Macbeth’s second murder is his best friend, Banquo. This, according to Sheweta Bali “makes Macbeth lose his foothold on reality and falls into a void. This is when he first exhibits a conscience and some empathy but instigated by ‘possessed’. After his murder Macbeth “betrays signs of insanity not only through his actions but also his thoughts” and “Macbeth’s insecurity focuses no longer on the proud aspiration for kingly greatness but on envious rivalry with his antithetical friend Banquo. Macbeth is shown his madness to others around him when he sees the ghost of Banquo at the feast when he says “Prithee, see there! Behold! Look! Lo! How say you? Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too. If charnel houses and our graves must send Those that we bury back, our monuments Shall be the maws of kites.” When Macbeth says “Methought I heard a voice cry ‘sleep no more!
In the play Macbeth, Macbeth and Banquo are good friends, and even after hearing the prophecy told by the Three Witches, they only laugh and joke about their individual prophecies. It is only after Macbeth kills Duncan that the thought of having to kill Banquo in order to secure his place and his bloodline on the throne ever crosses his mind. After killing Duncan, Macbeth was initially struck by grief and remorse, but when it came to killing Banquo, Macbeth had shown no real signs of guilt for it (there is even speculation that the third, secret hitman was actually Macbeth himself!). After killing Banquo, Macbeth had visions of Banquo as a ghost, but no real signs of grief as he had with Duncan. He seems more troubled over the fact that the murderers he had hired hadn’t been able to kill Banquo’s son, Fleance.
There is much speculation as to who the third murderer is who assisted in the slaying of Banquo. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and one of the Weird sisters are a few of the best candidates as to filling this role. Each of these three main characters has their own motive as to why they would want to join in on the assassination. Out of these three possibilities of filling this third murderer's role, all have reasons as to why they could or could not fill the position.
Guilt surrounds Macbeth for the second time when he sends out the murderers to kill Banquo, his old friend. Macbeth had no other choice but to get rid of Banquo. Banquo had witnessed the three witches and the prophecies. One prophecy was that his son would become king one day "To make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings"(Act3 scene1 line70). In order for Macbeth to be safe is to kill Banquo. Banquo may assume what had happened and tell the people of Scotland. "For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; for them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; Put rancors in the vessel of my peace only for them, and mine eternal jewel".
In Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, the third murderers identity is unknown and it is never revealed at the end of the play. But there are some clues throughout the story that suggests Lady Macbeth could be the unknown third murderer. Lady Macbeth could be the third murderer in Macbeth because she shows signs of wanting to be like a man, she is the one that influenced Macbeth to kill Duncan, and because she shows signs of extreme guilt later in the story. With these three pieces of evidence, Lady Macbeth is shown to be the third murderer in Macbeth.
Following this murder, Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost at the banquet. He is filled with feelings of regret and, as a result of his troubled mind, sees Banquo's ghost.
After Duncan’s death, Macbeth feels that Banquo is suspicious of him because he knows about the prophecy. With the goal of eliminating a possible threat, Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. Macbeth convinces the murderers that he is not only their enemy but, “so is he mine; and in such bloody distance/ that every minute of his being thrusts/ against my near’st of life,” (III.i.119-121). Here Macbeth explains that Banquo is also his enemy, and that every minute Banquo is alive, is a threat to his own life. While Banquo may be suspicious, this is far from the truth. Banquo is Macbeth’s closest friend, and his willingness to kill him without hesitation shows how much he has changed. He is willing to harm not only his best friend, but also Banquo’s innocent son who may pose a threat in the distant future. Macbeth’s instinct for self-preservation outweighs his morals, and his extreme caution leads to the downfall of others. In doing so, he digs himself into an even deeper hole, and is surrounding himself in secrets in order to protect himself. This takes a toll on Macbeth mentally, because he fears that everyone is his enemy, and that he can only trust
Shakespeare's play Macbeth incorporates many elements of mystery. In particular, the mystery surrounding the identity of the Third Murderer in (III, iii, 79), which oddly enough has thirty-three lines in it, is a topic of debate in many conversations about Macbeth. The focus of this paper is on the identity of the Third Murderer and the facts and restrictions on the people suspected. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Ross, and the Weird Sisters all have surfaced as the most prominent choices for the true identity of the anonymous Third Murderer.
