- What aspects/components of Macbeth's character are getting him deeper and deeper into trouble in this Act?
- Banquo has a firm conviction that Macbeth killed the king; what can he do? In other words what are his options?
Due Wednesday, September 16.
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The aspects of Macbeth's character that are getting him deeper into trouble are his fear, his ruthlessness, his ambition, and weakness. His fear of being found out lead to his ruthless act of having Banquo killed. This not only represents his ruthlessness but his ambition. When Macbeth hears Banquo saying that his prophecy may come true, "Thou hast it now:...But hush no more." (IIIi1-10) Macbeth fears the loss of his position and hires people to murder both Banquo and his son. Macbeth becomes weak in this act because he can no longer do the act himself. Unlike Duncan's murder, Macbeth does not want to be the one who kills Banquo.
Because Banquo knows the prophecy given to Macbeth he has a strong belief that Macbeth killed Duncan. Banquo's options are telling someone of what had happened, blackmailing Macbeth, or leaving the country. Although Banquo has these options he seems oblivious to the situation and loyal to Macbeth even though he knows that Macbeth killed out of ambition for the throne.
Macbeth is basically a man who is really power hungry. Although at first he was hesitant to doing something bad, (like killing Duncan). However, once he actually did it, he actually committed a crime, a murder, he feels powerful. Also, his insecurity is key to bringing him into deeper trouble in this act. He was afraid that Banquo knew that he killed the king, and that he would do something to turn him in. This is why he sent two murderers to kill both Banquo and his son.He used to be a man of honor, and now he keeps on getting himself into more trouble, and his greed for power replaces his one crucial good quality: Loyalty. He lies to the murderers and turns against his best friend: "Both of you know Banquo was your enemy" (III, i, 113-114). He went from doing one wrong (killing) to continuously doing more wrong things, as if he is completely controlled by a power-hungry monster.
I think that Banquo had limited options. He could have turned him in, which would really get him killed more quickly. He could have also stayed quiet, and just keep out of Macbeth's way. He now knew that he couldn't trust Macbeth, that he wasn't as honorable and loyal as people perceived him to be. I think one of his better choices would be to take himself, his wife and his son and flee, just like Malcom and Donalbain did, and just as Macduff did. This way, he could make sure that Macbeth wouldn't be able to reach his son (Banquo's son was a threat to his power, since he was prophesized to be king by the three weird sisters). Then he could have come up with something, some plan, along with the other noblemen who fleed, to control Macbeth.
The traits/components that are leading Macbeth to his downfall are his ambition, insecurity and fear. Macbeth lives in constant fear of losing his throne to Banquo’s son. He feels really insecure and is not comfortable with only being a king; he wants to make sure he will stay there and that his throne isn’t just a “fruitless crown”(III,I,62). Banquo is the only person apart from Macbeth and his wife who knows about the prophecy, so Macbeth fears that Banquo might take his thrown away, and if that happens, then the prophecy would end with Banquo’s son being king. Therefore, his ambition drives him to hiring murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance to avoid further complications. However, the murderers only manage to kill Banquo since Fleance manages to escape. This troubles Macbeth’s plans completely, and it gets him deeper into trouble as his throne is more and more threatened by the omens and prophecies of the witches.
In Act III Macbeth starts changing. When he kills Duncan in Act II a little thorn was planted inside him. That thorn begins to grow when he becomes king and he starts to get more sinister and evil. He no longer wants Lady Macbeth to be involved in his affairs because he knows what he is conspiring is far too atrocious that its best if no one knows. This is why he conspires by himself to kill Banquo. The planning of Banquo's death is one of the aspects that reveal the inner turmoil and is what will get him in trouble. He is engulfed by the thought that he is king that he is going to go into a mass killing spree and this is his major flaw. In order to keep his power he must kill Banquo and Fleance which are a part of the Witches' prophecy but not only them he must kill Macduff who already suspects he is Duncan's murderer. These problems with he must deal will lead him to grave trouble in the future because he is only thinking of his well-being. "Both of you know Banquo is your enemy (III,ii,113-114)." Macbeth says this to the murders to give them a reason to kill Banquo. He not only pays them to kill him but he says Banquo is the reason they were imprisoned and tortured. He starts blaming and making false statements of other Lords to make the murderers hate them. This is another reason for which he will pay in the future.
