Analyzing Macbeth's Fear of Banquo in Act 3, Scene 1
In Act 3, Scene 1 of Macbeth, Macbeth expresses his fears about Banquo and his descendants. He worries about losing the crown and the consequences of his actions. Macbeth's fear of Banquo's lineage and his ambition for his own power are highlighted in this scene. The analysis delves into Macbeth's complex emotions and his ruthless pursuit of maintaining his position as king.
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YOUR STARTER: BANQUOS FIRST DOUBT (A3,S1) Find a quotation which shows that Banquo no longer trusts Macbeth. Initially, Banquo like Macbeth dwells on the words of the witches. His thoughts are interrupted by the entrance of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Was he saying hush no more to rebuke the thoughts that might have led him to evil, or so that the Macbeths would not hear him? What might he have said if he carried on? Discuss. Write down the quotation and analyse the language. TODAY S KEY QUESTIONS: Can I read, understand and respond to texts? 1. 2. Can I consider the social and historical context of Macbeth and discuss its significance? 3. Can I analyse the language in a scene and explain its significance?
MACBETH: To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared. 'Tis much he dares, And to that dauntless temper of his mind He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear, and under him My genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Antony s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters When first they put the name of king upon me And bade them speak to him. Then, prophetlike, They hailed him father to a line of kings. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown And put a barren scepter in my grip, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding. If t be so, For Banquo s issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; Put rancors in the vessel of my peace Only for them; and mine eternal jewel Given to the common enemy of man, To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! Rather than so, come fate into the list, And champion me to th' utterance. YOUR TASK Macbeth thinks being king is empty without securing it for the rest of his life. Why is Macbeth worried about not being King for life? Banquo is the only person who Macbeth fears in the world. Why does Macbeth fear Banquo? What does under him my genius is rebuked suggest? The crown won t make his sons kings, as that was promised to Banquo. It s fruitless as it will end with him. What is Macbeth saying about being King? What are the connotations of fruitless and barren ? Could the meaning of these words be ambiguous? Macbeth says he has made it easier for Banquo s sons to be King. They are already one step closer to gaining the crown. What does Macbeth say he has sacrificed for Banquo s children? Which quotation suggests Macbeth is not willing to accept his fate?
YOUR TASK Starting with this speech, explain how far you think Shakespeare presents Macbeth as evil. Write about: How Shakespeare presents Macbeth in this speech. How Shakespeare presents Macbeth in the play as a whole. It is important that you can discuss the extract, which is where your analysis skills will be tested, and the rest of the play. You have to know what happens in order to answer the question successfully. We are not going to answer the question in a paragraph form, but gather ideas in a table TODAY S KEY QUESTIONS: Can I read, understand and respond to texts? 1. 2. Can I consider the social and historical context of Macbeth and discuss its significance? 3. Can I analyse the language in a scene and explain its significance?
MACBETH: To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared. 'Tis much he dares, And to that dauntless temper of his mind He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear, and under him My genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Antony s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters When first they put the name of king upon me And bade them speak to him. Then, prophetlike, They hailed him father to a line of kings. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown And put a barren scepter in my grip, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding. If t be so, For Banquo s issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; Put rancors in the vessel of my peace Only for them; and mine eternal jewel Given to the common enemy of man, To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! Rather than so, come fate into the list, And champion me to th' utterance. YOUR TASK: BANQUO S MURDER To complete the table, you need to find THREE quotations that you think show Macbeth is evil, and three that do not. You will then have to explain why you think those quotations show what they do, trying to use words from the quotation for language analysis. Only THREE in total can come from the speech we looked at today, the other THREE have to come from the rest of the text
YOUR TASK Persuasive Reason Quotation He makes the men feel they should hate Banquo. As hounds, and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs, shoughs, water-rugs and demi- wolves are clept all by the names of dogs. He uses questions to make the men think about their lives. for t must be done tonight. If it find heaven, must find it out tonight. How does Macbeth persuade the murderers to kill Banquo? He makes the men think that they would be getting themselves in his (the King s) favour. Well then, have you considered of my speeches? He asks them if they are the right sort of men. This I made good to you in our last conference. Match the persuasive reason Macbeth uses to the correct quotation. He stresses how awful their life is and how it Banquo s fault. Know, that it was he in the times past which held you so under fortune, which you thought had been our innocent self. He uses repetition to make sure his point has been heard. Are you so gospelled, to pray for this good man and for his issue, whose heave hand hath bowed you to the grave and beggared your forever? Both of you know Banquo was your enemy. Write the answers in your book. He compares them to dogs and says how all animals are in a quality line.