Macbeth feeling this way convinces a pair of men to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. By having Banquo and Fleance murdered, Macbeth believes that it will prevent Banquo's sons from becoming king. Macbeth also hires the murderers to kill Macduff's family. This demonstrates Macbeth's obsession because it indicates that Macbeth values his power over his friends. His obsession with power causes Macbeth to feel guilty and lose his sanity. Macbeth's guilt and loss of sanity is indicated in the hallucinations he experiences. His first hallucination occurs just before killing King Duncan. Macbeth sees "A dagger of the mind, a false creation" (act II, scene I, line 38).
In Act III, Scene I, Macbeth hires a pair of murders to kill his great companion. The witches supernatural force can be seen again influencing Macbeth 's decision to murder Banquo because his death ensures that the prophecy protected. Even though he is not a direct threat to Macbeth’s crown, the prediction that Banquo’s descendants will be kings is(Shakespeare 1.3. 67). Macbeth feels he has no other choice than to kill because of what the witches predicted in Act I. After the murderers have slaughtered Banquo, Macbeth invites an abundance of people over to partake in ceremonial banquet. As Macbeth is searching for a seat at the table he was greeted by horrific sight of a man drenched in blood. This appearance of Banquo’s ghost is a form a supernatural force because only Macbeth is able to see the apparition. It influences him to act like a mad man in front of his dinner guest and question his sense of reality. This questioning of reality can be seen when Macbeth begins to address Banquo’s ghost in front of the surrounding crowd, “Prithee, see there! Behold! Look! Lo! How say you? Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too. If charnel houses and our graves must send those that we bury back, our monuments shall be the maws of kites.” (Shakespeare 3.4. 67-72). It is important that Banquo’s ghost presents itself during the ceremonial banquet because it allows
William Shakespeare differentiated Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's reactions towards the murder of Duncan in the tragic play Macbeth. The plotting of the homicide, the actual assassination, and the actions after the slaughter demonstrate these responses due to the murder. First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; then, his host, / .../ Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan/ Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/ So clear in his great office, that his virtues/ Will plead like angels," This quote from Macbeth's soliloquy explains his relationship with Duncan, and how he has no reason for killing the king. He understands his plan will eventually backfire. At the time of the murder, the quotes "Is this a dagger which I see before me / The handle toward my hand?", and "Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep" represents Macbeth's guilty conscience beginning to deteriorate inside. The floating dagger Macbeth sees before the murder illustrates Macbeth's disturbed mind. The voices he hears exhibits his suspicion that the sleepers see him listening to their shrieks of fear. Macbeth cries, "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No. This my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one red.", while washing his hands. This shows that Macbeth's paranoia overwhelms him when the blood seems permanently stained on his hands. Macbeth believes there is enough of Duncan's blood on his hands to make the seas red. On the other hand, King Duncan's assassination effects Lady Macbeth in a different manner. Lady Macbeth exclaims "That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here/.../ Make thick my blood; / Stop up the access and passage to remorse," when she learns of Duncan's stay. At first Lady Macbeth calls upon the spirits to "unsex" her, making her susceptible to murder. She wishes not to have female emotions that will cause her to fault the murder. The quote "Had he not resembled/ My father as he slept, I had done't.", exhibits Lady Macbeth's reason for not committing the murder herself. If Duncan had not looked like her father as he slept, Lady Macbeth would commit the murder. Next Lady Macbeth hears an owl, an omen of death, scream, which startles her after the murder is committed.
