Acts 2-3: Banquo's Ghost & Paranoia
The Aftermath of Duncan's Murder (Act 2, Scenes 3–4)
The morning after Duncan's murder, the Porter's comic scene provides a brief moment of comic relief, but it also deepens the play's themes. The Porter imagines himself as a gatekeeper of Hell: 'Who's there, i' the name of Beelzebub?' This metaphor suggests that Macbeth's castle has literally become Hell through the act of regicide. His reference to an 'equivocator' links to Father Henry Garnet and the Gunpowder Plot, while also echoing the witches' deceptive prophecies.
When Duncan's body is discovered, Macbeth kills the two guards he framed, claiming he acted in a fury of loyalty. Lady Macbeth faints — either genuinely overwhelmed or strategically diverting attention from her husband's suspicious behaviour. Malcolm and Donalbain, Duncan's sons, flee to England and Ireland respectively, recognising 'there's daggers in men's smiles.' Their flight makes them look guilty and clears Macbeth's path to the throne.
After becoming king, Macbeth's paranoia immediately turns to Banquo. In Act 3, Scene 1, he identifies two threats: the witches prophesied that Banquo's descendants would be kings, and Banquo possesses a 'royalty of nature' and 'dauntless temper' that make him dangerous. Macbeth has murdered Duncan to create a 'fruitless crown' — one that will pass not to his own children but to Banquo's line.
Macbeth's Soliloquy and the Murder of Banquo (Act 3, Scenes 1–3)
Macbeth's soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1 marks a crucial shift. Unlike Duncan's murder, which required Lady Macbeth's persuasion, Macbeth plans Banquo's assassination alone. He tells the murderers that Banquo is their enemy, manipulating them just as Lady Macbeth once manipulated him. Note this structural parallel — Macbeth has now become the manipulator rather than the manipulated.
He also reveals a new motivation: 'To be thus is nothing, / But to be safely thus.' Having the crown is meaningless without security. This shift from ambition to paranoia drives the rest of the play. Macbeth no longer kills to gain power — he kills to keep it.
Three murderers attack Banquo and his son Fleance in Act 3, Scene 3. Banquo is killed, but Fleance escapes into the darkness. This is dramatically significant: the witches' prophecy that Banquo's descendants will be kings remains possible. For Macbeth, Fleance's escape is catastrophic. The first murderer reports: 'Fleance is 'scaped.' Macbeth's response — 'Then comes my fit again' — reveals that his brief sense of security has been shattered. The metaphor of a 'fit' suggests his mental state is deteriorating into something like illness.
Shakespeare uses Fleance's escape to reinforce the idea that Macbeth cannot defeat fate. Despite all his violence, the prophecy remains intact. This connects to a central debate for the OCR exam: to what extent is Macbeth a victim of fate or a maker of his own destruction?
The Banquet Scene (Act 3, Scene 4)
The banquet scene is one of the play's most dramatic moments. Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost sitting in his place at the table. No other character can see it. Macbeth's reaction is violent and public: 'Thou canst not say I did it: never shake / Thy gory locks at me.' This outburst in front of the Scottish nobles exposes his guilt and destabilises his authority. The ghost's silence is more powerful than speech — it forces Macbeth to condemn himself through his own words.
Lady Macbeth tries to manage the situation, telling the nobles 'My lord is often thus, / And hath been from his youth.' She echoes her earlier role as the composed partner, but her control is weakening. She challenges Macbeth privately: 'Are you a man?' — the same attack on his masculinity she used before Duncan's murder. But this time, Macbeth is beyond her influence. The ghost returns a second time, and Macbeth's terror is even more extreme: 'Avaunt! and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee!'
Like the dagger, Banquo's ghost is ambiguous. It may be a genuine supernatural visitation (consistent with the witches' power) or a psychological manifestation of Macbeth's guilt. Either reading works for the OCR exam — what matters is the dramatic effect. The ghost occupies Macbeth's seat, symbolically suggesting that Banquo (or his line) will take the throne. Macbeth's inability to sit at his own banquet mirrors his inability to hold power securely.
After the guests leave, Macbeth makes a chilling declaration: 'I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er.' The metaphor of wading through a river of blood suggests he has passed the point of no return. He cannot undo what he has done; his only option is to continue killing. This marks his transformation from a reluctant murderer to a committed tyrant.
The banquet scene is the play's turning point. Macbeth's public outburst destroys his image as a legitimate king, Lady Macbeth's control over him fails, and his 'stepped in blood' metaphor shows he has committed fully to tyranny. After this scene, the Macbeths never share a private moment again.