ISC Class 12 English Drama Macbeth Act 3 Scene 3 Summary, Theme, Explanation along with difficult word meanings
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ISC Class 12 – Macbeth Act 3 Scene 3
By William Shakespeare
In Act 3, Scene 3 of Macbeth, three murderers hired by Macbeth are hiding to attack Banquo and his son Fleance at dusk in a wooded area outside the palace. Banquo is killed, but Fleance escapes. This leaves Macbeth’s worries and the witches’ prophecy about Banquo’s descendants unresolved, showing a key failure in Macbeth’s rule.
- Macbeth Act 3 Scene 3 Summary
- Macbeth Act 3 Scene 3 Summary in Hindi
- Macbeth Act 3 Scene 3 Theme
- Macbeth Act 3 Scene 3 Explanation
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Macbeth Act 3 Scene 3 Summary
The scene begins in a park outside Macbeth’s palace as dusk falls. The two murderers Macbeth hired earlier are joined by a Third Murderer. The first two are skeptical, but the third murderer claims that Macbeth sent him because he does not fully trust them. This addition of another murderer highlights Macbeth’s growing suspicion, he is becoming so nervous that he is micromanaging his own secret crimes. The murderers wait in the shadows, watching the evening fade and listening for the sound of horses.
Banquo and Fleance approach on foot. It was common practice for guests to leave their horses with servants and walk the final distance to the palace gates. Banquo is carrying a torch, which provides the only light in the dark woods. As he comments on the weather, saying that it would rain that night, the murderers leap from the shadows and attack. In the chaos, the light is accidentally or perhaps intentionally extinguished.
The murderers succeed in killing Banquo, but in his final moments, Banquo shows his nobility and love for his son. He cries out urging his son to run so that he might one day take revenge. Because the torch was knocked out, the woods are pitch black, allowing Fleance to escape into the night.
The scene ends with the murderers realizing they have failed their primary mission. While Banquo is dead, the best half of the job was killing the heir, Fleance was left incomplete. They decide to return to the palace to tell Macbeth what happened, knowing that the king will be far from satisfied. This failure is the turning point of the play; for the first time, Macbeth’s attempt to control the future has failed, and the seed of Banquo’s royalty, Fleance, survives.
Summary of Macbeth Act 3 Scene 3 in Hindi
दृश्य मैकबेथ के महल के बाहर एक पार्क में शाम होते ही शुरू होता है। जिन दो हत्यारों को मैकबेथ ने पहले काम पर रखा था, उनके साथ एक तीसरा हत्यारा भी शामिल हो गया। पहले दो संदिग्ध हैं, लेकिन तीसरे हत्यारे का दावा है कि मैकबेथ ने उसे इसलिए भेजा क्योंकि उसे उन पर पूरा भरोसा नहीं है। एक अन्य हत्यारे का यह जुड़ना मैकबेथ के बढ़ते संदेह को उजागर करता है, वह इतना घबरा रहा है कि वह अपने गुप्त अपराधों का सूक्ष्म प्रबंधन कर रहा है। हत्यारे छाया में इंतजार करते हैं, शाम को धुंधला होते देखते हैं और घोड़ों की आवाज सुनते हैं।
बैंको और फ्लीन्स पैदल ही पहुँचते हैं। मेहमानों के लिए अपने घोड़ों को नौकरों के साथ छोड़ना और महल के द्वार तक अंतिम दूरी तय करना आम बात थी। बैंको एक मशाल ले जा रहा है, जो अंधेरे जंगल में एकमात्र प्रकाश प्रदान करता है। जैसे ही वह मौसम पर टिप्पणी करता है, यह कहते हुए कि उस रात बारिश होगी, हत्यारे छाया से कूदते हैं और हमला करते हैं। अराजकता में, रोशनी गलती से या जानबूझकर बुझ जाती है।
हत्यारे बैंको को मारने में सफल हो जाते हैं, लेकिन उसके अंतिम क्षणों में, बैंको अपने बेटे के लिए अपनी कुलीनता और प्यार दिखाता है। वह अपने बेटे के भागने के लिए चिल्लाता है ताकि वह एक दिन बदला ले सके। क्योंकि मशाल को बाहर फेंक दिया गया था, जंगल काले रंग के होते हैं, जिससे रात में भागने की अनुमति मिलती है।
यह दृश्य हत्यारों के यह महसूस करने के साथ समाप्त होता है कि वे अपने प्राथमिक मिशन में विफल हो गए हैं। जबकि बैंको मर चुका है, काम का सबसे अच्छा आधा उत्तराधिकारी को मार रहा था, खत्म अधूरा छोड़ दिया गया था। वे मैकबेथ को यह बताने के लिए महल लौटने का फैसला करते हैं कि क्या हुआ, यह जानते हुए कि राजा संतुष्ट नहीं होगा। यह विफलता खेल का मोड़ है; पहली बार, मैकबेथ का भविष्य को नियंत्रित करने का प्रयास विफल हो गया है, और बैंको के रॉयल्टी, फ्लेंस का बीज बच गया है।
Theme of Macbeth Act 3 Scene 3
The Persistence of Fate
The most prominent theme in this scene is the impossibility of escaping one’s fate. Macbeth believes that by killing Banquo and Fleance, he can cancel the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s descendants will be kings. However, the escape of Fleance proves that fate cannot be outrun or murdered. Despite Macbeth’s best efforts to control the future, the seed of Banquo’s line, Fleance survives. This theme suggests that while Macbeth can change his own path through violence, he cannot stop the larger wheels of destiny from turning.
