Macbeth II

"Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep." In the relentless pursuit of his desires, Macbeth unravels into a kind of madness, in which peaceful slumber is impossible, and dreams are tortured. The scene of Banquo's ghost again raises the question: is something supernatural going on? Is Macbeth hallucinating? Dreaming while awake?

Podcast Lecture: The Somniloquy

Reading:

Shakespeare, Macbeth: Acts III-IV

Questions:

1. Why does MacBeth now plot Banquo's murder? Does he have hesitations similar to those he experienced before murdering Duncan?

2. In what ways is MacBeth haunted by the murder of Duncan and Banquo?

3. Only MacBeth can see Banquo's ghost: why? What does Lady MacBeth make of it?

4. What do the three witches reveal to MacBeth at the start of Act IV? How does this feed his ambition and his fear?

5. Why does MacBeth send assassins to kill MacDuff's family? Why is Lady MacDuff cross with her husband?

6. How does Malcolm come to trust MacDuff? What is Malcolm's plan to avenge his father and take back Scotland?

7. What is MacDuff's reaction when he learns the fate of his family?

Activities:

Performance Study-- The Banquet: View how the Royal Shakespeare Co.'s production handles the Banquet scene when Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost (Act. 3, Sc. 3). You can view the clip here. In particular how do Ian McKellen (Macbeth) and Judi Dench (Lady Macbeth) play their respective roles? What do they each think is happening to Macbeth?