Reading Journal - Act III.

Act III- Scene I:

·         Banquo shows he is suspicious and suspecting the king, but he knows to be quiet.

·         “Our fears in Banquo stick deep”, and “My genius rebuked” – shows that Macbeth fears Banquo knows of his dirty deeds, he is contemplating how to solve this?

·         Witches prophesied Banquo’s children will become king – because of this Macbeth fears that he will be killed.

·         “Come fate into the list...” – he is calling on the witches to change their prophecy.

·         “Barren sceptre”- fruitless crown, implying that Macbeth cannot have children? Lady Macbeth makes a reference that she had children. “I have given suck” the word sceptre implies that it is a phallic object as well. This adds to his fear of losing the crown.

·         Macbeth cannot kill Banquo himself – talking to the murderers convinces him to kill Banquo in reality. He then tries to justify it to himself.

Act III – Scene II:

·         Lady Macbeth speaks in rhythmic couplets, which is poetic like the witches.

·         Alliteration “Destroy, Destruction, Dwell, Doubtful”

·         When Macbeth enters it changes.
·         “O full of scorpions is my mind dear wife!” – Imagery, tortured mind.

·         Macbeth’s last lines are rhyming couplets which mirrors Lady Macbeth's.

Act III – Scene III:

·         You see the murder happen on stage, it is muddled and messy.

·         The scene is fast, the short lines due to the stichomythia make the scene frenzied.

Act III – Scene IV:

·         Insanity, lightening, repressive, totalitarian dictatorship.

·         Transition to regular Gothic, this is a change in Lady Macbeth's character.
·         Does it show a deterioration of the mind? The dagger in Macbeth’s soliloquy is not seen, therefore is Banquo visible?

·         Macabre dance in the film version, is it the dance of death?

·         Macbeth learns that Banquo is dead and that Fleance has escaped. The news of Fleance’s escape angers Macbeth “the worm that’s fled  Hath nature that in time will venom breed” showing that if Fleance had died, his position as king would have been safe.

·         Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manhood – reversed roles? Two halves of the same person?

Act III – Scene V:

·         The witches meet with Hecat – the goddess of witchcraft.

·         Hecate scolds them for meddling in the business of Macbeth - shows that there are powers higher than the witches that mere mortals cannot tamper with.

Act III – Scene VI:

·         Lennox and another lord discuss what has happened to the kingdom.

·         Banquo’s murder is blamed on Fleance, who has fled

·         Both men suspect Macbeth, whom they call a “tyrant,” in the murders of Duncan and Banquo.