“Thou hast it all now – King, Cawdor, Glamis, all… and I fear thou play’dst most foully for
it.”
What does Banquo mean by this?
He means that he suspects that Macbeth killed Duncan in order to take the throne.
2. Macbeth’s paranoia is causing him to fear someone. Who is it? Why?
Macbeth has become paranoid to the point of fearing Banquo. He fears him because he knows
about the prophecies and because Banquo was prophesized to have children that become kings,
which means that Macbeth’s lineage would be replaced somehow by Banquo’s. He also explains
that Banquo is fearless and wise, which scares the king.
3. What does he decide to do to those he now fears?
He decides to kill them.
4. Is Macbeth requesting Banquo to be at his feast – or is he ordering him to do so? Explain.
He orders him to do so. He says things like, “Fail not our feast.” This isn’t like him saying, “We
hope you can make it!” It’s much more along the lines of, “You better be there.”
5. What specifically should Macbeth be fearing about Banquo?
He should fear that Banquo knows about the prophecies, and therefore understands that Macbeth
would have a motivation to kill King Duncan. He should also fear that his descendants are
foretold to become kings, meaning that somehow Macbeth’s lineage ends up replaced.
6. Which soliloquy is presented in Act III.
The “To be thus is nothing” soliloquy is spoken by Macbeth in Act III.
7. What is Macbeth’s only regret about killing Banquo?
He won’t be able to talk about the prophecies with him or get any advice from him.
8. What does Macbeth say about the witches in his soliloquy?
He says that they treated Banquo with respect and claimed that he would be the father to kings,
meaning they had given Macbeth a “fruitless crown” to be handed over to Banquo’s lineage.
9. Why does Macbeth say he needs to fight fate?
He needs to fight fate because he doesn’t want to have murdered Duncan for the benefit of
Banquo; if things go as fate planned, all of his work and sins would just add up to Banquo’s
family inheriting the crown.
10. Who is the “common enemy of man” that Macbeth is referring?
He’s referring to the Devil.
11. How does Macbeth persuade the murderers to kill Banquo?
He told them that Banquo was responsible for their unfortunate livelihoods, and that they should
not let the man responsible for such oppression to be forgiven.
12. What does Macbeth compare the two murderers to? Explain.
He compares the murderers to dogs; he uses such a comparison to explain that if the murderers
decide not to kill Banquo, then they are among the least-valued members of society.
13. What feelings does Shakespeare want us to have about these murderers?
He wants us to pity them and empathize with them. They explain how they’ve faced such
adversity and unfairness in life and are so desperate for prosperity that they will do anything.
They explain this in the line, “I am one, my liege, Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world
Have so incensed that I am reckless what I do to spite the world.”
14. What reason does Macbeth give for not wanting to rid the world of Banquo on his own?
He shares common friends with Banquo, and if he were to kill him on his own, it would start
conflict between him and those friends.
15. What is the very last important detail Macbeth informs the murderers about?
He tells them that he needs Banquo’s son, Fleance, dead as well, and that it’s just as important to
kill Fleance as it is to kill Banquo.
16. Why is the death of Fleance so important?
He needs Fleance to be killed so that the prophecy the witches gave to Banquo can’t come true.
17. At the beginning of scene 2, Lady Macbeth asks Macbeth if Banquo has gone? What does
this suggest about their relationship now that Macbeth is king?
It suggests that Macbeth has stopped consulting her on decisions, he’s begun to keep secrets
from her, and he is more focused on keeping power than he is on their relationship.
18. Lady Macbeth has a small soliloquy in scene 2. What do we learn about her ambition in this
speech?
We learned that despite becoming queen, she doesn’t feel the satisfaction she yearned for. It
shows that she has started to slowly feel regret towards her actions.
19. What does Macbeth mean when he says, “we have scotched the snake, not killed it.”
He means that he’s become King, but that doesn’t mean he can’t lose his power because Banquo
and Fleance are still out there.
20. What does Macbeth’s statement, “he would rather let the world fall apart than be tormented
by bad dreams” say about him in this Act? How is it different than before he was king?
It says that Macbeth is willing to do whatever he needs to keep power and end this mental
torment, even killing his best friend to get some peace. This is different from before he became
king because he was very apprehensive to act sinfully (which is can be seen at the end of Act I).
21. Macbeth is tormented by dreams. When was the suggested made that he would have trouble
sleeping?
Upon killing Duncan, he believes that he heard someone say “Macbeth doth murder sleep!” This
is when his sleeplessness is first mentioned.
22. “Better be with the dead, whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace.” What two
meanings for peace are being referred here?
“To gain our peace” is referring to harmony and relaxation, while “have sent to peace” refers to
death and eternal slumber.
23. Page 301-302 – scene 2 – Macbeth and Lady MacBeth are expressing the ideas of “fair is
foul.” Where?
“Fair is foul” can be seen when Macbeth is telling Lady Macbeth to treat Banquo well tonight,
where he says, “Make our faces vizards to our hearts. Disguising what they are.”
24. How does Macbeth think his wife will feel about the deed he is about to have committed?
He thinks she’ll be excited by it, and he expects her to be “applauding the deed.”
25. Banquo again makes a comment about the weather. What does he say – and to what is it
referring?
He says that it will rain tonight right before he dies, which is symbolic of the tragic event that is
about to unfold (his death).
26. What specifically happens to Banquo and Fleance?
On their way to the feast, they get jumped by the murderers Macbeth hired. Banquo gets held
down and killed, but Fleance is able to escape into the woods.
27. Why is Fleance’s escape significant?
It allows Banquo’s prophecy to still come true since his child is still alive, and therefore can take
the throne.
28. How will Macbeth react to the news that Fleance has escaped?
He is going to be extremely angry with the murderers and will probably have some sort of
breakdown.
