Who Is Guilty... -Nick Chaffee

The identity of the third murderer is one which may forever be a secret from modern readers. There are many suggestions as to who this person may have been, but only Shakespeare's original audience and cast can tell us for sure, I'm afraid. There are, however, a number of interesting theories as to who the murderer was. However I believe that the third murderer is Lady Macbeth.

Lady Macbeth thought about Banquo and the threat he was to their rule. She asked, "Is Banquo gone from court?" and she expressed the same dissatisfaction as Macbeth in her lines, "Naught's had, all's spent, / Where our desire is got without content. / 'Tis safer to be that which we destroy / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy." Later in the same scene, she wanted to know her role in the murder when she asked, "What's to be done?" Also, she too thought about the necessity of killing the pair (Banquo and Fleance) when she said, "But in them nature's copy's not etern." She was well aware of the threat, and to make up for her inability to kill Duncan earlier ("Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done it."), she went out to be part of this assassination.

Another interpretation that holds Lady Macbeth is the third murderer has her going out to STOP the murder if she can. She has told Macbeth "You must leave this." She urged him to get sleep, to rest, to be bright and jovial again, and she knew that more killing would not help Macbeth to get well again. During the murder scene, Lady Macbeth might well be the one to extinguish the torch so that she can help the innocent Fleance escape. Although she could not prevent the murder of Banquo, she does save Fleance.

I believe that Macbeth was the least likely person to be the third murderer, because he was at his dinner party. Plus when news of Banquo's son getting away was somewhat shocking to Macbeth that rules the Macbeth out. Also when the ghost of Banquo entered it sat on the chair of Macbeth, which means that Macbeth didn't keep any chair for Banquo as there was only one chair left. if Macbeth had kept a chair for Banquo then there would have been two empty chairs. Macbeth didn't keep any chair for Banquo because he had faith in murderers. I also believe Macbeth is not the third murderer. If he had many problems killing Duncan, and he can't kill his friend Banquo. He sends hit-men to do his dirty work for him.

Macbeth Caused Banquo's Macdeath - Parker Blong

The Third Murderer appears almost out of thin air when there were originally only two murderers hired by Macbeth. The Third Murder could only be Macbeth because he’s knowledgeable of Banquo’s trail patterns, the only other person that knows about the murder, and his paranoia led him to need to see and look over the murder of Banquo and Fleance.

Macbeth is the only one who knows about the murder besides the murderers based off what we as the reader have seen in the text. Macbeth wanted to keep his involvement of the murder of Banquo and Fleance so secretive that he didn’t even make a plan with Lady Macbeth like he did with the murder of Duncan. Macbeth goes even further as to not tell Lady Macbeth and only wave the idea of killing Banquo and Fleance in her face without ever actually telling her anything as seen when he says, “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night, Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day, And with thy bloody and invisible hand,” (III.ii.50-53). Macbeth is the only other person who knows about the murder.

One of the things the Third Murderer says is, “Almost a mile; but he does usually—So all men do—from hence to the place gate Make it their walk.” (III.iii.17-19). The Third Murderer has clear knowledge of Banquo and Fleance’s route beyond that of the other murderers. If the murderer indeed was Macbeth then Shakespeare, being the genius he is, would leave hints within the script for the readers or viewers to pick up on. Having the Third Murderer being aware of the trail Banquo and Fleance is taking is just one of these many hints. The Third Murderer feels free to put it out there without any hesitation that he was sent by Macbeth when questioned by the First Murderer. If the Third Murderer has no issue exposing Macbeth in such a way then the Third Murderer is obviously just trying to quickly gain the trust of the other murderers in order to avoid any unneeded conflict. This is just Macbeth trying to quickly gain the murderers trust in order to get right into the action without further questions. It’s so dark that Fleance escapes unnoticed when the torch light is put out so we can conclude that a possibly cloaked Macbeth would be unrecognizable to the murderers further proving this theory.

Macbeth needs to see Banquo and Fleance die for his own sanity. Macbeth has changed since the murder of Duncan and is now paranoid and has not been eating or sleeping well. He sees Banquo as just another hurdle that needs to be overcome in order to obtain his goal of a non-Fleance led throne. Macbeth has had a lot time to himself since being crowned and has much to say about Banquo, “To be thus is nothing; But to be safely thus.--Our fears in Banquo Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be fear'd: 'tis much he dares; And, to that dauntless temper of his mind,” (III.i.52-55). This confirms that Macbeth sees Banquo as a major threat that needs to be dealt with and overseeing his murder is the perfect way to reassure his insecurities that his spot on the throne is going to be just fine. Macbeth was the Third Murderer due to his paranoia, knowledge of Banquo, and he’s the only other person who knows about the murder.     


