As soon as the murder leaves the scene, Macbeth is on the edge looking to change the subject as soon as possible, with Macbeth nervous it would certainly create a dramatic mood amongst the audience. He has a brief word with his wife before starting a new conversation about food. It is this haste, in his guilt, as he tries to erase the murder from his mind that seems to make Banquo's ghost appear. This is ironic as Banquo comes to haunt Macbeth just as he is trying desperately to forget about him. Banquo's ghost sits down in Macbeth's seat, as this is where he would have been sitting if he still had breath, it makes Macbeth uneasy, so he doesn't sit down. The sight of a ghost would be very dramatic as it would also make the audience uneasy because of their beliefs in the supernatural. Macbeth isn't really entitled to be part of this gathering - and he knows it. As he can see Banquo's ghost in his imagination, he couldn't possibly contemplate sitting on top of his former friend. As far as Macbeth is concerned, he is really there.
The ghost's appearance is dramatic especially because it is caused by a number of issues. Macbeth is obviously enormously stressed by the worries of his life. Banquo's appearance is a mixture of guilt and madness. We remember previously that Macbeth also imagined a dagger coming towards him, so he is getting quite a reputation as a madman. This all adds to the drama, as it is interesting to see Macbeth so scared about something that isn't really there. It shows how tormented he is after the murder.
In line 49 Macbeth asks, "Which of you have done this?" The Lord's would be extremely shocked at Macbeth's strange question. But from where they are sitting all they can see is a vacant chair. However what they don't realise is that Macbeth is seeing Banquo’s ghost on that chair and believes that one of them has played a trick on him. Macbeth is going mad, especially from where the audience is sitting, this would all add to the drama watching Macbeth slowly slipping away into insanity. The reader, again, may feel a slight sense of pity for Macbeth, who is slowly becoming more and more insane. The choice of dialogue accentuates this. Line 51 reads, "Never shake thy gory locks at me." The key word in this quote is 'gory'. Macbeth is speaking to Banquo as though he is the one who has done wrong, when in fact he is the sinner. Obviously, Banquo is still not really there, but Macbeth is continuing his conversation with the chair nevertheless. At this point, Lady Macbeth would be feeling annoyance towards Macbeth, who may end up telling the guests the truth unless he regains his composure. This suspense is all the more dramatic, especially as Lady Macbeth knows that there is a risk of her being caught for the murder of the king. She speaks to the guests, telling them that Macbeth is suffering from "a momentary fit". All this misunderstanding would certainly be dramatic. Lady Macbeth then takes her husband to one side and questions his masculinity. "Are you a man?" she asks him. This reminds us of the murder scene of the play, in which Lady Macbeth was the one bossing Macbeth around. She is clearly the more dominant partner of the relationship. Once again, we feel sorry for Macbeth because he is going insane and his wife can offer little help. Instead, she abuses him and questions his strength. Questioning his masculinity would shock an audience of that time and her dominance would be a remarkable part of the play.
While speaking to Macbeth, we get a glimpse of Lady Macbeth's state of mind. She is angry and embarrassed to be associated with Macbeth, who is guilty after the murder. "You look but on a stool", she says. Basically, she is undermining her husband, telling him that he looks pathetically stupid talking to an empty chair. Lady Macbeth comes across as a very strong woman with no conscious. In complete contrast to Macbeth, she seems unbothered by the murder of the king. This argument would certainly add to the dramatic tension, as it would only seem a matter of time before people would begin to get suspicious.
After returning to the party, Macbeth proposes a toast to Banquo, whom he describes as "his best friend". He proposes a toast out of guilt, but also because he thinks it will make it less obvious that was involved in his murder. "Banquo, whom we miss, would were here,” Shakespeare has included this part as it adds dramatic irony and stirs the emotions of the reader. Where as before we felt sympathy for Macbeth, we are now encouraged to hate him as he is lying. Because he has said so much about the late Banquo, the Lords are now almost certainly beginning to grow suspicious. They can probably tell that he isn't being totally honest by his expressions and tone of voice.
In line 108, after shouting at the ghost, Macbeth says, "I am a man again". This is significant because earlier on in the scene Lady Macbeth questioned his masculinity, but now Macbeth believes he's got it back with his brave words. Lady Macbeth is not impressed with her husband, though. Instead, she is destroyed, angry and annoyed because he has spoilt the banquet with his ridiculous outbursts. Macbeth cannot understand her reaction whatsoever. He does not understand how she can remain to calm and emotionless when he is so petrified. "And keep the natural ruby of your cheeks," Macbeth says, referring to his wife's overwhelming coolness. Again, this part of the play reminds us of previous scenes. During the murder scene, it was Macbeth who was on the verge of panicking while Lady Macbeth remained strong and seemingly unaffected. Again the misunderstanding and power struggle creates drama.
The Lords leave because Lady Macbeth orders them to; telling them that Macbeth is ill, what was a golden and royal celebration is now one of uncertainty and chaos. They believe her and leave immediately, wishing Macbeth better health on their exit. At the end of the scene everything seems chaotic which increases the drama. Macbeth is on the verge of blurting out the truth about Duncan and Banquo's deaths, while Lady Macbeth frantically thinks of excuses to cover-up for him.
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are left alone in the Palace. In line 122, Macbeth says, "It will have blood they say: blood will have blood." This quote sounds dramatic yet is confusing as it has more than just one meaning - different people may perceive it differently to others, but I think that Macbeth means that if you kill someone you have to kill another person so that nobody finds out about the first murder. Macbeth mentions the word 'blood' three times in just one sentence, the repetition adds drama to the sentence. At this time evil and bloody murderous thoughts are the only things on Macbeth’s mind, there is no escape from what he was done. Again, we feel sympathy for Macbeth as he didn't want to kill Duncan in the first place, but his wife talked him into it. Now he regrets it all and realises that his life can never be the same again - he is destined for a life of guilt and torture, this whole misconception of Macbeth’s character is very dramatic. Lady Macbeth is no longer as closely involved. Whereas before she had plenty of say to Macbeth, now she can only manage helpless yet dramatic one-sentence remarks; like “Almost at odds with morning, which is which”.
The very last line of the Act reads: "We are yet but young in deed." As Macbeth is aware, there is more killing to be done. This keeps us in suspense and makes us think that the play is going to get even more exciting than it already is.
There are a few stage directions that also make the scene dramatic are, depending on how people decide to act it, Banquo's ghost may or may not be visible to the audience. Personally, I think it would be more effective if it was invisible, as this would highlight Macbeth's increasing fear and insanity, also the fact that the scene is set in the night is also significant as the murder scene was also set in darkness. The dark is often associated with evil, witchcraft and general spookiness. It all adds to the drama.
With all the hallucinations and dialogue, the scene is very dramatic. At any one time you do not know what will happen next. It continually seems as if Macbeth, who is at his wits end, is going to admit to everything, but Lady Macbeth steps in with an excuse at the crucial moment but it seems only a matter of time until the truth is exposed. Some of the most dramatic points of the scene include the entrance of the murderer, the entrance of Banquo's ghost, the questioning of Macbeth's masculinity and the final line. Shakespeare has definitely been successful in creating a dramatic scene in this part of the play.