Anxiety and the Loss of Trust
The presence of the Third Murderer highlights the theme of absolute paranoia. Macbeth is so consumed by fear and terrible dreams that he no longer trusts the people he has hired to do his dirty work. By sending a third man to watch the first two, Macbeth shows that his reign is built on a foundation of suspicion. This theme extends to the audience’s understanding of Macbeth’s mind: he is no longer the brave soldier who trusted his comrades; he is a tyrant who trusts no one, not even his own hired hands.
Light vs. Darkness
The scene relies heavily on the symbolic struggle between light and dark. Banquo enters carrying a torch, which represents his goodness and his status as a light in a darkening Scotland. When the murderers strike out the light, the world becomes literally and metaphorically dark. However, this darkness is a double-edged sword. While it allows the murderers to kill Banquo under the cover of night, it also provides the shadow Fleance needs to escape. This suggests that evil can destroy the innocent, but it also creates a chaotic environment where the truth can hide and survive.
The Corruption of Nature
Shakespeare uses the setting and the weather to explore the theme of nature being distorted. As the murderers wait, they note that the sun is setting and the place for rest is being sought by travelers. Banquo’s remark that it would rain that night was a classic example of pathetic fallacy, where the weather reflects the moral decay of the world. The murder happens at the exact moment when day turns to night, symbolizing the end of Banquo’s life and the complete descent of Scotland into a nightmare under Macbeth’s rule.
Theme of Fatherhood
This scene offers a sharp contrast to Macbeth’s version of masculinity. Throughout the play, Macbeth associates manliness with violence and lack of pity. In this scene, Banquo displays a different kind of strength: the selflessness of a father. His final act is not to save himself, but to cry out to his son to run and save himself. This theme of paternal legacy vs. selfish ambition is crucial; Macbeth has no children to succeed him, whereas Banquo’s legacy lives on through his son’s survival.
Setting of the Scene
The setting of Act 3, Scene 3 is a dark, wooded park or roadway leading towards Macbeth’s palace at Forres. Taking place at twilight, the environment is defined by a heavy, oppressive atmosphere that reflects the growing moral darkness of the play. The weak light of the setting sun is quickly fading, creating a transitional space where the rules of the day i.e. the order and law are being replaced by the dangers of the night i.e. treachery and murder. This specific half-light is crucial because it provides enough visibility for the murderers to identify their targets, but enough shadows for them to hide their presence. The physical isolation of the park serves as a place where nothing happens between the safety of the road and the sanctuary of the palace. Shakespeare uses the geography of the setting to build suspense; travelers typically dismount their horses a distance away to walk the final stretch to the gates, leaving them vulnerable to ambush. The natural elements, such as the prediction of rain and the thickening woods, suggest that nature is becoming hostile to human life. When the single torch carried by Fleance is extinguished, the setting transforms into a total blackness that symbolizes the loss of Banquo’s life and the chaotic, unmanageable state of Macbeth’s kingdom.
Macbeth Act 3 Scene 3 Explanation
Scene 3. A park near the castle.
Enter three Murderers
Play
First Murderer
But who did bid thee join with us?
Third Murderer
Macbeth.
Second Murderer
He needs not our mistrust; since he delivers
Our offices, and what we have to do,
To the direction just.
First Murderer
Then stand with us.
The west yet glimmers with some streaks of day:
Now spurs the lated traveller apace
To gain the timely inn; and near approaches
The subject of our watch.
Third Murderer
Hark! I hear horses.
Banquo
[Within] Give us a light there, ho!
Second Murderer
Then ’tis he: the rest
That are within the note of expectation
Already are i’ the court.
Meanings
bid: ask.