In Act I when Banquo and Macbeth encounter the three witches. Banquo hears the prophecy clearly therefore it is only logical for him to suspect that Macbeth might have something to do with the king's murder. He must believe this because the prophecy came true.
Macbeth's character is evolving thoughout the novel, especially in Act III. In this act his overambition, insecurity, and his paranoia. He wants all the power for himself and is fearful of being caught, enough that he is willing to kill anyone who might stand in his way (even if that might not happen for a long time).
Banquo had only one of three choices: confront Macbeth, keep out of his way, or flee. Any of them would have gotten him killed evntually so in reality Banquo had no chance to escape, just some time to dwell on his decision before dying.
copecMacbeth becomes weak in character because of his ambition, fear of failing, and insecurity. He is afraid of losing the crown, and would do anything to avoid this situation. I feel that when Macbeth succeeded in killing Duncan, he gained a boost in his self esteem/ spirit, because he felt capable and powerful. This lead him to the murder of Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth had three men in charged of making Banquo and his son pass away, and these men were very well chosen, since Macbeth told them"Both of you know Banquo was your enemy" (III, i, 113-114).
Banquo does not have many options as to what to do with his suspicions that Macbeth had something to do with Duncan's murder. He can either turn Macbeth in, which could be fatal for him, or keep quiet and live with the truth of the assassination. Banquo thinks Macbeth has something to do because he heard the prophecy too.
Macbeth's success in killing Duncan gave Macbeth confidence. By killing the king, Macbeth has acquired deeper ambition and greed as well as fear. In addition, Macbeth became more violent to the point that the roles of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth switched. Macbeth was now more ambitions and ruthless even to a point of committing several murders as well as hiring murderers to do the job. On the contrary Lady Macbeth begins to despair; "tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy" (III,ii,6~7). In scene one of act three, Macbeth has a long soliloquy where he states how he fears Banquo since he was there when the prophecy was told. In addition, Macbeth hates being "a fruitless crown, and put a barren sceptre" (III,i, 60) since he will have no heir. And if the prophecy were to be true, Macbeth thinks that he went through all the trouble eliminating Duncan for the good of Banquo's children to be kings. Macbeth becomes jealous thus he plans to murder Banquo and Fleance to change the fate.
Banquo has an odd feeling that Macbeth had killed the king since Banquo was a witness when the prophecy was told and due to the fact that things are changing rapidly in favor towards Macbeth. Banquo has very few options in his hand. He can flee with his family and live quietly, hide somewhere safe with his son while things get settled, hire secret spies near Macbeth, tell people about the prophecy, or move out to another country. In brief, Banquo had limited yet crucial options.
The main components that get Macbeth deeper into trouble are his guilt, his fear, and his insecurity. This ends up being a chain because every aspect is produced by another. His insecurity produces his fear while his insecurity itself is produced by his guilt. He is haunted by the fact that he murdered Duncan with no morality and full of ambition. This action reflects the fulfillment of the first part of the witches' prophecy which leads to insecurity about his own power and his fear of the second part of the prophecy. This leads him to hire the murderers to kill Banquo and to make sure that the prophecy doesn't come true, he also orders them to murder Fleance, but Fleance escapes. After this action Macbeth's insecurity grows because, as he says, the murderers “scorched the snake, not killed it” (III.ii.15), so he is also aware of the thin line in which he is hanging.
Banquo had several options when he was almost sure that Macbeth killed Duncan. He can blackmail Macbeth into giving him power and more authority, or being honest and telling someone else, and also fleeing from Macbeth because he knows about the profecy too and would probably want to stop it by killing Banquo.
Macbeth's insecurity and newfound egotism are heading him for doom. He knows that he did not get his eminent positions in a fair way (actually the first one was fair- it was just macabre) so he thinks he will lose them if he doesn't do "the deed". He is insecure because of the wierd sister's prophecies. Duncan's murder was very much planned by Lady Macbeth (meaning they were equal-both on the same page and level). Once Macbeth starts pushing her out of it, "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuk, till though applaud the deed" (III,ii, 44-46), he becomes enthralled in his killing for power and obfuscates the truth for the eyes of his dear Lady. Since he is alone in this, there is no one to stop him or make him rethink his murdering, to stop him from taking it too far as if the first 3 murders were not far enough).
