Act III Scene IV 1.

This scene is a favorite for actors because it witnesses a shift in emotion and tone from the rest of the play. This scene has a sort of comic break in that the actors get to witness Macbeth lose his composure and go insane, speaking to a ghost who is invisible to all except Macbeth. 2. In the beginning of this scene, Macbeth puts on a show to warmly welcome his guests. He seems jovial and lively, suggesting he is satisfied with Banquos death and casts no worries about Fleances escape. 3. In this scene the motif is blood, which represents the traitorous murder of Banquo by Macbeths plot. 4. The importance of this aside is that it shows Macbeths real concern that Fleance may return later to threaten his position as king. Macbeth fears that the witches prophecies were true and that Banquos descendants (Fleance) will become take the kingship over him. 5. Macbeths address to the ghost reveals that Macbeth is having trouble remaining calm and collective. It shows he feels very guilty for the backstabbing murders he committed in order to cut loose ends. 6. In this scene, Lady Macbeth is continually trying to cover for her husbands odd behavior, claiming that when he was younger Macbeth suffered from fits such as these where he sees things that are not actually there. 7. If I were a thane at the banquet, I would think that there was something terribly wrong with the king. I would evidently suspect something the hosts were hiding since Macbeth has never had any odd seizures before. 8. Lady Macbeth saves the Macbeth by covering for him in saying that as a child he suffered from wild fits, and that it would pass in a few moments without any concern. 9. After the banquet, Lady Macbeth notices that her husband is completely restless, troubled and anxious, and tries to soothe him. 10.Banquo does not attend the banquet, which reveals dramatic irony in which Bangquo was killed outside the palace earlier by the three murderers. 11.Macbeth has secret spies (servant) living in every thanes castle. This shows that Macbeth does not trust anyone and becomes weary and

reckless in getting rid of all loose-ends. It also foreshadows a possible future murder. 12.In lines 136-141, Macbeth explains that he will return back to the witches to find out what they see in his near future, hoping to seek aid from them. 13.Macbeth intends to go visit the witches but, unlike during his first visit, he is not completely composed when he goes to them. Macbeths anxious and overconfident state of mind may make him do whatever the witches tell him, which will bring him further down into the abyss. 14.The motifs in this scene are bloodshed, death, and sleeplessness. After the murder of Banquo outside the palace by 3 murderers, Macbeth claims he is restless, mainly because he is guilty yet remains determined in killing all suspicions in order to maintain himself in power. 15.I believe that when Macbeth visits the witches they will advise him to murder another character who may supposedly be threatening the throne. Being in the state of overconfidence and determination in maintaining the kingship, I believe Macbeth will listen to them, and do what it takes to remain king, which will lead him to his demise. Thus, his descent into the abyss is inevitable. Act III Scene VI 1. Lennox serves to remind the audience of all that has gone on up to this point in the act. He recaps the murders and seems highly suspicious of how the story of the Banquo and Duncans deaths, the denouncement of Macduff, Malcolm and Donalbain are put together. 2. Lennox believes Macbeth as the murderer behind the plot and seeks the help of the English, who will wage war against Macbeth and Scotland. 3. Supporting Malcolm and MacDuffs escape to England, these two men are conspiring against Macbeth. 4. The function of the lord is to inform Lennox of the overseas news. In support of Macduff and Duncans sons, he represents all of the other noblemen (thanes) who are nontheless unhappy with Macbeths rule. 5. In the conversation between Lennox and the Lord, the audience learns that the men are conspiring to betray Macbeth and support Macolm and Macduff, who have escaped to England. We learn there will be an upcoming conflict between Scotland and England because the two men
have asked Siward, son of the English army commander, to lead an army against Macbeth in hopes of dethroning him.

We believe that Scene 5 was not originally written by Shakespeare. The style of Shakespeares is dissimilar to the manner in which scene 5 is written. The method shown in scene 5 showed an imitative and almost phony technique, one which Shakespeare was unlike. Hence, scene 5 is not written by Shakespeare as it is short of a literary profundity.