Act 3

Question 1

‘play’d most

Answer 1

foully for it’ - Banquo sees through Macbeth’s lies.

Question 2

‘fruitless

Answer 2

crown’ - he knows that he has no legacy and reflects his growing paranoia of Banquo

Question 3

Fleance’s ‘absence is

Answer 3

no less material to me’ - moral shown to be diminishing as he does not care about killing a kid. However also implies the importance of ridding Banquo of his sons

Question 4

‘What’s done

Answer 4

i done’ - LM still a driving force behind keeping Macbeth correct. However repetition could reflect LM trying to convince herself

Question 5

‘full of scorpions

Answer 5

is my mind’ - scorpions represent his poisoned brain symbolic of both his fear and his violence.

Question 6

‘be innocent

Answer 6

of the knowledge, dearest chuck’ - relating to Banquo’s murder. Macbeth having growing independence and less reliance on LM for motivation for violence. Relationship is still loving - ‘dearest chuck’

Question 7

‘It will be

Answer 7

rain to-night’ - some of Banquo’s final words use pathetic fallacy to portray how hope is being lost and foreshadows the continuation of violence

Question 8

‘i am cabin’d

Answer 8

cribb’d, confined, bound in’ -the guttural alliteration shows how Macbeth is claustrophobic in his own mind. becoming overwhelmed by guilt

Question 9

STAGE DIRECTIONS AS BANQUO ‘sits

Answer 9

in Macbeth’s place’ - could be interpreted that Banquo is the true king or Macbeth’s actions literally coming back to haunt him. dramatic irony as we know Banquo is dead

Question 10

‘i am in blood, stepped in so far’

Answer 10

‘returning were as tedious as go o’er’ - Macbeth acknowledges his actions but now knows he is at the point of no return

Question 11

‘our suffering country

Answer 11

under a hand accursed’ - spoken by Lennox. Scotland suffering due to Macbeth. widespread affect of Macbeth. Or Macbeth’s rule is cursed - foreshadowing