After studying the Banquet Scene in Macbeth, what evidence do you find of Shakespeare's skills as a dramatist and poet?

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After studying the Banquet Scene in Macbeth, what evidence do you find of Shakespeare's skills as a dramatist and poet?

Shakespeare's Macbeth was probably composed in late 1606 or early 1607, when Shakespeare was in his early 40's. His other three great tragedies, (Hamlet, King Lear and Othello) had already been written and his reputation as a talented play writer and poet was well established. Unlike the great majority of Shakespeare's plays, (not including the English Histories) Macbeth has been set in Scotland and not abroad. It is a relatively short play without a major sub-plot, and is considered by many scholars to be Shakespeare's darkest work. The play starts with Macbeth and Banquo, who are generals of Duncan, King of Scotland, returning from a victorious campaign against rebels when they are met by three witches who greet Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor and king hereafter. The witches prophecy that Banquo will be father to a line of kings, but the words have hardly left their lips when messengers come to tell Macbeth that the king has created him Thane of Cawdor as a reward for his services.

After that, King Duncan honours Macbeth by coming to stay at his castle. There, after being spurred on by his wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth murders him and seizes the crown.

Because of the witches' prophecy concerning Banquo, Macbeth tries to make himself sure of getting the throne by plotting the death of Banquo and his son, Fleance. The men he hires to do this for him are successful in murdering Banquo, but Fleance escapes. Haunted by the ghost of Banquo, Macbeth seeks out the witches, who bid him beware of Macduff, the Thane of Fife, but also give him a sense of security by telling him that nobody who was born of a woman will harm him and that he shall never be vanquished until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane hill. Learning that Macduff has joined Malcolm, who is gathering an army in England, Macbeth surprises the castle of Macduff and murders Lady Macduff and her children. Lady Macbeth then goes mad and dies. Malcolm and Macduff's army attacks Macbeth and every man who passes through Birnam wood cuts a bough and under these 'leafy screens' marches to Dunsinane. Macduff, who was ripped prematurely from his mother's womb and therefore technically not 'born of a woman', kills Macbeth and Malcolm is crowned King of Scotland.

Although I have just briefly outlined the whole story of the play, I will only be focussing on Act 3 scene 4 in this essay. In this scene, Macbeth is holding a banquet when one of the murderers arrives at the door and informs the new king that Fleance has escaped. When Macbeth returns to his guests, he sees the ghost of Banquo at the table. Although no one else perceives the ghost, Macbeth is visibly shaken by this vision. Lady Macbeth tries to cover up her husband's abnormal behaviour by explaining to their guests that he is suffering from a periodic illness he has had since his youth, and that his fit will only be momentary. Soon after, Macbeth appears to recover, but then the ghost of Banquo appears to him again. The banquet ends abruptly and when the guests have left, Macbeth tells his wife that he will seek out the witches to learn about all the remaining threats against him.

A s I have mentioned previously, there is an absence of sub-plot in this play. This gives a sense of rapidity to the action and is further helped by the fact that there are only two main characters - Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In the banqueting scene a diversity of these two characters' roles is clearly displayed.

At the beginning of the scene, Macbeth is portrayed as a man who is in control of the events around him. He orders the Lords to sit down in their ranks, he mingles and socialises with his guests and he plays the 'humble host'. However, unlike her husband, Lady Macbeth is aloof from the general party. Although by being near the guests and giving them orders, Macbeth is displayed as an authoritive figure, Lady Macbeth's position of authority is emphasised by the fact that she is seated on the throne of state - a strong symbol of power - therefore she herself is depicted as part of that power and this shows the audience that she is an authoritive figure also. What Shakespeare has done here is he has given each character his/her own individuality and has highlighted this by showing a contrast between Macbeth's behaviour and Lady Macbeth's behaviour. Macbeth tries to cover up his unease and adapts a two-faced approach by being extremely friendly and also a bit condescending towards his guests. He says:

"Ourself will mingle with society / And play the humble host"

The words 'mingling' and 'humble' suggest that Macbeth has put on a kind of mask. He may be acting like a genuinely nice man on the outside, but on the inside, he isn't because he has murdered three people and has planned to murder two more. As I have mentioned, he is also being condescending since he has 'stepped off' his high throne to walk among his subjects. Lady Macbeth acts differently to Macbeth in the sense that she keeps her state - she has set out to become Queen of Scotland and now that she has achieved her goal and is Queen, she is not going to behave like she is anyone less important. However, although her two-facedness may not be as obvious as Macbeth's, she too is being false by welcoming her guests warmly when what she feels inside is completely different. By portraying the characters' false attitudes in slightly different ways, Shakespeare has given them each an individual personality. Even though they have been through the same crimes, and have experienced similar emotions, they both have separate ways of coping with the guilt and fear they both have, just like real humans are likely to have. By doing this, he successfully brings his characters to life in a way that his audience can understand and even relate to.
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As the scene proceeds, Shakespeare introduces two characters who disrupt Macbeth's emotional 'cover-up' - one of the murderers and Banquo's ghost. When the murderer first enters, Macbeth doesn't go over to him straight away. He says:

"See, they encounter thee with their hearts' than Both sides are even: here I'll sit i'the midst: Be large in mirth; anon, we'll drink a measure

The table round. [He goes to the door] There's blood

upon thy face."

This single quote shows a big dramatic contrast. The entrance of the murderer is a reminder to the ...

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