is now a renewal order in Scotland which is further backed up by the line "Both sides are even", yet the audience knows this is not the case, as the ranks and have been changed by Macbeth after the killing of Duncan of usurpation of the throne. This is a prime example of dramatic irony.

At first when the first murderer appears and says to Macbeth "May lord, his throat is cut", Macbeth seems pleased with him calling him "the best" and "nonpareil" as the threats to his throne had been killed. His own supposed invincibility is shown when he says he feels 'as broad and general as the casing air' but when hearing that indeed Fleance had escaped, his language abruptly changes as he describes himself as being "cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in". The alliteration of the hard 'c' sounds gives the sense of Macbeths constraints, this is a complete contrast to the supposed freedom he felt beforehand.  Macbeth seems to describe Fleance as "the worm that's fled, Hath nature that in time will venom, No teeth for th'present". This seems to just that although Fleance had to power at the time, he has the capability of gaining power and becoming a threat to his throne.

The rich banquet was a symbol or order, but now it has become hellish when Banquo’s ghost appears. Macbeth language reflects this change as he describes the ghost of Banquo being so hideous that it would ‘appal the devil’, and had appeared to have risen from a grave or a ‘charnel-house’. Macbeth can’t seem to understand why Banquo, who is supposed to be dead, is alive and well as sitting in his chair. After the arrival of Banquo’s ghost, Macbths behaviour sarts getting more eratic, this is shown when he says “Here had we now our country's honour roof'd, Were the graced person of our Banquo present; Who may I rather challenge for unkindness, Than pity for mischance!”

In stark contrast to Macbeth, Lady Macbeth on the face of things seems to keep her calm, maintain a pragmatic tone in order to calm his rage, however it seems a facade as her anger can be seemed in her words as she questions his manhood for example by asking "Are you a man?". There is also a great similarity between this scene and the murder scene-here the words 'ruby' and 'blanched' are clearly referencing to the distinction Lady Macbeth make between the 'red' hands of murder and the 'white' heart of the coward.