Macbeth Act 3 Notes

• Banquo thinks that the prophecy about his children sitting on the throne will come true since Macbeth's did
• Macbeth is now King and Lady Macbeth is queen and they invite Banquo to attend a feast they will host that night and he accepts after his ride on his horse in the afternoon
• Macbeth says they should discuss the problem of Malcolm and Donalbain because they fled Scotland and are probably plotting against his crown
• Macbeth says Banquo is the only guy in Scotland he fears because his sons might overthrow Macbeth's family
• Servant comes in with two murderers Macbeth has hired who Banquo did wrong with them in the past so Macbeth asks if they are angry enough to get revenge on Banqou
• Murderers agree to murder Banquo and his son Fleance and to wait in castle for his command
• Lady Macbeth is in despair and has a servant fetch Macbeth
• Macbeth says his mind is "full of scorpions" and killing Duncan is not yet completed because there are still threats that need to be eliminated 
• He has planned "a deed of dreadful note" for Banquo and Fleance and to be very kind to them in the feast so they don't think anything is up
• Banquo and Fleance approach a wooded park on their horses and dismount and light a torch
• The Murderers kill Banquo who dies urging his son to flee and avenge his death and the light gets put out by one of the murderers so Fleance escapes
• Murderers leave Banquo's body to find Macbeth and tell him what happened
• As Macbeth and Lady Macbeth enter for the feast one of the murderers tells him that Banquo is dead but Fleance escaped and Macbeth gets angry "the worm that's fled/ Hath nature that in time will venom breed"
• Macbeth goes to sit at head of the royal table but Banquo's ghost is sitting in his chair and nobody else can see him but he starts to speak to the ghost
• Lady Macbeth says excuse her husband he sometimes has visions so they should just ignore his behavior but then urges Macbeth to snap out of it and questions his manhood 
• The ghost disappears and he tells the company "I have a strange infirmity which is nothing/ To those that know me"
• Macbeth is going to toast but the ghost reappears and he starts freaking out again and Lady Macbeth makes more excuses for him and sends alarmed guests out of the room and the ghost disappears again
• Macbeth says "blood will have blood"
• he tells Lady Macbeth he heard from a servant-spy that Macduff intends to keep away from court behavior that verges on treason and he will visit witches again tomorrow in hopes of learning more about the future and who may be out to plot against him
• Macbeth "I am in blood/ Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er"
• Lady Macbeth says he just needs to go to sleep
• Witches meet with Hecate the goddess of witchcraft
• Hecate scolds them for meddling in business of Macbeth without her consent and says she will take over as supervisor of the mischief and when Macbeth comes the next day they will summon visions and spirits whose messages will fill him with a false sense of security and make him confused
• That night in Scotland Lennox walks with another lord talking about all that has happened
• Banquo's murder blamed on Fleance who has fled
• Both men suspect Macbeth who they call a "tyrant" for the murders of Duncan and Banquo
• Lord says Macduff went to England where he will join Malcolm in pleading with England's King Edward for aid
• News of plots prompted Macbeth to prepare for war
• Lennox and lord hope Malcolm and Macduff will be successful and they save Scotland from Macbeth