He… mistrust: There is no need for him (Macbeth) to mistrust us.
offices: duties.
glimmers: faintly shines.
streaks of day: rays of the Sun.
spurs: hurries up.
lated: belated.
apace: quickly.
To gain the timely inn: to reach the inn in time.
note of expectation: list of guests expected at the banquet.
Explanation of the above dialogues— The First Murderer begins by asking the Third Murderer that who told him to join their group. The Third Murderer simply replies that it was Macbeth who sent him. Hearing this, the Second Murderer tells the first not to be suspicious of the newcomer, explaining that the third man has correctly described their specific duties and the exact plan that they are supposed to follow. Accepting this, the First Murderer invites the newcomer to join their ranks. He observes that the sun is setting, noting that there are only a few streaks of daylight left in the west. He describes how late travelers are currently hurrying their horses to reach the safety of an inn before dark, and he realizes that the man they are waiting for must be close by. The Third Murderer suddenly alerts the others that he hears the sound of approaching horses. From offstage, Banquo calls out for a light. The Second Murderer concludes that the target has arrived, noting that all the other expected guests have already reached the palace and are accounted for at the court. A guest should be safest when approaching their host’s home, but Macbeth has turned this ritual into a tactical vulnerability and a violation of hospitality. Shakespeare uses stichomythia i.e. short, rapid-fire dialogue to mirror the chaos of the ambush. The lines ‘’Tis he’, ‘Stand to’t’, and ‘Who did strike out the light?’ create a sense of breathless urgency.
Play
First Murderer
His horses go about.
Third Murderer
Almost a mile; but he does usually,
So all men do, from hence to the palace-gate
Make it their walk.
Second Murderer
A light, a light!
Third Murderer
‘Tis he.
First Murderer
Stand to’t.
Enter Banquo, and Fleance, with a torch
Banquo
It will be rain tonight.
First Murderer
Let it come down.
[They assault Banquo
Banquo
O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!
Thou mayst revenge. O slave!
[Dies. Fleance escapes
Third Murderer
Who did strike out the light?
First Murderer
Was’t not the way?
Third Murderer
There’s but one down; the son is fled.
Second Murderer
We have lost
Best half of our affair.
First Murderer
Well, let’s away, and say how much is done.
[Exeunt]
Meanings
Stand to’: stand firm.
strike out: put out.
Was’t not the way?: Was it not the best way?
but one down: only one is killed.
Explanation of the above dialogues— The First Murderer observes that Banquo’s horses are taking the long way around. The Third Murderer explains that the horses are nearly a mile away, but he notes that Banquo, like most men, usually prefers to walk the rest of the distance from that spot to the palace gates. As they see someone approaching, the Second Murderer calls out that they see a light, and the Third Murderer confirms that the person is indeed Banquo. The First Murderer tells the others to get ready and hold their ground. As Banquo and Fleance enter with a torch, Banquo casually remarks that it looks like it will rain that night. The First Murderer aggressively replies that the rain should come down as they launch their attack. Caught in the ambush, Banquo cries out that he has been betrayed. He desperately urges his son, Fleance, to run away and save himself so that he might one day take revenge. Calling his attackers slaves, Banquo dies while Fleance manages to escape into the darkness. In the confusion following the struggle, the Third Murderer asks who put out the torch light. The First Murderer asks if that wasn’t what they were supposed to do. Looking at the bodies, the Third Murderer points out that only one man is dead and that the son has escaped. The Second Murderer laments that they have failed the most important part of their mission. Finally, the First Murderer suggests that they leave and report to Macbeth exactly how much they managed to accomplish. When Banquo notes, ‘It will be rain tonight’, and the Murderer responds, ‘Let it come down’, the language shifts from literal weather to a metaphorical storm of blood. The act of murderers extinguishes the light to hide their faces and their crime, but that very darkness becomes the shroud that allows Fleance to escape. This is the first time that Macbeth is shown as he cannot stop the witches’ prophecy. The ‘half-done’ job symbolizes the beginning of the end for Macbeth. To Macbeth, Banquo was a threat to his peace, but Fleance was a threat to his future.
Conclusion
In Act 3, Scene 3 of Macbeth, three murderers hired by Macbeth are hiding to attack Banquo and his son Fleance at dusk in a wooded area outside the palace. Banquo is killed, but Fleance escapes. This leaves Macbeth’s worries and the witches’ prophecy about Banquo’s descendants unresolved, showing a key failure in Macbeth’s rule. Students can take help from this post to understand Act 3, Scene 3 and also learn the difficult word meanings to get a better grasp of Macbeth. This post includes a summary of Macbeth, which will help students of ISC class 12, to get a quick recap of the play.