Macbeth’s provocative or violent actions on the challenges placed before him cause him to build an effect of downfall and dismay throughout the play. Originally, Macbeth handles his challenges in different ways and manners and is constantly changing his procedure. From handling situations carefully to not caring, Macbeth and his violence resulted in guilt and selfishness which he had to overcome. By the end of the play, Macbeth had become a selfish, greedy king and the challenges as well as experiences he encountered shaped him into who he is. He was shaped by the guilt of killing Banquo and Duncan, just to become powerful and a king. For example, in Act 3 Scene 4, Macbeth faces adversity when his mind creates a ghost of Banquo, who he just found out was killed. In Macbeth, the uprising of adversity was often handled in various manners. By dealing with his own challenges, Macbeth transforms his handling of adversity from being cautious to thoughtless, which reflected his character and the transformation he portrayed throughout the
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth is a five-act drama that shows a clear example of how pride, greed, and power can alter a man's actions and personality. The taste of power blinds the story's main character, Macbeth. Sparked by Lady Macbeth, he becomes heartless and cruel as he kills anyone who is a threat to his power due to his paranoia of losing the throne. This fear ironically leads to his downfall and loss of the throne. The theme of the story is deceit and evil and how they affect a man's decisions. Critics pose interesting views concerning the identity and significance of the mysterious third murderer.
Macbeth is a true Shakespearian tragedy, in which mast murders take place, in order for one man and women to take the throne and become king and queen. It starts with Duncan’s murder, which is done because Macbeth did not want to see Duncan’s son next in line for the throne and the only way to prevent that was by eliminating Duncan. The nest murder was that of Banquo. Banquo is a friend of Macbeth and his murder is un-predictable. Macbeth may have feared that if he did not kill Banquo, Banquo would kill him in order to gain a position power seeing that the witch’s just informed both Macbeth and Banquo that Macbeth will be the next King of Scotland and Banquo will never have the chance to hold the throne. Once Banquo is out of the way, Macbeth turns his attention to his real target, King MaCduff. Although at first hesitant about killing MaCduff, Macbeth chooses to murder MaCduff, a man who Macbeth himself said was a good man and a fine leader. The last murder is of MaCduff’s family. Macbeth can not take any chances and must kill any associated with the former king (King MaCduff). The murder of MaCduff’s wife and son is the most vicious crime of them all because for one we see the killing on stage and number two a child is murdered, the most vicious and horrific thing one can show. Macbeth murders for personal gain and has no regrets or else he would not have continued his mass slaughtering. Macbeth is responsible for these murders because he commits them himself, without any assistance, he kills everyone out of necessity, and because all these acts were done out of free will.
A combination of Macbeth’s ambition and paranoia lead to many senseless murders. He killed his best friend Banquo out of fear and he senselessly murdered Macduff’s family. The hallucination of Banquo’s ghost is a representation of Macbeth 's guilt, all of Macbeth’s guilt is manifested in the ghost. Macbeth states that he feels guilty because of the murders. “Ay, and since too, murders have been performed Too terrible for the ear.” (III, iv, 80-81) Seeing the ghost of Banquo is the breaking point for Macbeth. The ghost also causes him to think more irrationally which leads to the murder of Macduff. Also, after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is full of regret and guilt. The voices he hears reflect his mental state. “Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!” (II, ii, 35) His innocence was killed and he knows that he has to live with this guilt for the rest of his life, hence Macbeth will never sleep peacefully ever again. After each successive murder, Macbeth becomes more and more inhumane. “I am in blood Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o 'er.” (III, iv, 143-145) Macbeth claims that after committing a murder, there is no turning back. He killed his best friend due to his ambition and fear. The third murder was outright moralless and unnecessary, he compulsively killed Macduff’s wife and children. Macbeth shows no remorse in his murders, he becomes an absolute monster towards the end of the play. As Macbeth loses his human morales, hallucinations appear to remind him of the sins he
Because of the witch's predictions and his impatience, MacBeth kills in order to get what he expects is coming to him. When Banquo takes time to contemplate what has been going on, he turns his. thoughts to MacBeth. He expresses his feelings about the situation in Act II. Scene 1 Banqou feels that MacBeth might have something to do with the murders. but he never stands up for his thoughts or listens to his conscience until MacBeth comes to him one day. When MacBeth asks to talk privately to Banquo.