Question

name: _____________ period: ____
macbeth key quotations & questions: act iii

scene/line	quotation/passage	questions
scene 1 line 31 #2	\we hear our bloody cousins are bestowed in england and in ireland, not confessing their cruel parricide, filling their hearers with strange invention.\ macbeth	who is macbeth talking about? of what is he accusing them?
scene 1 line 52 #3	he hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor to act in safety. there is none but he whose being i do fear ... they hailed him father to a line of kings. upon my head they placed a fruitless crown and put a barren scepter in my gripe, thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, no son of mine succeeding ... rather than so, come fate, into the list, and champion me to the utterance!\ macbeth	what is macbeths concern regarding banquo? what is his complaint about being king? what does he plan to do?
scene 1 line 87 #4	\are you so gospeled to pray for this good man and for his issue whose hand hath bowed you to the grave and beggared your for ever?\ macbeth	how and why is macbeth deceiving/ persuading the murderers?
scene 1 line 134-137 #5	\fleance his son, that keeps him company, whose absence is no less material to me than is his fathers, must embrace the fate of that dark hour.\ macbeth	why does macbeth order fleance to be killed as well?
scene 2 line 19 #6	\better be with the dead, whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, than on the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstasy.\ macbeth	what is macbeth feeling? what is does he mean by

estless ecstasy\?|

scene 2 line 30 #7

\let your remembrance apply to banquo; present him eminence, both with eye and tongue.\ macbeth

explain the dramatic irony in macbeths speech.

Explanation:

1. #1: Banquo knows the Weird Sisters prophesied Macbeth would be king, and he suspects Macbeth cheated to seize the throne. He threatens Macbeth because the witches also said Banquo's line would be kings, making him a rival to Macbeth's power.
2. #2: Macbeth is talking about King Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain. He accuses them of murdering their father (Duncan) and fleeing to avoid confessing the "parricide".
3. #3: Macbeth fears Banquo's wisdom and the witches' prophecy that Banquo's sons will be kings. He complains he has a "fruitless crown"—no sons to inherit his throne. He plans to have Banquo and Fleance killed.
4. #4: Macbeth deceives the murderers by blaming Banquo for their poverty and misfortunes, not admitting his own ambition drives the plot. He persuades them to kill Banquo by framing it as revenge for their ruined lives.
5. #5: The witches prophesied Fleance's line would be kings. If Fleance lives, he will fulfill the prophecy and threaten Macbeth's hold on the throne, so Macbeth orders him killed to eliminate this future threat.
6. #6: Macbeth is wracked with guilt and paranoia after Duncan's murder. "Restless ecstasy" refers to his tormented state: he is king (the "ecstasy" of his ambition fulfilled) but cannot find peace, trapped in constant anxiety and regret.
7. #7: Dramatic irony occurs because the audience knows Macbeth has ordered Banquo's murder, but the other characters (including Lady Macbeth) think Macbeth is being kind by honoring Banquo. Macbeth's words about "eminence" are a cruel lie, as he is arranging Banquo's death.

Answer:

1. #1: Banquo threatens Macbeth because the witches said Banquo's sons will be kings, making him a rival to Macbeth's power. Banquo suspects Macbeth used foul play to become king, as he knows the witches' original prophecy.
2. #2: Macbeth is talking about Malcolm and Donalbain, King Duncan's sons. He accuses them of committing parricide (murdering their father Duncan) and fleeing to avoid confessing their crime.
3. #3: Macbeth is concerned Banquo's wisdom and the witches' prophecy that Banquo's sons will be kings makes him a threat. He complains his crown is "fruitless" because he has no sons to inherit it. He plans to murder Banquo and Fleance.
4. #4: Macbeth deceives the murderers by blaming Banquo for their poverty and ruined lives, hiding his own ambition. He persuades them by framing the murder as revenge for their suffering.
5. #5: Macbeth orders Fleance killed because the witches prophesied Fleance's line will be kings; if Fleance survives, he will threaten Macbeth's throne and fulfill the prophecy.
6. #6: Macbeth feels crippling guilt and paranoia. "Restless ecstasy" means he has achieved his ambition of being king (the "ecstasy") but is trapped in constant, tormenting anxiety with no peace.
7. #7: Dramatic irony exists because the audience knows Macbeth has ordered Banquo's murder, but the other characters believe Macbeth is honoring Banquo with his words about "eminence." His kind remarks are a lie masking his murderous plot.