Hath nature that in time will venom breed, No teeth for the present
Showing that Fleance is only a long-term threat to him and does not have to deal with him yet.
In this scene Macbeth’s main horror is seeing the ghost of Banquo. We are able to detect that Macbeth is horrified straight away as Lenox asks him ‘What is’t that moves your highness?’ his fear is shown with numerous exclamation marks on liens 68 when he says ‘pr’ythee, see there! behold! look! lo! How say you?’. The ghost horrifies him and he knows he cannot defeat this supernatural being. He says that he could take on any physical object such as ‘the Russian bear, the armed rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger’ but when faced with a supernatural object he compares himself to a baby girl. However at the end of the scene he contradicts himself by tomorrow deciding to go and meet the ‘weird sisters’ – who have all along been the source of supernatural in this play. This also shows deterioration in moral fibre. He also now has become extremely paranoid. We are shown this by the fact that in every household of importance he keeps ‘a servant fee’d’. Seeing the ghost also emphasises his paranoia.
At the end of the scene Macbeth has changed quite a lot. He does not confide with Lady Macbeth as he once used to- for example in act 3 scene 3 he does not confide with Lady Macbeth about the killing of Banquo. He would also rather confide in the witches than with Lady Macbeth and trusts them more than anyone in his kingdom. As soon as the lords leave Macbeth shows his insecurity by saying ‘blood will have blood’ meaning that the only way a murder must be avenged is with the death of the murderer - and in the case of Duncan and Banquo this is Macbeth. He also has suspicions that he has been identified as the murderer as he thinks ‘the secret’st man of blood’ has been ‘brought forth’. The last few two speeches from Macbeth in this scene show us what his views on murders in the future are. He says that he is
In blood stepped in so far, that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er.
Telling his audience that the only way he can go now is forward and to commit more murders, then he goes on to say that he will act much more quickly now without his ideas being ‘scanned’. He ends the scene with a promise of more killings saying ‘we are yet but young in deed.
Two actors that portray Macbeth in this scene are James Frain in Macbeth on the Estate and Ian Mc Kellen in the Royal Shakespeare company version. They each show him in a very different but also quite similar ways. At the start of the RSC version Mc Kellen puts across the idea of a grand King and we see his importance straight away. He does this through his posture- as he walks confidently and process in, in an orderly, ceremonial manner. His costume has gold trimmings, which also show his importance, and there is ceremonial music playing in the background when he enters which again emphasises the feeling of order. He raises his hand to show his control and speaks loudly to show his confidence. However the fact that he is still smiling gives a kind of unity between Macbeth and his lords. This is done in Macbeth on the Estate version through music. The music ‘We are family’ is being sung in the background. It has been chosen as it is upbeat and the lyrics show community and unity and that everyone is on Macbeth’s side.
Both versions use different ways of showing Macbeth’s confrontation with the murderer Macbeth hired. In the RSC version the murderer is in the same room as the lords while in Macbeth on the Estate Macbeth is called out of the room. In the RSC version a close up shot is used to show Macbeth’s deceptiveness as it shows a secret conversation between the two while the lords- and his wife- are still somewhere in the background. His deceptiveness is also shown through the different tones in his voice when talking to the murderer and his guests. He then continues on to pass the chalice round and this helps to reinforce the ceremonial act, as it is very ritualised.
When he receives the news that Fleance has escaped Ian Mc Kellen and James Frain show their alarm in two different ways but still manage to get the same idea across. In the RSC version Mc Kellen holds the chalice tight- as if to be holding on to his position. He also emphasises key words such as ‘cabined’, ‘cribbed’ and ‘confined’. He also shows Macbeth’s fear through his breathing- as he says nearly a whole speech in a breath. He has a fixed stare- as if staring at something in the distance. Frain acts much more aggressively. When he hears Fleance has escaped he is filled with anger and we see this when he grabs the murderer by the throat and pushes him up against the wall. In Macbeth on the Estate, Macduff leaves the party while Macbeth is talking to the murderer about the escape of Fleance. This emphasises that Macbeth feels Fleance is a long-term threat but Macduff is an immediate threat. Frain then enters back into the main room and joins in the drinking game to get in the spirit of the party. This helps to secure his position as leader and the guests at his party recognise his leadership by chanting his name and they know were they stand in relation to him. His vision then blurs and it shows us that the way things seem and the way things are, can be very different. This is shown in the RSC version as he seems to see a ghost but in reality it is not actually there.
