Macbeth: Act 3 Scene 4 A Project By Sebastien, Kody and Sarah (not present)

Part A: A Brief Summary  In this scene, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are hosting a banquet and welcoming their guests as they arrive. In the middle of the event, one of the murderers meets Macbeth by the side doors of the castle to inform him that him and the other murderers have succeeded in killing Banquo, but that they have failed to kill Fleance. Macbeth then returns inside the castle, surprised to see the ghost of Banquo sitting at Macbeth’s chair. He is the only one that can see the ghost, so when Macbeth screams in panic, all the guests including his wife Lady Macbeth believe that he has gone mad. Eventually believing that the event may have something to do with the witches, Macbeth makes his way to the witches cave to see them once again

Some Key Points  The recourring motIfs of blood and gore and fear( even though fear may not technically be a true theme in Macbeth) appear in this scene.  Here are some examples: Lines 13 and 14: Macbeth: “There’s blood upon thy face” along with a quote by Lady Macbeth in lines 74 to 82 on page 145 that mentions Macbeth’s fear

 Another key point is when Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost at the banquet, he gets a sense of regret and fear of what might happen. The theme of hallucination is back as everyone around Macbeth cannot see the ghost except for Macbeth, and everyone believes that he is crazy while Lennox, Ross Lady Macbeth, and a few Lords try to reassure him (lines 51 to 145, pages 143 to 149)

Part B: The Purpose Of This Scene  the plot of this particular scene creates an atmosphere of horror and builds tension by showing that Macbeth is bothered by what he has done. Knowing that in the back of his mind those “things” aren’t going to work out and that he has gotten himself in a bigger mess than he expected. Also that he knows that Macduff has gotten away and may plot against him.  Lady Macbeth doesn’t help at all by telling him to man up about the murder. In today’s world she would be considered an abusive wife. Somewhat in a sense it sets up a plot development by showing that Macbeth fears the outcome of the murder making Lady Macbeth show more manliness.

Part C: How It Works  Part c is fairly basic in it’s core anatomy. The big things that are going on is that we have Fleance that escaped, meaning that Fleance could pass his word on to Macduff about his own escape (lines 10 to 38 pages 141 to 143) along with the ghost of Banquo(lines 51 to 145, pages 143 to 149). These scenes share something in common, as they  both create a feeling of fear, suspense, and tension. We feel these emotions towards Macbeth, which will than lead to a catharsis at the end of the play

Part D: Something Fun!  A storyboard parody of Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4