In this scene, the people who are supposed to be loyal to Macbeth are planning to rebel on Macbeth’s leadership. Lennox and another Lord even say that with Macbeth rolling the country, everything is out of the natural order. Lennox said that he heard that Malcom is trying to secure help to overthrow Macbeth in England. They therefore are planning to send their prayers to Malcom declaring their support, and they are trying to get the King of England help them overthrow the king of Scotland (Macbeth). All the people that Macbeth is supposed to trust are planning to over throw him.

LORD

     The son of Duncan—

From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth—

Lives in the English court and is received

Of the most pious Edward with such grace

That the malevolence of fortune nothing

Takes from his high respect. Thither Macduff

Is gone to pray the holy king upon his aid

To wake Northumberland and warlike Siward,

That by the help of these—with Him above

To ratify the work—we may again

Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights,

Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives,

Do faithful homage and receive free honors.

All which we pine for now. And this report

Hath so exasperated the king that he

Prepares for some attempt of war.

LENNOX

     And that well might

Advise him to a caution, t’ hold what distance

His wisdom can provide. Some holy angel

Fly to the court of England and unfold

His message ere he come, that a swift blessing

May soon return to this our suffering country

Under a hand accursed!

In this scene, a new character is introduced to the play. Hecate, the head of the witches, tells the witches off because they did not involve (him or her) in the matter of ruining Macbeth’s life. He then says that all of those spells that the witches have been doing are not as effective as what he is going to do (Hecate is planning something).

HECATE

Have I not reason, beldams as you are?

Saucy and overbold, how did you dare

To trade and traffic with Macbeth

In riddles and affairs of death,

And I, the mistress of your charms,

The close contriver of all harms,

Was never called to bear my part,

Or show the glory of our art?

And, which is worse, all you have done

Hath been but for a wayward son,

Spiteful and wrathful, who, as others do,

Loves for his own ends, not for you.

But make amends now. Get you gone,

And at the pit of Acheron

Meet me i’ th’ morning. Thither he

Will come to know his destiny.

Your vessels and your spells provide,

Your charms and everything beside.

I am for the air. This night I’ll spend

Unto a dismal and a fatal end.

Great business must be wrought ere noon.

Upon the corner of the moon

There hangs a vap’rous drop profound.

I’ll catch it ere it come to ground.

And that distilled by magic sleights

Shall raise such artificial sprites

As by the strength of their illusion

Shall draw him on to his confusion.

He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear

His hopes ‘bove wisdom, grace, and fear.

And you all know, security

Is mortals’ chiefest enemy.

Music and a song within: ‘Come away, come away,’

                                                                             &c

Hark! I am called. My little spirit, see,

Sits in a foggy cloud and stays for me.

Macbeth is feeling to unsafe and is starting to see stuff where ever he is. Macbeth even start seeing ghosts next to people, and by seeing them, he nearly says all the evil things that he has done. Characters think he is getting crazy. Macbeth not just thinks that, he thinks he has scorpions in his head.

MACBETH

Oh, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!

Thou know’st that Banquo, and his Fleance, lives.

MACBETH

So is he mine; and in such bloody distance

That every minute of his being thrusts

Against my near’st of life. And though I could

With barefaced 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

Who I myself struck down. And thence it is,

That I to your assistance do make love,

Masking the business from the common eye

For sundry weighty reasons.

LADY MACBETH

     What’s to be done?

MACBETH

Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,

Till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night,

Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day

And with thy bloody and invisible hand

Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond

Which keeps me pale. Light thickens, and the crow

Makes wing to th’ rooky wood.

Good things of day begin to droop and drowse;

Whiles night’s black agents to their preys do rouse.

Thou marvel’st at my words: but hold thee still.

Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.

So, prithee, go with me.

MACBETH

(to GHOST) Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake

Thy gory locks at me.

The murderers go to Macbeth’s castle and inform him that they killed Banquo, however they did not kill Fleance. Macbeth then says that Fleance is fearless to him but there will be a time where he will need to kill him.

	MACBETH 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 cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in To saucy doubts and fears.—But Banquo’s safe? FIRST MURDERER Ay, my good lord. Safe in a ditch he bides, With twenty trenchèd gashes on his head, The least a death to nature. MACBETH      Thanks for that. There the grown serpent lies. The worm that’s fled Hath nature that in time will venom breed; No teeth for th’ present. Get thee gone. Tomorrow We’ll hear ourselves again.

The Macbeth crowning party starts and Macbeth acted as if he is angry that Banquo did not come, pointing that he is being rude.

MACBETH

Here had we now our country’s honor roofed,

Were the graced person of our Banquo present,

Who may I rather challenge for unkindness

Than pity for mischance.

LADY MACBETH

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. (aside to MACBETH) Are you a man?

In this scene, we see that Macbeth has sent another murderer to make sure the killing is done. The murderers do kill Banquo, however, Fleance manages to escape. Banquo asks Fleance to avenge his death.

BANQUO

O treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!

Thou may ’st revenge —O slave!

                                   BANQUO dies. Exit FLEANCE

THIRD MURDERER

Who did strike out the light?

FIRSTMURDERER

     Was ’t not the way?

THIRD MURDERER

There’s but one down. The son is fled.

SECOND MURDERER

We have lost best half of our affair.

FIRST MURDERER

Well, let’s away and say how much is done.

                                                                      Exeunt

 

In this scene, Lady Macbeth finally feels a bit of guilt and is finally being moral.

LADY MACBETH

If you get what you want and you’re still not happy, you’ve spent everything and gained nothing. It’s better to be the person who gets murdered than to be the killer and be tormented with anxiety.

MACBETH

Oh, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!

Thou know’st that Banquo, and his Fleance, lives.

Banquo starts the scene with reminding the audience that the witches prophecies have become true, and that he hopes that his sons become kings as well. Banquo then starts to play  the role of being a flower on the top and a serpent underneath. Banquo is going in a horse ride with his son Fleance. Then Macbeth then tries to to persuade the murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, however, by doing that he is persuading himself to accept what he is doing more then the act of persuasion to the murderers  themselves.

MACBETH

The deal is closed. Banquo, if your soul is going to make it to heaven, tonight’s the night.

MACBETH

Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.

By Sinel’s death I know I am thane of Glamis.

But how of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor lives,

A prosperous gentleman, and to be king

Stands not within the prospect of belief,

No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence

You owe this strange intelligence, or why

Upon this blasted heath you stop our way

With such prophetic greeting. Speak, I charge you.

MACBETH

Your children shall be kings.

BANQUO

     You shall be king.

Macduff and Ross are showing the audiance that everyone suspects that Duncan’s sons have killed there father (the King). That is what Macduff and Ross think about the escape of the sons of Duncan to Ireland and England.

MACDUFF

     They were suborned.

Malcolm and Donalbain, the king’s two sons,

Are stol’n away and fled, which puts upon them

Suspicion of the deed.

The porter delays the opening of the gate after hearing the knocks. (which was really entertaining to the audience). It turned out to be Macduff. Macduff talks to Macbeth about all the terrible things that occurred in nature that night. Macduff finds out about the death of the King. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do hide the involvement of them in that crime.

Lady Macbeth:

Woe, alas! What, in our house

…

Macbeth:

Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had lived a blessèd time, for from this instant there’s nothing serious in mortality. All is but toys. Renown and grace is dead. The wine of life is drawn, and the mere Lees is left this vault to brag of.

Duncan’s sons are travelling to England and Ireland, because they think that they are next in the list of killing.

Shakespeare does this brilliant technique of entertaining, which is to switch between comedy and drama so that there is not that killing involved and so that the act of killing will be interesting.