When the ghost appears- or seems to appear- both actors show us Macbeth’s insecurity, horror and fear. However the one main difference between the two is that in the RSC we do not see what Macbeth sees, but in Macbeth on the Estate we do. Ian Mc Kellen shows us that he is startled through his fixed stare. There is also worry and panic in his voice when he says ‘Which of you have done this’. The camera angle also gives us a clear view of Macbeth’s horror
and it shows us that nothing is actually there as it shows two men with a clear space between them and Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the background. He shows his insecurity by darting about the stage in a haphazard kind of way. He is shown to be quite crazy as he is shouting and bawling at mid-air. He is also sweating a lot- showing how much this ghost is horrifying him.
James Frain shows Macbeth’s horror and shock but he does so in a different way. He stumbles back to try and get as far away as possible from the horrid image of a bloody Banqo. However he is stopped from going back by a gambling machine. This may show that he has gambled with his life and he can now not get away from his fears and guilt and he has to deal with the consequences of the gamble. Suddenly Macbeth no longer sees the image and things start to go back to normal. This is shown in the RSC version as there is a happy and jolly atmosphere. The order is tried to be regained by bringing the chalice back in and having a type of drinking game and the ritual is showed through the clapping. This also shows his importance. We seen the drinking game in Macbeth on the Estate and the chanting of his name when playing the game and this shows a similarity between the two. In Macbeth on the Estate the cheerful atmosphere is brought back through Macbeths smiling to show that all is well and to compensate for his attitude a few minutes before. He also shows that he is a generous person and a good person by buying drinks for everyone. This music playing in the background is ‘wise men say only fools rush in’ which is describing Macbeth as he has rushed into something which he regrets. He is then informed that Macduff will not return to his party, which reminds him that he is under threat still and that Macduff is an immediate threat.
When the ghost returns for the second time, in both programs we see his fear intensified. Ian Mc Kellen shows us Macbeths absolute horror in a number of ways. He is slobbering a lot and stumbles over some of his lines making them unclear. He also pulls out a dagger to attack this image he sees. Lady Macbeth has to physically restrain him and hold him back. His facial expressions are grotesque and horrified. In Macbeth on the Estate James Frain shows his fear by delivering his lines quickly, falling to the ground and slithering back as far as he can- but he is still trapped. He then grabs a stool to use as a weapon to attack the ghost- like the knife Ian Mc Kellen uses in the RSC version. However he realises that his tangible defences will not help him form his non-tangible threats.
In RSC the lords get up and leave, leaving a pathetic looking Macbeth. Ian Mc Kellen shows this through a feeble attempt of a wave and by kneeling down; he also has a lost look on his face. James Frain is pushed out by Lady Macbeth, he also shows Macbeth to be pathetic through his facial expression- he has a confused expression.
Act 3 Scene 4 ends in a similar way in both versions. In RSC he is the one supporting Lady Macbeth after the lords leave and he is talking clearly. He is also thinking aloud- and his staring off into the distance shows this. He has now at the end of the scene yet again changed character. In Macbeth on the estate he is again not staring at anything in particular, but is gazing into the distance, he is not addressing Lady Macbeth but is thinking about the future. Frain, like Mc Kellen portrays Macbeth to be the stronger character off the two, as at the end of the scene he is the one holding Lady Macbeth.
Act 3 Scene 4 is a very important scene for showing Macbeths character. This scene really shows the true Macbeth as it shows what he is really like and how he is covering it up. This scene is also a turning point for Macbeth- and has made him think more- however what he is thinking is that he will have to commit more murders and he will have to visit the witches. Both actors, James Frain and Ian Mc Kellen, both get across clearly the character of Macbeth very well.
