Macbeth (Analysis of The Banquet Scene)

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Natania Duhur 11A Stanley                   English Coursework

Macbeth

How does Shakespeare use dramatic devices in Act III, Scene IV of Macbeth in order to make it such an interesting, exciting and important scene?

Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. Being a tragedy, the play’s most fundamental theme is the power that an ambition or idea can possess over someone. This theme is highlighted in the behaviour of the two main characters in the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The idea of becoming king is heavily cemented into Macbeth’s head by the prophecies of the witches and his desire for power takes over. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, pursues her goals with greater determination, but in the end she cannot take responsibility for her immoral actions.

Another important theme is the relationship between evil and masculinity. Lady Macbeth manages to manipulate her husband into carrying out his wicked acts by questioning his manhood; she herself wishes that she could be ‘unsexed’ and become a man. Macbeth learns this skill and is able to do the same to the murderers that kill Banquo. During the play, it seems that manhood is associated with raw physical aggression.

On the other hand, women are also seen as sinful during the course of the play. The witches encourage Macbeth’s behaviour by their prophecies. Lady Macbeth is the intellect behind her husband’s planning. These women go against the usual expectations of the role of a woman, and their behaviour is so extraordinary because their malice is passive and they rely on sowing seeds of discord so they may get their way.

Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606, in the reign of James I. James was also known as James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. James was the patron of Shakespeare’s acting company and the play Macbeth, one of the first to be written under his reign, reflects the relationship between Shakespeare and King James. The fact that Shakespeare has set the play in Scotland respected James’ heritage. James’ family claimed to have come from the lineage of Banquo and the prophecies of the witches that Banquo will have ancestors emphasise this.

During Act III Scene IV, a banquet is held and it is the first royal occasion Macbeth hosts as King, making him and Lady Macbeth eager to impress their guests. As Macbeth greets his guests, one of the murderers appears and tells him of the successful murder of Banquo but the terrible news that Fleance, Banquo’s son has escaped. On returning to his guests, Macbeth finds that the ghost of Banquo is sitting in his chair and this begins his odd, hysterical behaviour. Lady Macbeth excuses her husband and tells their guests that he has had such visions since being a child. When the ghost returns however, it is clear that Lady Macbeth is out of her depth and she tells her shocked guests to leave the Banquet. After the guests leave, Macbeth makes clear his intentions to see the witches again and find out more about his future and those who may threaten his position as King.

The audience has seen Macbeth and his wife scheme the murders of Duncan, as well as Macbeth’s own plotting of the murder of Banquo so their first perceptions of Macbeth as the courageous, loyal warrior have changed as he has just ordered the death of his best friend in the previous scene. Macbeth ruthlessly orders murderers ‘to leave no rubs… in the work’ and even more alarmingly demands that ‘Fleance his son… is no less material to me… must embrace the fate.’ This highlights the immoral streak in Macbeth’s character. His ambition of becoming king has driven him to heartlessly kill his best friend and even the child of his best friend. Calling murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance displays weakness in Macbeth’s personality. He is very determined to remove these obstacles between him comfortably being king; however he is not so motivated to personally kill Banquo, which illustrates that Macbeth still has some mercy deep, which is masked by his paranoia and ambitions. The audience could perceive Macbeth actions to have someone assassinate Banquo as very cowardly and maybe believe that if he can plot so maliciously against his own friend then he could be as cold-blooded to do the job himself.

When Macbeth walks on at the beginning of the scene, it seems to the audience that he has an air of superiority, and has supreme control. ‘You know your own degrees,’ highlights to the audience that Macbeth is in control and wants to assert his authority on to his subjects. As the first murderer appears, Macbeth invites his subjects to ‘drink a measure, the table round.’ To the audience, this emphasises Macbeth’s underlying anxiety for the lords to drink and be merry so they will not be suspicious of the murderer’s appearance. He also wishes for the guests to have a good time and in turn the Lords can provide Macbeth with an alibi of the murder of Banquo.

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However, Macbeth interjects his sentence by addressing the murderer. ’There’s blood upon thy face’ illustrates Macbeth’s anxiety again. As he finds out that it is the blood of Banquo he replies, ’tis better without than he within,’ displaying the cold-hearted stony side of his character, stating he is happy that Banquo is dead rather than alive. Macbeth also refers to Banquo as an inanimate object,’ Is he despatch’d?’ he asks the murderer suggesting that it is a business matter and Banquo is just a obstacle or package to be rid of. He is happy to hear the news he ...

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