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Act Three Analysis

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In Macbeth's address to the murderers we see a recurrence of the "be a man" theme. When Macbeth asks them if they have the courage to kill Banquo, and they answer "we are men, my liege" (III.i 102). This answer does not satisfy Macbeth, who berates them as less-than-acceptable examples of humanity. Macbeth uses much the same tactic his wife used to push him to kill Duncan. Their dwelling on the issue begs the reader to question what it means to "be a man" in this play; both Macbeth and his Lady have a clear idea of what a man should act like. In act one, Lady Macbeth outlines the traits that she considers important for a man: he must dare to use whatever means necessary to achieve his aspirations (I.vii 55-60). She claims that she herself is less "full o' th' milk of human kindness" than Macbeth, more capable of casting away any shred of compassion, motherly tenderness and affection, loyalty, or guilt (I.v 45-60). But Lady Macbeth is not the only character that values ruthlessness and a lack of compassion as masculine. Even Kindly Duncan himself evaluates heroic action on a rather gory scale. When the captain describes Macbeth's victory in battle he says that his sword "smoked with bloody execution . . . [and] carved out his passage [through enemy soldiers]." With this bloody sword Macbeth cut Macdonwald open from his navel to his chin, cut off his head, and fixed it on top of the castle walls. Duncan's response to this account is "O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!" (I.ii 20-26). A "real man," then, in the world of this play, is one who is capable of copious bloodshed without remorse. Macbeth, therefore, is caught between a rock and a hard place; on the one hand he has his wife urging him to be a better man, on the other, his men turn from him as his capacity for bloodshed grows.

Macbeth warns the murderers that he "require[s] a clearness . . . [in order] to leave no rubs nor botches in the work" of killing Banquo; therefore the men must also kill Fleance (III.ii 152-154). He does not want a stain to mar his work. The theme of stains and washing runs throughout the play, from Macbeth's fear that not even "all great Neptune's ocean [could] wash this blood / Clean from [his] hand" and his wife's flippant response "a little water clears us of this deed" (II.ii 77-87) to these instructions to the murderers to Lady Macbeth's famous "out, damned spot" speech. The Macbeths are obsessed with the idea that some stain will link them to the murders, and that the stain and smell of blood will follow them. Even when Macbeth orders others to kill Banquo far from his presence, Banquo's blood still follows him back to Dunsinane; when the murderer shows up to report his success, Macbeth observes "There's / blood upon thy face" (III.iv 13-14). The blood itself is a sign of culpability, as is clearly evident in Lady Macbeth's punning comment that she will "gild" the bodyguards with Duncan's blood to seal their guilt. Banquo's murder itself makes use of a common theme in Shakespeare's plays, the contrast between light and dark. While the murderers wait for Banquo and Fleance to approach, one of them observes that the sun is setting. This is no coincidence. Banquo is a bright and good contrast to the dark night that accompanies Macbeth's rise to power, a man who does not allow his ambitions to eclipse his conscience. At the moment that he dies, therefore, for the last light of sun to disappear is appropriate. Banquo and Fleance approach the murderers with a torch, and the light from this is the first thing the murderers see: when they come on stage, the second murderer says "a light, a light!" (III.iii 20). After the murderers attack and Fleance escapes, the third murderer asks, "who did strike out the light?" (III.iii 27). At the same moment the good and kind Banquo dies, the light is extinguished. This interplay between light and dark recurs throughout the course of the play.

Another aspect of Banquo's murder has sparked discussion among scholars for years: who is the third murderer? There have been many proposed answers to this question. Some people think that it is Lady Macbeth, who expressed curiosity about what Macbeth was planning in scene 2. Some people think it is Macbeth himself, because he did not trust the murderers. It could also be one of the thanes or a servant. The three murderers could even be the three witches in disguise. In any event, the presence of the murderer means two things. If Macbeth knows about him, it reinforces the fact that he does not trust anyone; even when he has given careful instructions and worked hard to incense the two men he hired, he still feels the need to send a third man to complete the job. And ironically, even with this extra assurance, his plans are not completed, since Fleance escapes. Fate will not allow Macbeth to kill of the line of men who will become kings. At the same time, introducing a third murderer rounds out the number of murderers, so that they balance the three witches. There is a power in the number three; in fairy tales characters always get three wishes. In this play, Macbeth meets three witches, hires three murderers, commits three separate murders, and sees three apparitions. The number three threads throughout the play, adding to its mysterious and magic atmosphere.

One of the most compelling scenes in this play is the banquet scene haunted by Banquo's ghost. And one of the reasons for this scene's power lies in its blurring the boundaries between reality and the supernatural. Banquo's ghost appears twice at exactly the moment Macbeth mentions him. First, Macbeth announces to the guests that the feast is incomplete in Banquo's absence; as he says this, Banquo appears, sitting at Macbeth's seat (III.iv 46-55). He reappears as Macbeth makes a toast to Banquo in front of his guests (III.iv 107-108). It seems that each time Macbeth thinks of Banquo, he has a vision of him. In this way, he seems more like the manifestation of an idea, a figment of the imagination, than a ghost; Lady Macbeth says as much when she pulls Macbeth aside, saying "this is the very painting of your fear. / This is the air-drawn dagger which you said / Led you to Duncan" (III.iv 74-76). Just as the spirit of Banquo invades the party, mixing the supernatural with the real world, his presence in the scene mixes the realm of ideas with the physical world in the same way as the "dagger of the mind" in act two. Just like the dagger, Banquo's ghost is the realization of Macbeth's guilt, a metaphor come to life.

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Act Five Analysis Macbeth