Question

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macbeth
act 3
scene 1:
compare/contrast: compare and contrast macbeth’s thoughts about banquo’s murder with his thoughts about duncan’s murder.
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summarize: what happens in the conversation between macbeth and the murderers?
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scene 2:
summarize: has the relationship between macbeth and lady macbeth changed? explain.
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scene 3:
recall: what went wrong with macbeth’s plot to ensure his place on the throne?
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scene 4:
recall: in the banquet scene, what complaint does macbeth make about murdered men?
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analyze: how does the appearance of banquos ghost affect macbeth?
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Explanation:

1. Scene 1, Compare/Contrast: For Duncan's murder, Macbeth was wracked with guilt, hesitation, and moral doubt, needing Lady Macbeth's coercion to act. For Banquo's murder, he is cold, calculating, and driven by paranoia about the witches' prophecy that Banquo's heirs will take the throne; he acts independently, with no hesitation or reliance on Lady Macbeth.
2. Scene 1, Summarize: Macbeth manipulates three desperate men, convincing them that Banquo is to blame for their misfortunes. He hires them to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, urging them to prove their manhood and eliminate the threat to his crown.
3. Scene 2, Summarize: Yes, their relationship has shifted. Lady Macbeth is now anxious and isolated, while Macbeth is consumed by paranoia and secrecy. He no longer confides in her, keeping his plans to murder Banquo hidden, reversing their earlier dynamic where she led the plotting.
4. Scene 3, Recall: The murderers only kill Banquo; Fleance escapes. This means the witches' prophecy that Banquo's line will inherit the throne remains a threat to Macbeth's power.
5. Scene 4, Recall: Macbeth complains that murdered men do not stay dead, but return to haunt and torment the living, referencing Banquo's ghost appearing at the banquet.
6. Scene 4, Analyze: The ghost shatters Macbeth's composure, making him rave and act erratically in front of his lords. It deepens his paranoia and guilt, revealing his fragile mental state to his guests, and pushes him to seek out the witches again for more prophecies.

Answer:

1. For Duncan's murder: Guilty, hesitant, coerced by Lady Macbeth. For Banquo's murder: Calculating, paranoid, acts independently with no moral doubt.
2. Macbeth manipulates three men into believing Banquo ruined their lives, then hires them to kill Banquo and Fleance to secure his throne.
3. Yes. Macbeth now keeps secrets from Lady Macbeth, is consumed by paranoia, while she grows anxious and isolated; their power dynamic reverses.
4. Fleance, Banquo's son, escapes the murderers, leaving the witches' prophecy of Banquo's heirs taking the throne intact.
5. Macbeth complains that murdered men return as ghosts to haunt and torment the living who killed them.
6. It breaks his composure, makes him act erratically in front of his court, deepens his guilt and paranoia, and drives him to consult the witches again.