Critique:
I thought Cameron Burgess' post on how the Third Murder could have been Macbeth's Attendant was very well thought out and brought up some interesting points like how a servant would be one of the only people to actually take note of Banquo and Fleance's traveling patterns as royalty would see no reason to do so. With that being said, I feel some of his points could easily be debunked in support of the "Macbeth is the Third Murderer" Theory. Macbeth is also aware of Banquo's traveling patterns because they talked about it in the first scene of act three (plus they're good buddies) and Banquo would not be able to recognize any of the murderers regardless because of how dark it was during his murder. It would not matter if Banquo recognized anyone anyways because he would not live to tell the tale leaving no risk to Macbeth if he were to be there.

Lady Macbeth is the Third Murderer - Charlotte Chan

In Act III of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Banquo is killed on his best friend’s orders by two murderers along with a mysterious third tag-along who claims to also be sent by Macbeth. The third murderer had no direct effect on Banquo as his death blow was administered by the first murderer. Who could the third addition to the murder party be? How could they have known Macbeth’s orders that were told to only the first and second murderer?

I believe the third murderer is Lady Macbeth. Her decision to join the murderers sprouted from Macbeth’s choice to leave her out of the loop. 

Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth has proven herself to be controlling, conniving, and ambitious. She has in a way reversed the traditional role of husband and wife by being the dominant partner of their relationship. She always takes control of situations and makes sure she has a strong influence on everything. Additionally, she rarely accepts “no” for an answer. When Macbeth mentions a dreadful deed that has been planned, his wife says, “What’s to be done?” (III.ii.49). Macbeth flat-out refuses to tell her about his scheme to kill Banquo. He says “Be innocent of the knowledge” (III.ii.50). Lady Macbeth (unexpectedly) just accepted Macbeth’s cut-off answer, which she has never done before in the play. 

This is the moment when Lady Macbeth found the motivation to become the third murderer. 

Maybe she figured that if her own husband was going to leave her out of his plans, she would find a way to intervene and get involved.

Why would she do that?

Out of love.

1. She wants to support her husband in his decision, regardless of whether it is the right or wrong one. Due to his mental instability, Lady Macbeth wants to control his plan make sure it is executed smoothly. 
2. Banquo is a threat to Macbeth’s life and throne, and she wants to preserve both for as long as possible. 

Another reason Lady Macbeth joined the murderers was because she knew she was capable of killing Banquo.

But how is she capable if women didn’t fight?

1. She is the wife of the greatest warrior in Scotland. 

• Perhaps an exception of the times was made and she learned some fighting skills/tactics from Macbeth.

2.  Lady Macbeth might possess masculine qualities that have made her more of a warrior. 

• When plotting to murder Duncan (at the beginning of the play), she prepared herself by asking the spirits to make her more cruel and deadly. 

“unsex me here, / And fill me … Of direst cruelty! … Come to my woman’s breasts, / And take my milk for gall, … That my keen knife see not the wound it makes” (I.v.44-55). 

• She asks for her feminine qualities to be taken away so she may become more murderous. 

Her converted qualities could have been utilized in her ambition to help kill Banquo. Her soliloquy could have also been foreshadowing her decision to aid in his murder. 

Lady Macbeth must have eavesdropped on Macbeth’s conversation with the murderers so she could know the orders. However, the conversation took place before her encounter with Macbeth, meaning that if she did indeed eavesdrop, she must have had the idea to do so before Macbeth had ever withheld the information. Lady Macbeth accepting Macbeth’s answer when he dismissed her question hints at how she was already aware of the murder plan. Normally, she would have continued to seek out her answer, but it was as if she already had one! I believe she knew his plan, but wasn’t planning to act on it up until she had been spurred on by his abruptness. 

I agree with Mélanie’s blog post because I too believe Lady Macbeth is the third murderer. She brought up a clever point by asking why Lady Macbeth would have any cause to question Banquo’s whereabouts. “Is Banquo gone from court?” (III.ii.1). This line shows how Lady Macbeth was conscious of Banquo’s location, most likely because she had just overheard Macbeth telling the guards where they will ambush Banquo, and was confirming Macbeth’s accuracy.

