Macbeth Act 3 Summarised Flashcards
Macbeth now has everything the witches promised him.
“Thou hast it now, King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, as the weird women promis’d.”
Banquo says if the prophecies have come true for Macbeth, they might be true for me as well.
“Why by the verities on thee made good, may they not be my oracles as well and set me up in hope?”
Macbeth says that Malcolm and Donalbain are in hiding. They are not admitting that they have killed their father but instead are making up stories about what happened.
“We hear our bloody cousins are bestow’d in England and in Ireland, not confessing their cruel parricide, filling their hearers with strange invention.”
Macbeth feels as if it means nothing to be King as he is now but he must be secure in this role.
“To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus.”
Macbeth is afraid of Banquo and the fear is deeply rooted due to his knowledge of the witch’s prophecies.
“Our fears in Banquo stick deep.”
Tonight, Banquo will find out whether he’s going to heaven or hell. (Euphamism for him dying)
“Banquo, thy soul’s flight, if it find heaven, must find it out tonight.”
Macbeth’s mind is in a trantrum as he exclaims it to his wife.
“O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”
Macbeth says it’s better Lady Macbeth know nothing about what he’s doing, darling, until it’s done.
“Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed.”
Banquo commands his son to flee to seek vengance of this plot which had killed Banquo.
“Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge - O slave!”
Despite Banquo’s death, Macbeth still worries of Fleance’s revenge to which Macbeth will be slaughtered.
“There the grown serpent lies; the worm that’s fled hath nature that in time will venom breed, no teeth for th’present.”
Macbeth believes he’s too deep in murders that it’s too much of a hassle to atone his sins.
“I am in blood stepp’d in so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.”
