Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4

Macbeth act 3 scene 4

William Shakespeare, baptised on 26th April 1954, is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. During his extremely successful life Shakespeare wrote many plays, of which 38 survived to this day along with 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems and several other poems. These plays have been translated into every major language and have been performed more than any other playwright in history. Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon where at 18 he married Anne Hathaway and they together had three children. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1590 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the sixteenth century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, these including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth. Macbeth was a tragedy about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1606, with 1607 being the very latest possible date. The earliest account of a performance of what was likely Shakespeare's play is April 1611, in the globe theatre in London. Macbeth contained many epic scenes and it is one of those, Act 3 Scenes 4, which I will be analyzing in this essay.

Act 3 scenes 4 begins at a Banquet that Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, have invited the thanes of Scotland too. Macbeth speaks to the thanes and says "you know your own degrees: sit down" he also says "See, they encounter thee with their hearts' thanks. -both sides are even: here I'll sit I' the midst:" However the audience knows the truth that the sides are in fact not even because Banquo is not present. The order that the men should sit in has been manipulated by Macbeths killing of the king and Banquo and his usurpation of the throne. Immediately prior to the feast one of the murderers enters through a side door and reveals to Macbeth the details of their mission to kill Banquo and Fleance, the murderer says "My lord, his throat is cut; that I did for him". To which Macbeth replies "Thou art the best o' the cut-throats"; At first, Macbeth is pleased with the murderer, telling him he is "the best," "the nonpareil "which means without equal; moreover, Macbeth's own supposed invincibility is shown when he says that he feels "as broad and general as the casing air," but on hearing the unwelcome news that Fleance escaped his treachery, Macbeth's language abruptly changes: "But now I am cabin'd, cribbed, confin'd,"The alliteration of the c sounds shows Macbeth's sense of constraint, in contrast to the freedom which he uses previously.

Lady Macbeth calls to Macbeth and asks him to return to the feast and sit but Macbeth doesn't see an empty seat at the table. When Lennox gestures at a seat, saying it's empty, Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost sitting there. Macbeth alone can see the ghost. He astonishes the thanes by shouting at the empty chair. The grandness of the banquet and the once calm atmosphere contrasts with the hellish ghost of Banquo and the theme of death. It is also ironic that Macbeth is not sat at the head of the table and showing his greatness as he would like, but is left standing as his chair has been usurped by the ghost of Banquo which is exactly the same thing that he did to Duncan: stole his throne and took it for himself. Macbeth's language shows this change. The ghost, so hideous that it would "appal the devil," appears to have risen from a grave or a "charnel-house." Macbeth cannot understand why what is dead should "be alive again," when its bones should "be marrowless" and its blood "cold." Finally, he challenges the ghost to "dare me to the desert with thy sword." He also says "What man dare, I dare: Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear, The arm'd rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger; Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves

Shall never tremble: or be alive again, If trembling I inhabit then, protest me

The baby of a girl. Hence, horrible shadow! Unreal mockery, hence!" here Macbeth is saying that the Ghost could appear in any other form and he would not be frightened of it. He says that if it did this and he was still frightened then he could be called a coward. This shows that Macbeth's worst fears have been realised. It also shows that Macbeth still believes himself to be very brave and believes he could face any foe except for the one in front of him. The fact that Macbeth is terrified of the ghost alone could show that he is scared of dying. This would explain