A hall in a palace. A banquet prepared.

Enter Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Ross*

*We decided to combine Ross, Lennox, and the Lords into one character. Due to our lack of members, Ross will assume a mass of lords that attend Macbeth’s banquet. Also, since it is nearly impossible to distinguish between Ross and Lennox through dialogue, we will combine them into one character.

MACBETH: (Smiling, joyful.) You know your own degrees; sit down. At first

And last the hearty welcome.

LORDS: Thanks to your Majesty.

(Lords sit at the table.)

MACBETH: Ourself will mingle with society

And play the humble host.

Our hostess keeps her state, but in best time

We will require her welcome. (Nods toward Lady Macbeth.)

LADY MACBETH: (Seated on her throne.) Pronounce it for me, sir, to all our friends,

For my heart speaks they are welcome.

(Enter Murderer to the door.)

MACBETH: (to the Lords.) See, they encounter thee with their hearts' thanks.

Both sides are even; here I'll sit i' the midst.

Be large in mirth; anon we'll drink a measure

The table round. (Approaches the door with an evil grin .Whispers to the Murderer.) There's

blood upon thy face.

MURDERER: 'Tis Banquo's then.

MACBETH: 'Tis better thee without than he within.

Is he dispatch'd?

MURDERER: My lord, his throat is cut; that I did for him.

MACBETH: (Excited.)Thou art the best o' the cut-throats! Yet he's good

That did the like for Fleance. If thou didst it,

Thou art the nonpareil.

MURDERER: (Nervous, stuttering.) But most royal sir,

Fleance is 'scaped.

MACBETH: (Aside. Takes a step forward. Furious) Then comes my fit again. I had else been perfect,

Whole as the marble, founded as the rock,

As broad and general as the casing air;

But now I am cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd, bound in

To saucy doubts and fears.

(Turns to the Murderer.) But Banquo's safe?

MURDERER: (With relief. Nods head eagerly and hastily) Ay, my good lord. Safe in a ditch he bides,

With twenty trenched gashes on his head,

The least a death to nature.

MACBETH: Thanks for that.

(Aside. Takes a step forward. Furious still.) There the grown serpent lies; the worm that's fled

Hath nature that in time will venom breed,

No teeth for the present.

(To the Murderer.) Get thee gone. Tomorrow

We'll hear ourselves again.

(Exit Murderer.Macbeth goes toward Lady Macbeth, muttering.)

LADY MACBETH: (To Macbeth with concern.) My royal lord,

You do not give the cheer. The feast is sold

That is not often vouch'd, while 'tis amaking,

'Tis given with welcome. To feed were best at home;

From thence the sauce to meat is ceremony;

Meeting were bare without it. (Macbeth nods his head in agreement.)

MACBETH: (To the Lords.) Sweet remembrancer!

Now good digestion wait on appetite,

And health on both!

ROSS: May't please your Highness sit.

(The Ghost of Banquo enters and sits in Macbeth's place.)

MACBETH: (Macbeth faces the Lords, his backing to the throne; he does not see the Ghost as it appears on his throne.) Here had we now our country's honor roof'd,

Were the graced person of our Banquo present,

Who may I rather challenge for unkindness

Than pity for mischance!

ROSS: His absence, sir,

Lays blame upon his promise. Please't your Highness

To grace us with your royal company?

MACBETH: (Macbeth looks toward his seat, confused.) My seat is full.

LENNOX: (Directs his hand toward the throne.) There is a place reserved, sir.

MACBETH: Where? (Macbeth looks around, trying to find an unoccupied seat.)

ROSS: (Directs his hand again.) There, my good lord. What is't that moves your Highness?

MACBETH: (Angry.) Which of you have done this?

LORDS: What, my good lord?

MACBETH: (Growing anger.) Thou canst not say I did it; never shake

Thy gory locks at me.

(There is a brief pause. Ross looks to his left and right, nods his head as if he is agreeing with someone, and gets up. He signals the rest of the Lords to get up also.)

ROSS: Gentlemen, rise; his Highness is not well.

LADY MACBETH: (Stands up and speaks with assurance to the Lords.) Sit, worthy friends; my lord is often thus,

And hath been from his youth. Pray you, keep seat.

The fit is momentary; upon a thought

He will again be well. If much you note him,

You shall offend him and extend his passion.

Feed, and regard him not.

(Turns to Macbeth and whispers scornfully.) Are you a man?

MACBETH: (Still furious.) Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that

Which might appal the devil.

LADY MACBETH: (To Macbeth, still whisper scornfully. Macbeth at this point looks at his seat carefully. He then realizes that the ghost of Banquo occupies his throne and he is shocked.) O proper stuff!

