“As the weird women promised: and I fear, Thou play’dst most foully for’t; yet it was said. It should not stand in thy posterity,/but that myself should be the root and father/Of many Kings.”
-Banquo, Act 3, Scene 1 These lines are very important to the story of Macbeth, because it shows that Banquo is finally figuring out that Macbeth may have done something terrible to become king. The witches claimed Macbeth would first be Thane of Cawdor, then Thane of Glamis and finally King. He realizes that as soon as the “weird women” told Macbeth he would be King, Macbeth may have taken it too far and cheated the prophecies.
“With bare-fac’d power sweep him from my sight/And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not,/For certain friends that are both his and mine,/Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall/Whom I myself struck down…”
-Macbeth speaking to the Murderers, Act 3, Scene 1 This quote is significant because it shows how Macbeth can have a very dark and malicious disposition. He realizes that Banquo has caught on that he killed the King to fulfill the Witches’ prophecies. He thinks that if he doesn’t get Banquo killed, he will be the one getting killed. Macbeth also knows that if he kills Banquo himself, he will lose his position as King and all of the people who support him.
“Avuant! And quit my sight! Let the earth/hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold;/Thou has no speculation in those eyes/Which thou glare with.”
-Macbeth to Ghost of Banquo, Act 3, Scene 4 This is the part of the play when you can really tell that Macbeth is starting to go insane. He yells at the ghost of Banquo in front of all of his dinner guests, who don’t see Banquo. “And quit my sight!” shows that Macbeth is frightened by the sudden sight of his deceased companion. The cause of his hallucination could be because of a heavy weight of regret on his conscience.
“And that well might advise him to a caution to hold what distance his wisdom can provide. Some holy angel,/Fly to the court of England… Under a hand accurs’d!”
-Lennox, Act 3, Scene 6
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