Page 80 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama

Notes Scene 6

Lennox and another lord discuss politics. Lennox comments sarcastically on the recent deaths of
Duncan and Banquo. He suggests that it seems implausible for Malcolm and Donalbain to be inhuman
enough to kill their father. Moreover, Macbeth’s slaying of the bodyguards seemed very convenient,
since they probably would have denied killing Duncan. Lennox proposes that if Malcolm, Donalbain,
and Fleance were in Macbeth’s prison, they would also probably be dead now. He also reveals that
since Macduff did not attend Macbeth’s feast, he has been denounced. The lord with whom Lennox
speaks comments that Macduff has joined Malcolm at the English court. The two men have apparently
asked Siward to lead an army against Macbeth. Lennox and the lord send their prayers to Macduff
and Malcolm.

5.3.2 Analysis
The “is a man” theme recurs in Macbeth’s address to the murderers. When Macbeth demands whether
the murderers have the courage to kill Banquo, they answer “we are men, my liege”. But their
answer does not satisfy Macbeth, who berates them as less-than-exemplary examples of men.
Macbeth thus uses very much the same goading tactics his wife used in compelling him to kill
Duncan. But what does it mean, exactly, to “be a man”? Both Macbeth and his Lady seem to have a
clear idea of properly masculine actions. In Act 1, Lady Macbeth suggests that masculinity is largely
a question of ruthlessness: one must be willing to “das[h] the brains out” of one’s own baby. She
claims that she herself is less “full o’ th’ milk of human kindness” than Macbeth—that is, more
capable of casting away the last shreds of compassion, tenderness, loyalty, and guilt.
Lady Macbeth is not the only character that values ruthlessness as a masculine trait. Duncan, too,
evaluates heroic action on a rather gory scale. When the captain describes how Macbeth “unseamed
[Macdonald] from the nave to th’ chops” with “his brandished steet/Which smoked of bloody
execution,” Duncan responds with high praise: “O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman”! A “real man”
in Macbeth, then, is one who is capable of copious bloodshed without remorse. The catch, of course,
is that the bloodshed must be justified. Whereas Macbeth needs no reason to slay Macdonald in
battle per se, the two murderers require the justification that Banquo is an evil man.
As for the terms of murder, Macbeth warns the murderers to kill Fleance and thus “leave no rubs
nor botches in the work”. Macbeth “require[s] a clearness”—that is, a clearance from suspicion but
also a mental and physical cleanliness. The theme of stains and washing runs throughout the play.
From Macbeth’s cry about all “great Neptune’s ocean” in Act 2, to his instructions to the murderers
in Act 3, to Lady Macbeth’s famous “Out, damned spot” speech in Act 5, the Macbeths are haunted
by the idea that they will be forever stained. Even when Macbeth has Banquo killed at a safe distance
from himself, the spilled blood still returns to haunt Macbeth. When the murderer shows up to
report his success, Macbeth observes: “There’s blood upon thy face”. The blood itself serves a sign
and reminder of the Macbeths’ culpability—ultimately driving Lady Macbeth mad.
Banquo’s murder itself makes use of a common theme in Shakespeare’s plays: the contrast between
light and dark. While the murderers wait for Banquo and Fleance to approach, one of them observes
that the sun is setting. This is no coincidence: Banquo serves as a bright contrast to the dark night
that accompanies Macbeth’s rise to power. He is a man who does not allow his ambitions to eclipse
his conscience. At the moment that he dies, therefore, it is appropriate for the last remnant of sunlight
to fade away. Such symbolism is reinforced by the fact that Banquo and Fleance approach the
murderers carrying a torch. The torchlight is the first thing that the murderers see: “a light, a light”
notes the second murderer. And after the deed is finished, the third murderer asks: “who did strike
out the light?”. At the same moment that the good and kind Banquo dies, the light is extinguished.
Another aspect of Banquo’s murder has intrigued generations of scholars: who is the third murderer?
Some believe that it is Lady Macbeth, who expressed curiosity about Macbeth’s plans in Scene 2.

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