The main internal conflict going on in Act 3 is centered around Macbeth. He is losing his mind over the path he has taken trying to fight his fate and remain in a position of power. He starts thinking that he killed Duncan for no reason because the three witches told him that none of his children would rule, instead that Banquo's children would be the ones reigning after him. If he can not escape this fate, then he feels as if he killed Duncan and his best friend Banquo for no reason. He visibly starts losing it in front of his peers at the dinner party when he thinks he sees Banquo's ghost and everyone starts becoming suspcious after his outburst. Lady Macbeth tries to dismiss his fit, but as Macbeth falls apart more and more each day, it gets harder and harder to cover it up.
Good Picture. I feel it does represent what is happening to Macbeth. At the banquet is Macbeth's high point as ruler. He slowly starts to decline afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure exactly what you mean that Macbeth feels he killed Duncan for no reason. In my opinion, he is going crazy because he is not a cruel or harsh person, and murder is forcing him to radically alter his views, in order to be able to rationalize what he is doing. I can see that he might feel that Duncan and Banquo's deaths were pointless during his final weeks as king, but at this point I doubt he feels this way.
ReplyDelete