ACT III- The Murders Continue
4
The Ghost of Banquo
In the beginning of Act III, Macbeth becomes increasingly paranoid and has banquo murdered to seemingly secure his claim to the throne. The ghost of Banquo occupying his seat at his feast is merely a hallucination that his guilty conscience has conjured up. Throughout the play, hallucinations are common. Each time, guilt is the catalyst when it comes to the appearance of these hallucinations. As has previously been stated, guilt is extremely strong, overpowering, and blinding. In this instance, Macbeth is caused to make a fool out of himself at his own feast and further incriminate himself in the eyes of Macduff. Macbeth is a grown man, and naturally should be responsible for himself. However, under the power of guilt, you are caused to do things like this. Had Macbeth been in a normal state of mind, he wouldn't have made such a foolish mistake such as this and most likely not even have the hallucinations. Guilt can, in essence, handicap a person when it comes to their decisions and actions. So is Macbeth truly responsible for what
responsible for what has happened here? I say yes. I know the feeling of guilt, it is quite overwhelming. However had Macbeth not ignored his original feeling of guilt, then he naturally would have been led in the right direction. Yet he was misguided by his wife, and allowed for his emotions to become a spiraling downfall of guilt, paranoia, and suffering. Macbeth says on page 99, "Then comes my fit again. I had else been perfect, / ...But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in / To saucy doubts and fears." This response to Fleance's escaping really shows the power guilt has over Macbeth. He feel's as though Fleance is another person that could allow for all the responsibility of the murders to fall on him. It had the power to throw him into a guilty fit of paranoia. This further supports my point that Guilt takes control of you, and makes you do things you don't want to do. Whether it be being thrown into a fit of paranoia, or hallucinating ghosts.