YOUR TASK: ACT 3, SCENE 2 Look at the images on the right and consider their connotations. Jot some ideas down in your book. What do these images remind you of? Do they have anything in common? What tone/atmosphere do you think Act 3, Scene 2 will create based on these images? TODAY S KEY QUESTIONS: Can I read, understand and respond to texts? 1. 2. Can I consider the social and historical context of Macbeth and discuss its significance? 3. Can I analyse the language in a scene and explain its significance?
CONSIDER THIS Shakespeare uses animal imagery for sinister and dramatic effect in lines 36- 53. For example, a bat is a creature that fulfils Hecate s orders. The words seeling and scarf relate to falconry, where the falconer would temporarily blind the hawk so that it would remain dependent on him until it was fully trained. TODAY S KEY QUESTIONS: Can I read, understand and respond to texts? 1. 2. Can I consider the social and historical context of Macbeth and discuss its significance? 3. Can I analyse the language in a scene and explain its significance?
YOUR TASK: MACBETHS STATE OF MIND Point Imagery Technique/ Meaning Interpretation Effect on the audience Complete the table charting Macbeth s state of mind in this scene. Consider the language he uses and the effect this has on the audience. We have scorched the snake not killed it. Metaphor Macbeth refers to his continued worries as the snake , suggesting The audience may fear Macbeth s actions. More bloodshed is inevitable and Duncan is dead yet Macbeth continues to worry that his kingship is vulnerable. O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife! Macbeth is plagued by evil thoughts. Macbeth does not wish Lady Macbeth to know what he is about to do. TODAY S KEY QUESTIONS: Can I read, understand and respond to texts? 1. 2. Can I consider the social and historical context of Macbeth and discuss its significance? 3. Can I analyse the language in a scene and explain its significance?
MACBETH: To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared. 'Tis much he dares, And to that dauntless temper of his mind He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear, and under him My genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Antony s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters When first they put the name of king upon me And bade them speak to him. Then, prophetlike, They hailed him father to a line of kings. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown And put a barren scepter in my grip, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding. If t be so, For Banquo s issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; Put rancors in the vessel of my peace Only for them; and mine eternal jewel Given to the common enemy of man, To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! Rather than so, come fate into the list, And champion me to th' utterance. MACBETH: To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared. 'Tis much he dares, And to that dauntless temper of his mind He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear, and under him My genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Antony s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters When first they put the name of king upon me And bade them speak to him. Then, prophetlike, They hailed him father to a line of kings. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown And put a barren scepter in my grip, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding. If t be so, For Banquo s issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; Put rancors in the vessel of my peace Only for them; and mine eternal jewel Given to the common enemy of man, To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! Rather than so, come fate into the list, And champion me to th' utterance.
Persuasive Reason Quotation He makes the men feel they should hate Banquo. As hounds, and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs, shoughs, water-rugs and demi- wolves are clept all by the names of dogs. He uses questions to make the men think about their lives. for t must be done tonight. If it find heaven, must find it out tonight. He makes the men think that they would be getting themselves in his (the King s) favour. Well then, have you considered of my speeches? He asks them if they are the right sort of men. This I made good to you in our last conference. He stresses how awful their life is and how it Banquo s fault. Know, that it was he in the times past which held you so under fortune, which you thought had been our innocent self. He uses repetition to make sure his point has been heard. Are you so gospelled, to pray for this good man and for his issue, whose heave hand hath bowed you to the grave and beggared your forever? Both of you know Banquo was your enemy. He compares them to dogs and says how all animals are in a quality line.
Quotations that show Macbeth is evil How does your quotation show Macbeth is evil? Explain why you think he is evil, making note of Macbeth s language choices if you can. There is none but he Whose being I do fear, and under him My genius is rebuked Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown And put a barren scepter in my grip, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand Quotations that show Macbeth is NOT evil How does your quotation show Macbeth is NOT evil? Explain why you think he is NOT evil, making note of Macbeth s language choices if you can. We will proceedno further in this business. (A1,S7) Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear. (A1,S5) Although Lady Macbeth says this line, it suggests that SHE is the evil one and not Macbeth. Her spirits are her dark thoughts and ambitions. Macbeth is driven to do what he does by his wife.
Quotations that show Macbeth is evil How does your quotation show Macbeth is evil? Explain why you think he is evil, making note of Macbeth s language choices if you can. Quotations that show Macbeth is NOT evil How does your quotation show Macbeth is NOT evil? Explain why you think he is NOT evil, making note of Macbeth s language choices if you can.