Banquo's Ghost & Paranoia
Macbeth as King — A Tyrant Emerges
By Act 3, Macbeth has achieved the crown, but the prophecy haunts him. The witches told Banquo that his descendants would be kings — “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” — and Macbeth cannot rest while Banquo lives. In his soliloquy at the start of Act 3, Scene 1, Macbeth reveals his fear: “To be thus is nothing, / But to be safely thus.” Being king means nothing if his position is not secure. The repetition of ‘thus’ emphasises his obsessive anxiety.
Where Macbeth once agonised over killing Duncan — debating morality in a lengthy soliloquy — he now arranges Banquo’s murder with cold efficiency. He hires two murderers (later three) and instructs them to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. This marks a critical shift: Macbeth no longer needs Lady Macbeth’s manipulation. He has become a self-sustaining tyrant, driven by paranoia rather than ambition.
Macbeth’s decision to kill Banquo without consulting Lady Macbeth shows a fundamental shift in their relationship. He tells her to “be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck” — the diminutive ‘chuck’ is patronising, and the secrecy reverses their earlier dynamic where she was the planner.
The Banquet Scene (Act 3, Scene 4)
The banquet scene is one of the most dramatic moments in the play. Macbeth hosts a formal feast — a symbol of order, hospitality, and legitimate kingship. The banquet should demonstrate that Macbeth is a stable, legitimate ruler. Instead, it becomes the scene of his public unravelling.
When the murderer arrives to report Banquo’s death (but Fleance’s escape), Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in his chair. No other character can see the ghost. Macbeth cries out: “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake / Thy gory locks at me.” The word ‘gory’ creates a visceral image of the bloodied Banquo, while ‘never shake thy gory locks’ suggests the ghost is accusatory and terrifying.
Like the dagger, Banquo’s ghost is deliberately ambiguous. A Jacobean audience may have accepted the ghost as a genuine supernatural visitation — a form of divine punishment for murder. A modern audience might interpret it as a psychological projection of Macbeth’s guilt. Both readings are valid for the exam. What matters is that the ghost completely destroys Macbeth’s public performance as a stable king. The banquet, which should project order, descends into chaos.
Shakespeare may have staged the ghost as visible to the audience but not to the other characters, creating a shared experience of horror between Macbeth and the viewers while highlighting his isolation from his court.
Lady Macbeth’s Damage Control
Lady Macbeth desperately tries to manage the situation. She tells the guests that Macbeth’s outburst is merely “a thing of custom” — that he has always had these fits. She pulls Macbeth aside and uses the same tactic as Act 1, Scene 7, attacking his masculinity: “Are you a man?” and “What, quite unmanned in folly?” The repetition of questions about his manhood echoes her earlier manipulation, but this time it fails. Macbeth is beyond her control.
This scene marks the beginning of Lady Macbeth’s decline. She can no longer influence her husband, and the partnership that drove the murder is fracturing. She is reduced to making excuses while Macbeth spirals publicly. The power shift in their relationship is now complete: Macbeth no longer needs her, and she is left isolated and powerless.
The banquet is a symbol of order and legitimate rule. Its collapse mirrors the collapse of Macbeth’s kingship. Shakespeare shows that a throne built on murder cannot sustain even the appearance of stability.
“I Am in Blood Stepped in So Far”
After the banquet, Macbeth delivers a chilling assessment of his situation: “I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” The image of wading through a river of blood captures his moral position perfectly. He is so deep in murder that turning back is no longer possible — the only option is to continue. The word ‘tedious’ is particularly striking: returning to goodness is not described as difficult or terrifying, but as boring. Macbeth has become desensitised to evil.
This metaphor marks the point of no return. From here, Macbeth’s violence escalates dramatically. He decides to visit the witches again and declares: “For mine own good, / All causes shall give way.” Personal survival has replaced all moral considerations. The man who agonised over killing Duncan in Act 1 is now a tyrant who will kill anyone who threatens his power.
The murderers kill Banquo but Fleance escapes into the darkness. This is structurally crucial: the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s descendants will be kings remains intact. Macbeth’s attempt to override fate by killing Banquo’s line has failed. Shakespeare reinforces the idea that mortal violence cannot defeat supernatural prophecy — Macbeth is trapped by the very forces he tried to exploit.
For a Jacobean audience, Fleance’s survival was also politically significant. King James I claimed descent from Banquo through the Stuart line. Fleance’s escape therefore points towards the eventual triumph of the rightful royal bloodline — a clear compliment to Shakespeare’s patron.