This is the very painting of your fear;

This is the air-drawn dagger which you said

Led you to Duncan. O, these flaws and starts,

Impostors to true fear, would well become

A woman's story at a winter's fire,

Authorized by her grandam. Shame itself!

Why do you make such faces? When all's done,

You look but on a stool.

MACBETH: (Aloud. Speaks with disbelief.) 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. (Exit Ghost.)

LADY MACBETH: (To Macbeth, whispering furiously.) What, quite unmann'd in folly?

MACBETH: (Points to his seat.) If I stand here, I saw him.

LADY MACBETH: (Shaking her head.) Fie, for shame!

MACBETH: (Speaks solemnly.) Blood hath been shed ere now, i' the olden time,

Ere humane statute purged the gentle weal;

Ay, and since too, murders have been perform'd

Too terrible for the ear. The time has been,

That, when the brains were out, the man would die,

And there an end; but now they rise again,

With twenty mortal murders on their crowns,

And push us from our stools. This is more strange

Than such a murder is.

LADY MACBETH: (Pleadingly.) My worthy lord,

Your noble friends do lack you.

MACBETH: (Macbeth closes his eyes and nods in agreement with Lady Macbeth.) I do forget.

Do not muse at me, my most worthy friends.

I have a strange infirmity, which is nothing

To those that know me. Come, love and health to all;

Then I'll sit down. Give me some wine, fill full.

I drink to the general joy o' the whole table,

And to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss.

Would he were here! To all and him we thirst,

And all to all.

ROSS: (Raises his hand to Macbeth.) Our duties and the pledge.

(Re-enter Ghost.)

MACBETH: (Frightened, eyes widened.) Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee!

Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold;

Thou hast no speculation in those eyes

Which thou dost glare with.

LADY MACBETH: (Nervous, tries to reassure the Lords but fails.) Think of this, good peers,

But as a thing of custom. 'Tis no other,

Only it spoils the pleasure of the time.

MACBETH: (Frightened, body shaking; stuttering.) What man dare, I dare.

Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,

The arm'd rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger;

Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves

Shall never tremble. Or be alive again,

And dare me to the desert with thy sword.

If trembling I inhabit then, protest me

The baby of a girl. (Closes his eyes and grabs his hair.) Hence, horrible shadow!

Unreal mockery, hence! (Exit Ghost. Macbeth opens his eyes and breathes with relief.)

Why, so, being gone,

I am a man again. Pray you sit still.

LADY MACBETH: (Shaking her head, furious.) You have displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting,

With most admired disorder.

 

Summary

 

This scene starts off at the feast with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the lords. During the feast, a murderer, whom Macbeth hired to kill Banquo comes to tell Macbeth some news. He assures the king that Banquo has been killed, but informs him that Fleance escaped from them. The news worries Macbeth and brings down his mood. Lady Macbeth shows concern for him. Macbeth agrees to be in a better mood for the sake of being a host to the guests. He later gets angry when he sees Banquo's figure sitting in his throne, taking it as a cruel joke someone has played. The lords believe he is not well, but Lady Macbeth reassures them that everything is alright, and that his reaction is due to a childhood illness. She scolds him discretely challenging his manhood once again. Macbeth is desperately trying to convince her that there really is something there, but then it disappears. Lady Macbeth pleads with him to stop the act and he agrees to calm down, again for the sake of the guests. The ghost of Banquo enters again, but this time Macbeth is frightened and shaking. Lady Macbeth nervously tries to assure the guests once again that its a childhood illness that drives him to act that way. The ghost disappears, and Macbeth finally calms down. Lady Macbeth scolds him once again for acting up and ruining their feast.

This scene is important because it follows the scene where Macbeth decides himself that he is going to have someone murdered to keep his power. You see here that Macbeth had the guts to have someone killed, yet his guilt still keeps him from enjoying his power. You can also see that people around him are starting to notice that he is changing.

 

Character Analysis

 

Macbeth:

·                    Physical: There is no physical description of any of the characters, so their physical analyses are merely the way we imagine them to be. I imagine Macbeth to have short, but longer than short curly, brown hair, under a crown of course. Thick, but not bushy eyebrows, powerful black eyes with an intimidating glare. Broad shoulders, slim built figure.

·                    Psychological: In general, Macbeth is a brave warrior driven to commit many murders because of ambition and greed. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth seems more loyal, honest and conscientious. As the story unfolds, however, we see another side of him. He kills or sends someone to kill anyone who is of any threat to him. He becomes pretty cold-blooded. In this particular scene, we catch a glimpse of the Macbeth who murdered Duncan, guilty and paranoid. Macbeth has just gotten word that Banquo was successfully murdered, Fleance got away. By Macbeth's dramatic and scared reactions to the ghost of Banquo, we see he is guilty, and we rediscover Macbeth's conscience, which seemed to have been buried in ambition.