Banquo sadly had only two choices: to tell or keep quiet. If he told, either Macbeth would have been killed for murder or Macbeth would have him killed (or both). Also, he could tell and leave the country- but his future still lay in the bloody hands of Macbeth (whether he remained alive or not he would still know it was him who ratted him out- ady Macbeth could have seeked revenge too). If he had just kept it to himself, Macbeth would still have had his suspicions and either blackmailed him or killed him (as he did).
When we were presented with Macbeth, we were introduced to a character with great courage, honor, and trustworthiness, but since the prophecy was told to him by the three witches the tendency has been that the values he used to have been degrading at an alarming pace. One characteristic that has no been lost form the old Macbeth are his insecurities like when he hesitated the murder of King Duncan, he wasn’t sure about if it was right, but this time around it has acquired a tinge of wickedness since now he is afraid to loose this crown to Banquo’s only descendant Fleance “Our fears in Banquo
Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be fear'd: 'tis much he dares; And, to that dauntless temper of his mind, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear: and, under him,
My Genius is rebuked; as, it is said, Mark Antony's was by Caesar”(I.ii.51-59), so he orders their murders. This great fear has taken him to the pint of hiding it form his wife because he knows she has the power to stop him. Ultimately his desire to keep the crown is what leads to his doom.
Apart from Macbeth Banquo was the other guy who actually heard the prophecy of the three witches, since he didn’t kil the king he has a strong feeling that Macbeth might be the perpetrator since the only way the crown wouldn’t go ho its rightful successor (the sons of the king) is by the act of murder. His options were limited by the prophecy and Macbeth current reputation with the other thanes. After the victory against Norway Macbeth won the nobles respect, honor and trust so the idea of him telling the others would be overruled immediately simply by the fact that the thanes trust Macbeth and owe him their freedom and would see banquo as a jealous dishonorable man . Banquo could no trust Macbeth since he and his son were mentioned in the prophecy so if Macbeth was capable of murdering the king why not him. Basically his only option in order to sta alive was to run away but that would raise suspicions , since he might be thought as the murderer. In the Banquo was against the wall with no escape.
The same prophesy dictated in the beginning of thenovel by the three whiches is the thread that ties together the entire plot of the play. This prophesy is what guides Macbeths entire attitude and actions and ultimately defined his character. In the third act Macbeths uncointrolled hunger for ambition drowns him deeper in the darkness of his inner conflicts. This is the point where he becomes controlled by his desires instead of having his former summision that allowed some sympathy in him. This concern is also evident in Lady Macbeth as she says:
''Tis safer to be that which we destroy Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy (IIIii 8-9).'' Through this line the reader understands that Lady Macbeth is well aware of the ambition that is destroying her husband and absorbing him into a blood thirsty ambiance. Ultimately we can see that the single most important aspect that leads Macbeth into this new form is the prophesy which inspires fear in him and makes him act towards his one benefit only.
Macbeth, although once honest and loyal, is now becoming a power hungry tyrant. He is determined to keep his place on the throne and feels absolutely no remorse for those who get/have gotten in his way. The fact that he hired murderers to take out his best friend Banquo has shown how much he has fallen. Even worse is how he is annoyed that he might have just helped Banquo’s descendants by killing Duncan. Death used to elicit guilt from him, and now it has changed to annoyance. He is willing to do anything to make sure he becomes more than a "a fruitless crown, and put a barren scepter" (III,I,6)
Banquo could’ve indulged in a myriad of actions once e was suspicious that Macbeth killed the king. He could’ve fled in a manner similar to Macduff and incited a rebellion. Or he could’ve confronted him directly as a friend. Or he could’ve killed Macbeth in his sleep like Macbeth did to Duncan. However, his decision to not commit any of the actions above just shows how loyal Banquo is to his King and friend. He was willing to give Macbeth the benefit of the doubt, and Macbeth killed him for it.
