March 05-Macbeth, Act 3, Scenes 3-6

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• English
• Secondary Education

Macbeth, Act 3, Scenes 3 to 6

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Summarize Act 3, Scenes 3-6 accurately.

• Analyze how Macbeth’s character changes after becoming king.

• Identify key vocabulary and explain its meaning in context.

• Explain how Shakespeare develops the themes of power, paranoia, and isolation

Scene 3 - The Murder Setup

Scene 3: A dark road near the palace

Three murderers wait. It's dark. They hear horses.

First Murderer: "Hark! I hear horses."

Banquo (approaching): "Give us the light there. Who's there?"

Scene 3 - The Attack

Activity Type: Text + Fill in the Blanks

Text Displayed (with blanks):

Banquo: "It will be rain tonight."

First Murderer: "Let it come down!"

(The murderers attack)

Banquo: "O, treachery! Fly, good __________, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge. O slave!"

Fill in the blank: Banquo: "O, treachery! Fly, good __________, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge. O slave!"

First Murderer: "We have lost best half of our affair."

What does this mean?

Banquo is dead, but Fleance escaped. How will Macbeth react?

1

😨 PANIC — the prophecy can still come true

2

😤 RAGE — he'll send more killers

3

😌 RELIEF — at least Banquo is gone

4

🤷 MIXED — half good, half bad

What do you think the word banquet means?

How would you feel if you were a guest at this banquet? One sentence:

While everyone is eating, one of the murderers appears at the door. Macbeth goes to speak with him privately.

Macbeth: "There's blood on your face."

Murderer: "Then Banquo's blood is on it."

Macbeth: "Is he dead?"

Murderer: "His throat is cut. But..."

Macbeth: "But what?"

Murderer: "Fleance escaped."

How does Macbeth react to Fleance's escape?

A

Great, let's celebrate

B

I'll try again tomorrow

C

Then my mind is still trapped in fear

D

No problem, who cares

The Ghost Appears

Macbeth returns to the banquet table. He raises a glass:

Macbeth: "I drink to the general joy of the whole table, and to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss. Would he were here!"

Problem: Banquo IS here. As a ghost. Sitting in Macbeth's chair.

Macbeth (freaking out): "Which of you have done this? Thou canst not say I did it! Never shake thy gory locks at me!"

Translation: "Stop shaking your bloody hair at me!"

What does Macbeth see at the banquet table?

Lady Macbeth Covers

The guests are confused. They don't see the ghost. They just see their king screaming at an empty chair.

Lady Macbeth (whispering to Macbeth): "Are you a man? You're looking at nothing! This is just your fear!"

To the guests (lying): "Please ignore my husband. He has fits since childhood. The vision will pass. Don't stare at him."

😰 What She FEELS Inside

😌 What She SHOWS the guests

What is Lady Macbeth feeling vs. What is she showing?

Who is Hecate? Why is Hecate angry with the witches?

Fill in the blanks

Act 3, Scene 5 – Hecate’s Anger

Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, scolds the three witches for interfering in Macbeth’s life without her permission. She plans to trick Macbeth by giving him visions that will make him feel overconfident. Her plan is to lead Macbeth to his destruction.

witchcraft

permission

trick

destruction

Who appears in Act 3, Scene 5?

A

B. Malcolm

B

A. Duncan

C

C. Hecate

D

D. Macduff

Why is Hecate angry?

A

B. Macbeth disobeyed them

B

C. Banquo escaped

C

D. The prophecy failed

D

A. The witches helped Macbeth without her

What does Hecate plan to do?

A

D. Leave Scotland

B

C. Help Banquo’s son

C

A. Kill Macbeth

D

B. Confuse and trick Macbeth

What will make Macbeth careless?

A

C. Overconfidence

B

A. Fear

C

D. Revenge

D

B. Power

What is Hecate the goddess of?

A

A. War

B

B. Magic and witchcraft

C

D. Wisdom

D

C. Nature

Characters to remember:

Lennox: A Scottish nobleman (lord). In this scene, he begins to suspect Macbeth of murder.

Another Lord: An unnamed Scottish noble who shares news about Macduff and Malcolm and also doubts Macbeth.

Macbeth: the King of Scotland, who gained the throne after killing King Duncan.

Banquo: A nobleman and former friend of Macbeth. Macbeth had him murdered because of the witches’ prophecy.

Fleance: Banquo’s son, who escaped the murderers. The witches said his descendants would become kings.

Macduff: A Scottish nobleman who does not trust Macbeth. He has gone to England to seek help against Macbeth.

Malcolm: The son of King Duncan and the rightful heir to the throne. He is in England gathering support.

King Edward (Edward the Confessor): The King of England, known as a good and holy ruler. He is helping Malcolm and Macduff.

Fill in the blanks

Lennox and another lord discuss recent events in Scotland. They speak sarcastically about Macbeth, suggesting they suspect him of killing Duncan and Banquo. They mention that Macduff has gone to England to seek help from King Edward and Malcolm (Duncan’s son) to overthrow Macbeth. This shows that opposition to Macbeth is beginning to grow.

sarcastically

killing

overthrow