 

Lady Macbeth

·                    Physical: Long, straight, black hair, pale skin, big, round, dark eyes and an evil smirk. Small figure, but not small enough to look frail.

·                    Psychological: The Lady Macbeth of the opening acts is the Macbeth of the last couple of acts. At first, she is evil and authoritative. She seemed to be "the man of the house". It was Lady Macbeth who pushed her husband to commit his first murder, killing Duncan and kicking of what could be called a killing spree. Who would have thought she would later feel so guilty about the murder that it would lead her to lose her sanity and take her life. In Scene III of Act IV, Lady Macbeth is still alright though. She's trying to calm her husband, she's not aware of the ghost's presence. We still see her authority as she challenges Macbeth's manhood because of his strange behavior.

 

Ghost of Banquo

·                    Physical: It is a ghost, so it's obviously going to be a glowing, spiritual-like version of Banquo, whom I imagine to be a man of good height, not too tall though. Built figure, black choppy hair, a reassuring glare.

·                    Psychological: The ghost of Banquo is like the personification of Macbeth's guilt and fear. It is Banquo's ghost that hides Macbeth because Banquo is the opposite of Macbeth. The paths Banquo and Macbeth took are reversible, for they were both prophesized to ascend. However, Banquo chose not to go the way Macbeth did.

 

Ross

·                    Physical: Short, dark, straight hair, an empty look, not much too it. Tall and slim.

·                    Psychological: We don't know much about Ross except he's a nobleman. He is loyal to Macbeth because he is his king, and he is a loyal subject. In this act, Ross reassures Macbeth of his seat at the table, frightened that he may not be well.

 

Tone of the Scene

 

In the beginning of Act III Scene IV, the tone of the scene is very joyful and pleasant. Macbeth has invited all the lords to dine with him and celebrate his coming to the throne. The banquet is essentially the high point in Macbeth’s rule over Scotland. However, once Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo sitting in his seat, the scene goes downhill from here. The tone becomes dramatic; Macbeth’s wild behavior puzzles and disturbs the lords, causing them to believe that Macbeth is mentally ill. Lady Macbeth tries to explain her husband’s hallucinations but she is ineffective. Lady Macbeth’s criticism of Macbeth to become more of a man shows her strength and determination to hide the truth from the lords. Macbeth continues on with his visions, speaking loudly with exclamation. Macbeth even refers to himself at one point in his dialogue and admits that he has committed murder: “Blood hath been shed ere now, i’ the olden time…” Macbeth acts this way because he feels guilt and remorse for the murders he has committed.

 

Description of the Setting

 

Setting: Banquet hall in the palace. The hall should be big, we should have a chandelier, it is the castle, and fine china. Dim lighting, but brighter than darker. One long table: Macbeth at the head, Lady Macbeth to his left, and the lords surrounding.

 

Music: In the background of the banquet, we should have a soft, melodious instrumental. When murderer walks in, the music continues, but when Macbeth gets word that Fleance has escaped, the melody goes faster, and there is a tense beat. In the presence of the ghost, the music should be a mysterious melody that only the audience and Macbeth know of, not the guests at the banquet. During Macbeth's fits, the music is faster.

 

Sound effects: Whenever the ghost moves, there should be a swoosh sound, when he disappears, the music slows down.

 

Costumes:

 

·                    Macbeth: Big, gold, jeweled crown. Long, gold capes, lined with red. Gold vest, red embroidery, black silky short pants, gold tights.

 

·                    Lady Macbeth: Silver, floor-length A-line gown. long, white cape. Tiara.

 

·                    Ghost of Banquo: projector effect.

 

·                    Ross: Short brown cape, frilly white shirt, short pants, tights. One of those little hats.

 

·                    Murderer: Mysterious, short black cape. Off-white frilly shirt, a little stained with blood. Short black pants, sandals.

 

Images:

·                    On the page after.

 

Credits

 

Paulina Robledo

·                    Character analysis

·                    Drawing of the set

·                    Description of the setting and costumes

·                    Neatness/organization/evidence of proofreading

 

Rowena Peralta

·                    List of unfamiliar words, phrases or lines

·                    Summary of scene and its importance

·                    List of “who did what”

 

Jose Rodriguez

·                    Cover page

·                    Paraphrase in modern English of the scene

·                    Neatness/organization/evidence of proofreading

 

Steven Weng

·                    Typed copy of the script with notes

·                    Tone of the scene

·                    Assembly of the promptbook