When we first see macbeth we can see a powerful yet in a way a not a completly couragous man, if wasn't for Lady Macbeth Macbeth would not have been able to kill Duncan and therefore unable to get his crown. the problem is that now that he has his nerve and does not need Lady Macbeth's aprooval in everything he is more dangerous and more likly to get into trouble
"Both of you
Know Banquo was your enemy." (Act iii scene I) with ordering men against Banquo the only other person who knows the other side of the prophecy is readonable to belive Macbeth killed Duncan and if he can kill Duncan why not Banquo to and why not Fleance the true threat to MAcbeths power. Banquo is left with no option but to hope his son can find his place in the prophesy as the next king.
Macbeth has grown into a sort of Gollum from the Lord of the Rings-his "precious" crown must stay in his head at any cost. this even includes murdering Banquo and his son Fleance-who have demonstrated nothing but loyalty towards king Macbeth, later on. Macbeth is rash-he kills without thinking and doesnt consult his wife-his conscience and hallucinations allow us to see that there is a part of Macbeth that regrets having to resort to killing, but there is still a larger one that engulfs his common sense and fills him up with a survival instinct. the thing is that Macbeth is not fighting off predators-he is getting rid of them before they become a threat to him; he feels his mind is “full of scorpions” (III.ii.37) of which he needs to get rid off-by killing. Consulting lady macbeth on the killings is now unthinkable-there is no going back. macbeth has to be bloody and bold in order to keep his crown and the fact is that he seems to be assimilating the situation and growing more at ease with it.
Banquo has been since act I macbeth's closest friend and confidante. they have a common experience with the withces and this allows Banquo to predict that Macbeth killed Duncan. He thinks its fishy that the guards were immediately killed before being questioned and that Macbeth was the one who killed them. Realistically, Banquo cannot escape from Macbeth or from his rath. he knows that Macbeth thinks he's a threat to his crown because the withces foretold that he'd be father to kings. if he leaves Scotland, he will be a coward and will leave no inheritance or honor to his children. that is if he can escape before Macbeth finds out-because as we learned earlier Macbeth has a spy in every Thane's household except in Macduff's.
The major aspect that is getting Macbeth into trouble is his ambition; he is not satisfied with the death of Duncan, he wants more. The only planned murder was Duncan’s, but as the tragedy progresses he kills (or gets killed) the guards, banquo, Fleance (who escapes), and Macduff’s family. Murdering is like telling lies once you make a little one it gets bigger and bigger and soon he’s killing everyone. Macbeth is not satisfied, he wants to be as safe as possible and he wants to eliminate all his possible destroyers, even if it means killing his “best friend”. “We have scorched the snake not killed it.” (I ii 13) “There the grown serpent lies; the worm that’s fled.” (III iv 29-30) Instead of reducing his possible enemies he is making more by killing so much people.
Just by being there when the witches told the prediction, Banquo is a possible danger, and will be surely removed. Banquo has no other choice than escaping, because Macbeth will not leave a possible danger alive he would rather eliminate his doubts. Banquo can tell or not what he knows, but this will make no difference to Macbeth, who will try to remove him before he does this. So really Banquo can only run for his life and look for back up with Malcolm. Banquo knows that he must keep quiet (to stay alive on the short run) and escape (to stay alive for the long run). "But hush,no more" (III i 10)
Macbeth's ambition is what is really getting him into so much trouble. He is hesitant of the first murder, but when he sees how successful it was, he does not have any fear of committing any other murders. As the act develops he has become more and more evil, murdering anyone who is in the way of him keeping his crown. I believe he also knows that what he is doing is wrong, because in the beginning he was partner with Lady Macbeth, but now he does not include her. This is also because of his power for ambition. Macbeth also says "We have scorched the snake, not killed it” (III. ii. 15). This demonstrates how he will not be satisfied until everyone that is a threat to him is dead. In the end, it is his desire of power that leads him to his death.
