Macbeth Act 3 Summary

Macbeth Act 3 summary: Murder, ghostly visions, and rising tyranny. Explore the key events and themes where Macbeth's guilt becomes public and his fate is sealed.

Macbeth Act 3 scene 1

Summary

Act 3, Scene 1 of Macbeth opens with Banquo alone, reflecting on the prophecy of the Weird Sisters. He acknowledges that Macbeth has gained everything they promised (king, Cawdor, Glamis) but suspects he “played’st most foully” to get it. Banquo then recalls that the witches foretold he would be the root and father of many kings, not Macbeth. This thought gives him hope, but he cuts himself short as the royal party enters.

Macbeth, now King, enters with Lady Macbeth, Lennox, Ross, and attendants. He pointedly acknowledges Banquo as the “chief guest.” They arrange for Banquo to attend a “solemn supper” that night. Macbeth inquires about Banquo’s afternoon plans, learning he will be riding some distance but promises to return for the feast. Macbeth also asks if Fleance, Banquo’s son, will accompany him, to which Banquo confirms.

After everyone else departs, Macbeth is left with a servant. He confirms that the men he wishes to see are waiting, and orders them brought in. In a crucial soliloquy, Macbeth reveals his tortured state of mind. He says, “To be thus is nothing, / But to be safely thus.” His fear fixates entirely on Banquo, whose noble nature and daring wisdom make him a threat. Macbeth feels his own spirit “rebuked” by Banquo, just as Mark Antony was said to be by Octavius Caesar. He obsesses over the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s children will be kings, feeling he has committed his terrible crimes only to place “a fruitless crown” on his own head and a “barren sceptre” in his grip, which will then pass to an “unlineal hand” (Banquo’s lineage). He resolves to challenge fate itself to prevent this.

The two murderers enter. Macbeth works to persuade them that Banquo is their enemy, responsible for their misfortunes. He questions their manhood and patience, asking if they are so “gospeled” (Christian) that they would pray for the man who has ruined them. He uses a metaphor comparing men to different breeds of dogs, all classified as “dogs” but valued differently, implying they must prove they are not in the “worst rank of manhood.” The murderers, hardened by life’s injustices, declare they are reckless and ready for revenge. Macbeth confirms Banquo is also his enemy, but claims he cannot kill him openly due to shared friends, hence the need for secrecy. He orders them to kill both Banquo and Fleance that night as they return to the palace. He promises to give them exact instructions later.

The scene ends with the murderers resolved, and Macbeth declaring, “Banquo, thy soul’s flight, / If it find heaven, must find it out tonight.”

Macbeth Act 3 scene 2

Summary

Act 3, Scene 2 opens with Lady Macbeth, attended by a servant. She learns that Banquo has left court but will return for the feast. After sending the servant to request an audience with the King, she delivers a short soliloquy expressing profound discontent: “Naught’s had, all’s spent, / Where our desire is got without content.” She concludes it’s “safer” to be the victim (Duncan) than to live in “doubtful joy.”

Macbeth enters, and she urges him to stop dwelling on the past, using the same phrase she employed after Duncan’s murder: “What’s done is done.” Macbeth rejects this platitude. In a tense and revealing speech, he says they have only “scorched the snake, not killed it,” and that they now live in constant fear and “restless ecstasy.” He envies the dead Duncan, whom “nothing / Can touch him further.”

Lady Macbeth, adopting a more practical and reassuring tone, tells him to appear “bright and jovial” for their guests. Macbeth agrees but insists she pay special, flattering attention to Banquo. He laments that they must now wear masks (“make our faces vizards to our hearts”). When she tells him to stop this line of thinking, he exclaims, “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife! / Thou know’st that Banquo and his Fleance lives.” This is a direct confession of his torment’s source.

Lady Macbeth responds with a coldly pragmatic statement: “But in them nature’s copy’s not eterne” (they are not immortal). Seizing on this, Macbeth declares them “assailable” and hints at “A deed of dreadful note” to occur that night before the bat flies or the beetle hums. When she asks, “What’s to be done?” he pointedly shuts her out: “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, / Till thou applaud the deed.”

The scene concludes with Macbeth invoking the coming night to “Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond / Which keeps me pale”—the bond being either the prophecy securing Banquo’s lineage or the bonds of natural law and friendship. He observes the arrival of night and its “black agents,” tells his speechless wife that “Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill,” and leads her out.

Macbeth Act 3 scene 3

Summary

The scene opens with the two Murderers Macbeth recruited joined by a mysterious Third Murderer. The First Murderer is suspicious, demanding to know who sent him. The Third Murderer answers "Macbeth," and the Second Murderer verifies his trustworthiness, stating he knows their exact instructions. They settle in to wait.

They note the last glimmers of daylight, a time when late travelers hurry to their lodgings. Hearing horses, they realize their target approaches. They confirm it is Banquo, as the other expected guests are already at the palace. They note that Banquo has dismounted and is walking the final distance to the castle gate, as is customary.

Banquo and his son, Fleance, enter carrying a torch. The Murderers see the light and prepare. Banquo's innocuous line, "It will be rain tonight," is met with the First Murderer's deadly cry, "Let it come down!" They attack in the darkness.

