Banquet Scene of Macbeth
Banquet Scene of Macbeth
Banquet Scene of Macbeth
which does not have any significance for Macbeth when sees the ghost re-enter the hall.
From Macbeths confessions it becomes clear that he is afraid of the ghost because it
bears the evidence of his gruesome murder, thereby exposing his hypocrisy and moral
flaw. Macbeth now understands the truth that blood will have blood, that is, murder
begets murder; but he falsely draws the conclusion to his own purpose, that is, further
murders will become necessary to protect his throne. The king of Scotland, however,
talks of the dilemma of ambition, which was typical the Renaissance and is symptomatic
of the modern age: I am in blood Steppd in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go ovr: And herein lies the tragic appeal of the drama to a
modern reader/audience. It is in this scene that Macbeth emerges as a confirmed
murdered with strange thingsin head. In other words, the ghost of Banquo leads
Macbeth unwittingly to his tragic downfall. It is unclear whether Banquos ghost really sits
in Macbeths chair or whether the spirits presence is only a hallucination inspired by
guilt. Macbeth, of course, is thick with supernatural events and characters, so there is no
reason to discount the possibility that a ghost actually stalks the halls. Some of the
apparitions that appear in the play, such as the floating dagger in Act 2, scene 1, and the
unwashable blood that Lady Macbeth perceives on her hands in Act 4, appear to be more
psychological than supernatural in origin, but even this is uncertain. These recurring
apparitions or hallucinations reflect the sense of metaphysical dread that consumes the
royal couple as they feel the fateful force of their deeds coming back to haunt them.
Banquos ghost plays an important and integral role in the development of the tragic
action of the play and in bringing about the nemesis of Macbeth. In fact Shakespeares
world of spirit appears as the physical embodiment of the images conjured up by lively
fancy and the presence of the apparition is felt only by those who have an excitable
imagination. However, the ghost in the Banquet scene of Macbeth is not merely a stage
M device, but an integral part of the tragedy. The ghost in Macbeth can be interpreted
as the subjective projection of Macbeths own troubled sense of morality. The scene
shows the inner cowardice of Macbeth. It also shows the guilt, fear and the corruption
deep within Macbeth. The scene portrays the fears in Macbeth about the consequences
of his sin.
Shakespeare has written a masterful and dramatic scene, where the chaotic ending of
the banquet is in total contrast to its orderly beginning, just as Macbeth is in total
contrast to his former heroic self. The symbolism and irony of the banquet scene is the
essence of the entire play. Macbeth in the beginning of the play had it all. He was a true
man -- a brave warrior who had just won his greatest victory, saved Scotland from ruin,
and was honored by the king. He had much to look forward to, until the three evil witches
planted a seed of greed in his mind. Suddenly, he had thoughts of being more than just
Thane of Cawdor. In weakness, he let his even greedier wife really talk him into murder.
His conscience had warned him against the plot, but he was manipulated by Lady
Macbeth in an unmanly manner to do it anyway. So by appearing like a man in his wife's
eyes, he had, in reality, thrown away his manhood. In this scene, Lady Macbeth is urging
her husband to again become a man, when she had earlier begged him to destroy his
manliness by ignoring his conscience and committing the murder. But his conscience has
now stolen his self-respect, forever. He is a lost soul. His wife cannot save him, as she
tries to do in this scene; he can only save himself. Ironically, he has become too unmanly
to do that, as clearly demonstrated in the banquet scene. As a result, from this point
forward in the play, the audience will watch Macbeth as he totally unravels himself to
ruin.