Scene One:
Banquo enters the palace at Forres, and he is alone. He speaks to himself as if he is speaking to Macbeth when he says that Macbeth has gathered all the titles that the weird sisters foretold he would. He was the lord of Glamis, became the lord of Cawdor, and then king--fulfilling the witches' predictions. Banquo, however, suspects that Macbeth pushed the prophecy to fruition through foul play. But Banquo also remembers that the witches predicted that it would be Banquo's line that would succeed Macbeth on the Scottish throne.
In the midst of these murmurings Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the lords and attendants of the court all enter. Macbeth invites Banquo to attend a dinner banquet in the evening as an honored guest. The king and Lady Macbeth make a big production of their fondness for Banquo and the importance that he attend the evening feast. Banquo has business to take care of in another town so he must leave, but he gives Macbeth his word that he will arrive back at the palace in time for the dinner. Just before Banquo leaves Macbeth tells him that Duncan's sons Malcolm and Donalbain have been in England and Ireland "not confessing / Their cruel parricide, filling their hearers / With strange invention."
Banquo exits and Macbeth sends the other court attendants and lords to amuse themselves for the afternoon until dinner. Everyone except Macbeth and an attendant exit the stage. Macbeth asks the attendant if the men he sent for have arrived and are willing to do what he asks. The attendant, sure that these murderers will follow the king's orders, goes to fetch the murderers who are waiting outside the palace.
While the attendant is gone, Macbeth spouts off about the danger that Banquo poses to Macbeth's position as king. Macbeth also remembers the witches' prophecy that Banquo's line would rule Scotland after Macbeth, and so Macbeth knows that in order to prevent such a thing, he must destroy Banquo and his son, Fleance. Macbeth believes that Banquo has a royal and commanding air about him that threatens Macbeth more than the fear of murdering Banquo. To prevent Duncan's murder being wasted on Banquo's line, Macbeth knows that he must kill the lord and his son. That is why he has called upon the murderers who wait outside the palace.
The attendant brings in the two murderers. The king speaks with them recapping a conversation they had the day before about Banquo. Macbeth has convinced these beggars turned murderers that Banquo is responsible for their ill fortune. Macbeth goads them into a rage that demands Banquo's death and the death of his son, Fleance, to satisfy their vengeance. Macbeth tells the murderers that Banquo is also his own enemy. He explains that he wishes to see Banquo destroyed but cannot do so himself because of mutual, powerful friends who would be upset to see Banquo killed. Therefore, Macbeth entreats the murderers to kill Banquo, their enemy as well as his, but to keep it under wraps that the king wanted Banquo dead. The murderers agree to lie in wait for Banquo and Fleance as they come back to the palace that night for the dinner that Macbeth has insisted that they attend. The trap is set.
Scene Two:
Lady Macbeth enters asking if Banquo has left the palace yet. Learning that Banquo is gone but will return again tonight, Lady Macbeth sends the servant to tell her husband that she wishes to speak with him in private. The servant goes to bring the king to his wife. Lady Macbeth feels that if her husband does not enjoy his royalty, then all of their deceit and treachery has been for nothing. If he does not seem happy, it would have been better if they had not killed the king to take his throne in the first place.
When Macbeth enters the room, she asks him why he is still thinking about Duncan when nothing can be done to revive the murdered king. "Things without all remedy / Should be without regard: what's done is done." Macbeth responds that they have not yet finished securing his throne and they are not yet safe. He says that Duncan lying quiet in his grave has it better than Macbeth who lives in fear and guilt after murdering the king. Lady Macbeth asks him to at least fake cheerfulness at dinner that night so that his guests will feel at ease and suspect nothing. He promises his wife that he will pretend to be happy and at ease and tells her to play up to Banquo and to speak well of him so that no one will suspect the malice that both Macbeth and his lady feel toward him. Macbeth's only comfort is that Banquo and Fleance can be killed. He warns Lady Macbeth that before the night is over another terrible deed will be done, but he does not tell her of his conspiracy to kill Banquo and his son. Night begins to fall around the castle.
Scene Three:
The murderers wait in a park near the palace and a third joins them at Macbeth's order. As they wait, horses approach. They hear Banquo call for a light and then he and Fleance approach with a torch. The murderers leap from their hiding places and attack Banquo, but Fleance escapes. The murderers cannot find Fleance because the torch has been extinguished in the struggle. One of the murderers goes to the palace to tell Macbeth that Banquo is dead, but his son has escaped.