Banquo, mortally wounded, cries out to Fleance to "Fly!" and urges him to seek revenge. He dies. In the chaos, someone (likely Fleance in the struggle) extinguishes the torch. The Third Murderer asks who put out the light, and the First Murderer realizes the consequence: "There's but one down. The son is fled." The Second Murderer laments that they have lost the best half of their mission. With only Banquo dead and Fleance escaped, they resolve to go and report what they have done to Macbeth.

Macbeth Act 3 scene 4, the Banquet Scene

Summary

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth host a royal banquet for their nobles. Macbeth plays the gracious host, urging his guests to sit according to their rank and promising to mingle among them. As the feast begins, the First Murderer appears at the doorway. Macbeth goes to him and sees blood on his face, which the Murderer identifies as Banquo's. Macbeth is pleased Banquo is dead, but his satisfaction shatters when he learns Fleance has escaped. He laments that now his fears and doubts return, whereas with both dead he would have been "perfect." He dismisses the Murderer, dismissing Fleance as a future threat.

Returning to the feast, Lady Macbeth chides him for neglecting his hosting duties. As Macbeth toasts the company, he moves to his seat—only to see the Ghost of Banquo sitting in his place. Horrified, he addresses the ghost directly: "Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake / Thy gory locks at me." The lords, who see nothing, are bewildered. Lady Macbeth quickly intervenes, telling the guests this is a momentary, harmless fit Macbeth has had since youth. She sharply rebukes Macbeth privately, accusing him of unmanly fear and hallucinating like he did with the "air-drawn dagger."

As Macbeth argues he truly sees the ghost, it vanishes. He regains some composure, blaming his "strange infirmity," and proposes a toast. However, he foolishly calls for Banquo's presence: "Would he were here!" The ghost reappears. Macbeth loses all control, crying, "Avaunt, and quit my sight!" He challenges the apparition to take any other form. Lady Macbeth, realizing she cannot salvage the situation, urgently dismisses the guests, telling them to leave without ceremony.

Alone, the Macbeths' dynamic shifts. Macbeth is now consumed by dark thoughts: "It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood." He reveals he has spies in all the nobles' houses and notes Macduff's defiant absence. He resolves to visit the witches again to learn more by "the worst means." He admits he is so steeped in blood ("I am in blood / Stepped in so far") that turning back is as hard as going forward. Lady Macbeth, now the weaker party, can only suggest he needs sleep. Macbeth agrees but ominously states, "We are yet but young in deed," implying more violence is to come.

Macbeth Act 3 scene 5

Summary

The scene opens with the Three Witches meeting Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, who is furious with them. She scolds the "beldams" (hags) for being "saucy and overbold" in dealing with Macbeth without her inclusion. As the "mistress of [their] charms," she is offended they did not call her to "show the glory of [their] art."

Furthermore, Hecate criticizes their choice of subject. She calls Macbeth a "wayward son," motivated by self-interest ("loves for his own ends, not for you"). To correct this, she orders them to meet her the next morning at "the pit of Acheron" (a river in the underworld), where Macbeth will come to learn his destiny. She instructs them to prepare their magical instruments.

Hecate then describes her own plan: she will spend the night collecting a mystical "vap'rous drop" from the moon. Distilled by magic, it will create "artificial sprites" whose illusions will manipulate Macbeth. Her explicit goal is to lead him to his ruin ("confusion"). She explains the strategy: these visions will make him "spurn fate, scorn death" and overconfidence ("security / Is mortals' chiefest enemy"). Hearing offstage music from her spirit, Hecate exits. The witches quickly resolve to hurry and prepare for her return.

Macbeth Act 3 scene 6

Summary

The scene opens with Lennox speaking to another Scottish Lord in a tone of deep irony and coded criticism. He sarcastically recounts the "official" story of recent events:

• The "gracious Duncan" was "pitied" by Macbeth—after he was dead.
• The "right valiant Banquo" was killed because he "walked too late," and one might conveniently blame Fleance, who fled.
• It was "monstrous" for Malcolm and Donalbain to kill their father, an act that so grieved Macbeth that he nobly killed the guards in "pious rage."
• He concludes with heavy irony: "He [Macbeth] has borne all things well."

Lennox then drops the pretense, stating that if Macbeth ever caught Duncan's sons or Fleance, they would be killed. He shifts to the real matter: Macduff has fallen into disgrace for his "broad words" and for missing Macbeth's feast. Lennox asks where Macduff has gone.

The Lord reveals that Macduff has fled to the English court to join Malcolm. There, the saintly King Edward welcomes Malcolm with honor despite his misfortune. Macduff has gone to plead with Edward to help mobilize Northumberland and Siward (powerful English earls) for an invasion. The goal is to restore Scotland to normality: safe feasts, peaceful sleep, and honest honor—all of which are now absent under Macbeth's "bloody knives."

The Lord adds that this defiance has so enraged Macbeth that he is preparing for war. Lennox hopes Macduff's wisdom will keep him safe from Macbeth's reach and ends with a prayer for a "swift blessing" to return to their "suffering country / Under a hand accursed." The Lord adds his prayers, and they exit.