Banquo is the only person apart from Macbeth that knows about the prophecy of the three witches. He knows that the only way for Macbeth to become king would be if Duncan was murdered and so it happened. He knows it was not himself who killed the king, which leaves only Macbeth. There are not many paths that Banquo can follow in order to solve this. Macbeth is a respected man among the nobles due to his standing during the war. He was also Thane of Cawdor and Glamis. Because of Macbeth’s reputation and standing as new king, Banquo cannot simply accuse him of murder. I think that he has no choice in this matter. There is nothing that Banquo can do without raising any suspicions. He knows that he is in danger and so are all his offspring because they were mentioned in the prophecy. He could also run away like Malcom and Donalbaim, but Macbeth would be suspicious that he knew. Banquo has no choice, but to stay and confront Macbeth himself if the chance arises. He still is loyal to Macbeth, despite the fact that he is in danger of him.
Two traits that led to Macbeth's downfall are his hesitation and his fear. Before killing the king, Macbeth was never really sure whether he would be denounced or if this act would catch up with him later. Without Lady Macbeth, he does not have the courage to expose his power and waits for her commands to act. His fear in losing the throne also has a negative effect on his power. Knowing that Banquo is the only one to know about the witches' prophecy, "Thou hast it now:..hush no more" (III, i, 2-10) Macbeth decides to kill his best friend in order to avoid any suspicion. Once again, his fear and hesitation lead him into committing crime.
Banquo is in an unusual situation. Knowing that his best friend killed the King to obtain power, he has several options. Denouncing him is possibly the least effective one since he could get himself killed. Keeping the secret to himself is also poorly efficient since he can no longer trust Macbeth and feel safe. The best option that Banquo has is to flee the country, taking his son with him. This way, Macbeth would not be able to reach him nor his son and although he would have left behind a criminal, his family would be safe.
Macbeth ambition grows through his fear. It all started when he killed the two guards, instead of just killing Duncan. Now he is prepared to kill Banquo out of the same fear, because he knows the prophecy told by the 3 witches. Because he doesn't want to look guilty of killing Banquo he grows despair, the reason why he decide to betray his most loyal friend, secretly. I think that he's fear of death, is the reason why he's started to become more bloody, although this may be obvious its ironic how he results to this in causing his fear, rather than avoid it. Power turn Macbeth into a bloodbath.
Banquo knows, and he does not have many option is either to rat out Macbeth or, run away from the country, and because of his loyalty, he looses his ability to ponder the situation. He is stalled in a dark position, that he did not want in the first place. And because of this he is unable to make a decision, so he is just indifferent, even though he might have an idea that death is coming his way.
In this act Macbeth become really skeptical about his deed and thinks everyone is out to get him. For he doesn’t know whether he can enjoy his crown as of this moment, he feels as though there are still things to be taken care of. Following the prophecy Macbeth is threatened by Banquo, for he knows that his children will become king rather than one of his own. He feels as though he has done Banquo a favor and he feels scared as to how Banquo’s children will become kings after him. This fills him with insecurity and he feels as though he cannot enjoy the fact that he is king just yet, before this threat is taken care of. “For them the gracious Duncan I have murdered; Put rancors in the vessels of my peace only for them, and mine eternal jewels given to the common enemy oh man to make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings!” (III, I, 66-70) You can tell that Macbeth is not too happy about Banquo’s children becoming kings instead of one of his own. So Macbeth tries to defy the prophecy by hitting his lowest point in his search for power, where he sends two murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. This truly shows how power hungry Macbeth is, on pure speculation and prevention of what he thinks is true he acts upon this and sends to kill the man who stayed so loyal to him. “Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, as the weird women promised, and I fear thou play’dst most foully for’t.” Banquo is clearly aware of Macbeths acts or at least has reason to believe the wrongful deeds that have happened in that castle are due to Macbeth following the prophecy. Banquo can turn in Macbeth, or follow the prophecy himself, along with Macbeth. He could tell Macbeth that the prophecy has to be fulfilled, and thus he shall be father to a line of kings as well. He could also kill Macbeth and do as Macbeth has done with Duncan in order to place Fleance in the crown. However I believe Banquo keeps quiet because he too wishes the prophecy came true with him; however Macbeth does not allow this of course. Before this was possible power hungry Macbeth has Banquo killed in an attempt to defy the prophecy and keep the crown.
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