- Meanwhile, back at the dinner party, the Macbeths make a big show of welcoming their guests.
- The first murderer enters as everyone is being seated. Macbeth darts off to see the first murderer, who informs him that they've slit Banquo's throat, but that Fleance has escaped.
- Ooh. Not good. Macbeth is pretty sure that this is really going to tick Fleance off.
- And now the fun begins: Banquo's ghost shows up. Because the ghost is silent, he gets to creep around quite a bit before anyone notices.
- While everyone is busy not noticing, Macbeth raises a toast and calls special attention to Banquo's absence as unkindness or mischance on Banquo's part.
- This is particularly hilarious given the presence of…Banquo's ghost.
- Again Macbeth is invited to sit, and in the spot they've reserved for him sits…Banquo's ghost. Naturally, - -- Macbeth goes into a fit, and the lords all take notice, while Lady Macbeth excuses him for these "momentary" fits he has had since childhood.
- She urges them to keep eating, and then corners Macbeth, who is still hysterical.
- Lady Macbeth asks if Macbeth is a man, because he's not acting like one so much as he is acting like a sissy. Lady Macbeth dismisses the vision as a painting of his own fear.
- Meanwhile, Macbeth is discoursing with the ghost that only he sees, and it disappears.
- Everything is just getting back to normal when the ghost reappears. Again Macbeth calls out a toast to the missing Banquo (he's just asking for it now) and noting the ghost, screams out at him that if he appeared in any other form, Macbeth's nerves would not tremble.
- After some challenging along this line, it's pretty clear the party's over, and though Macbeth tries to recover, he scolds everyone else for seeming to be so calm in the face of such a horrible sight.
- Lady Macbeth tells the now very worried lords to leave immediately, and as they exit, Macbeth philosophizes that blood will have blood.
- Morning is now approaching, and Macbeth points out that Macduff never showed at the party. - He lets out that he has had a spy in Macduff's house. He promises to go to the witches the next day, and announces that he's in so deep a river of blood, it would be as hard to go back as to cross.
- Lady Macbeth suggests that maybe he just needs a good night's sleep, and so they go off to bed. Sweet dreams, you crazy kids!
Scene Five:
- The witches again meet at an open place, this time with Hecate, the goddess of witches, who lays into the weird sisters in a lengthy, rhyming speech that sounds a bit like a nursery rhyme.
- She's super irritated that they were meddling in the affairs of Macbeth without consulting her first, as she could've done a better job. Also, she points out, Macbeth isn't devoted to them, but to his own ends.
- But, FINE, Hecate will clean up this mess. She tells them to all meet in the morning, when Macbeth will come to know his destiny, whatever that means.
- Then there's a catchy witch song and dance, and everyone exits after Hecate.
- FYI: Some literary critics believe that these scene is way too hokey to be Shakespeare's work, so it must have been added to the play some time between the time the play was first written (1606) and its publication in the first folio (1623), which was after Shakespeare's death (1616). A fellow playwright, Thomas Middleton, may have written the snazzy songs in this scene.
Scene Six:
- Meanwhile, elsewhere in Scotland:
- The nobleman Lennox discusses Scotland's plight with another lord. Isn't it weird that Duncan was murdered, that his run-away sons were blamed, that Banquo has now been murdered, that hisrun-away son (Fleance) is being blamed, and that everyone has a major case of déjà vu. Plus, the murders of Banquo and Duncan were too conveniently grieved by Macbeth, who had the most to gain from the deaths.
- They call Macbeth a "tyrant," and then note that Macduff has joined Malcolm in England.
- Malcolm and Macduff are doing a pretty good job of convincing the oh-so gracious and "pious" King Edward of England, along with some English noblemen, to help them in the fight against Macbeth, the tyrant.
- FYI: Shakespeare's giving England and King Edward the Confessor (1042-1066) some serious props here.
- The other noblemen pray that Malcolm and Macduff might be successful and restore some order to the kingdom, even though news of the planned rebellion has reached Macbeth and he's preparing for war.
- Sorry to say, it's not looking too good for Macbeth at this point.
Sources:
http://www.shmoop.com/macbeth/act-3-scene-6-summary.html
http://www.bookrags.com/notes/mac/PART14.html
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