English resources/Macbeth/Act 3, Scene 4

Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 4

At a big dinner Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost in his chair. No one else sees it. The guests are sent home.

Macbeth has 28 scenes in 5 acts, and Act 3 has 6 of them. Act 3, Scene 4 comes after Act 3, Scene 3 and before Act 3, Scene 5. The 4 key lines here come from Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

The ghost of Banquo. Théodore Chassériau, about 1855. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.

This scene in five words

Banquo'sghostruinsthebanquet

Hide these. Ask the class for their five. Then show them. Then play today's sentence.

What happens, in more detail

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hold a banquet for the lords of Scotland. One of the murderers appears at the door with blood on his face to report that Banquo is dead, but Fleance has escaped, and Macbeth's fear comes straight back.

When Macbeth goes to sit down, Banquo's ghost is in his seat. Only Macbeth can see it, and he starts talking to it in front of everyone. Lady Macbeth tells the guests her husband has had fits like this since he was young, then quietly asks him if he is a man. The ghost leaves, comes back when Macbeth raises a toast to Banquo, and she sends the guests away.

Alone with her, Macbeth notes that Macduff refused to come, admits he pays a servant to spy in every lord's house, and decides to visit the witches the next day. He says he has waded so far into blood that going back would be as hard as going on.

Why it matters: this is the first time Macbeth loses control in public, and it is the last time we see the two of them working as a team.