Sunday 6 November 2011

Reading journal of act three of Macbeth

Scene one
  • enter Banquo talking about how macbeth has it all now, just as the wierd sisters had promised, but they also promised that Banquo's children would become hiers to the throne; which has now confirmed this.
  • Enter Macbeth and Lady Macbeth dressed as a king and queen and everyone else for the coronation
  • Macbeth refers to banquo as his most important guest to his dinner later, asks him if he is going riding then brings up the subject of malcolm and donalbain fleeing. Macbeth talks about it as if they are the guilty ones. He pushes the blame onto them.
  • when everyone has exited, Macbeth has a silioquoy - he mentions that he is scared of banquo because he is suspicious of him. he was there with the witches. he's clever. His children will be kings.
  • Banquo was wise and took the right path macbeth didn't
  • Macbeth  meets with the murderers he explains to them how banquo has made their life hell and how he is innocent
  • macbeth tells the murderers he hates banquo so much and would kill him himself if they did not have mutual friends so requires the murderers help 
  • he convinves the murderers that banquo is their enemy as well as his and tells them to kill banquo tonight. they accept.
  • macbeth tells them to leave no traces of evidence and to kill fleane too
  • the murderers exit
Scene two
  • opens with Lady Macbeth asking wether banquo has left the court to a servant who replies that he's left but will be back tonight (he will be back in ghost form)
  • She asks to have a word with macbeth and before he enters she talks about how she has what she wanted and is still not happy, how she has spent everything and gained nothing. she says it's better to be the victim than the murderer taunted with anxiety. - guilt, regret, morality
  • enter macbeth, she asks him why he is keeping himself to himself -she's worried, wants to confide
  • he talks about his mental tourture - senseless murder driving him insane - he has to get someone else murder banquo
  • full of scorpions is my mind - animal imigary
  • Lady Macbeth scared of him?
Scene three
  • scene in which the murders kill banquo
  • planning - tension - question of trust
  • choppy dialouge between murders - comparison to lady macbeth and macbeth - panic
  • Banquo is attacked, he shouts to fleance to escape and he gets away
  • Muderers see the son has escaped and decide to go to macbeth and tell them of what has been done
Scene four
  • meal scene, macbeth welcomes his guests and his guests thank him
  • he plays the humble host as does lady macbeth
  • the muderers enter in the middle of the feast and macbeth goes to talk to them - suspicious - he says that they have blood on their face - blood on skin motif again
  • macbeth says he'd rather see blood on his face than blood in banquo's body - he praises them
  • he says fleance has fled and macbeth is worried again, he says everything would have been perfect apart from that
  • he tells him to get out and that he will speak to him again tomorrow, he exits
  • lady macbeth tells macbeth he's not entertaining his guests - distraction, worried, trying to save him from suspition again
  • lennox tells him to take a seat but enter banquo's ghost who sits in his seat - supernatural, enforcing how scared macbeth is of banquo taking his seat (honour)
  • macbeth says to his guests that he hopes banquo is not present due to rudeness and not because something bad has happened to him - playing dumb and innocent again
  • ross tells him to sit but macbeth says the table is full - no one else can see the ghost of banquo but macbeth - insanity, guilt, he is alone
  • he sees the ghost in the seat and first blames some one else for his vision - who did this?
  • no one knows what he's talking about, he goes crazy
  • Lady macbeth tries to explain to everyone else that macbeth is ill and has been since youth - a cover up for his insanity
  • tension in the room, lady macbeth tries to calm macbeth and everyone else
  • the ghost reappears -  his insanity and the things he says infront of his guests give alot away - very suspicious
Scene five
  • the witches meet with a hecat in this scene
  • supernatural
  • reminder of the witches influence

1 comment:

  1. Again, good points. Key quotations with line references would be useful. Also, what questions are posed for you? What connections can be made with elsewhere in the play?

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