Macbeth is Undoubtedly the Third Murderer

Macbeth is undoubtedly the third murderer for a catalogue of reasons. The first indicator that Macbeth is the third murder is that he simply fits the description. The murder is described as a male, who must be physically capable of killing a warrior like Banquo while he is on horseback, while the murder is on foot. Banquo is infamously the second best warrior in all of Scotland Surpassed only by Macbeth himself. In fact, as a soldier was talking fondly of Macbeth said “And Fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, Show'd like a rebel's whore. But all's too weak;  For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name) Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, (I.II.16-20)”.

Equally compelling, for Macbeth to kill Banquo is his internal and external conflict of control. Macbeth feels as if his fate is out of control, however, he does not like this concept. Macbeth’s control of his own destiny disappearing was what caused him to hire the murderers in the first place. Therefore, it is entirely possible that Macbeth took his one extra step in attempting to ensure his own destiny by killing Banquo himself.

Adding to Macbeth’s motifs is the dispute with Macduff and the other nobles. Even tho at this point in the play the conflict has not yet been verbalized, it is clear that Macduff and the other nobles are not happy with Macbeth’s iron-fist monarchy. Even more worrisome for Macbeth is Macduff’s suspicions of him committing treason. In fact, when asked if he is going to see Macbeth’s crowning at scorn, Macduff replies “No, cousin, I’ll to Fife.” (II. IV. 38). This response Macduff proves he does not trust Macbeth and is, therefore, going to be troublesome for Macbeth. The nobles suspicions and disdain of Macbeth could have drove him to kill Banquo himself simply to insure that his hinch men were not bribed to let Banquo life by Macduff or another one of the other nobles.

Another reason why Macbeth has to be the third murder is that he is the only one with a motif. All the other characters would only have a motif to save Banquo not kill him seeing as how well moraled he is. When Banquo says “A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, And yet I would not sleep. Merciful powers, Restrain in me the cursèd thoughts that nature” (II. I. 6-8) it is proven Banquo’s morals are extremely well alined. In fact, he is so well moraled that he even loses sleep over the thought of someone dear to him committing an immoral act.

In respect to Emma Bonfield’s blog. I completely disagree with the notion that Macduff is the third murderer. Macduff can quite simply not be the third murderer because he does not have a motif to kill Banquo. Furthermore, if the third murderer was Macduff it would be in Macduff’s best interests to save Banquo, in order to turn more nobels against Macbeth. Even more compelling evidence, that Macduff did not kill Banquo is the that Macduff is not physically able to. Banquo is known as the second best warrior in scotland who took down countless men with Macbeth by his side. Therefore only a warrior greater than banquo himself would be able to slay him. Seeing as, there is no reference to Macduff being a soldier at all, it is impossible that he murdered Banquo.

The Third Murderer - Cameron Burgess

The Third Murderer

At the beginning of III.iii, the two murderers are waiting for Banquo and Fleance to pass by them when a third murderer appears. The murderer’s identity is never disclosed to the audience, but through his actions and the unlikelihood of other suspects being it, I believe that it is Macbeth’s attendant.

Next to the two murderers, the attendant would be the next most trustworthy person for Macbeth to entrust with a plot like this compared to everyone else he knows. In III.i, while speaking to the two murderers he says “And though I could with barefaced power sweep him from my sight and bud my will avouch it, yet I must not, for certain friends that are both his and mine, whose loves I may not drop” (III.i.131-134). Macbeth says how he could just publicly kill Banquo but he does not want to, because he will upset the other thanes who like Banquo. So if Macbeth does not want the thanes to know that he wants to kill Banquo, then he would not have invited them into the plot. Also, all of the thanes were at the feast during the time of the murder so there is no way that they could have helped to kill Banquo. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were also at the feast and could not have killed Banquo. To further prove this, Lady Macbeth did not even know about the plan to kill Banquo because Macbeth did not want to tell her. And, Macbeth was surprised and upset to hear the news that Fleance escaped and he has an entire “aside” conversation to himself talking about it. If he had been the third murderer then he would not have been surprised by this news or talk to himself about it because he would have already known what happened.

Out of all of Macbeth’s friends and allies, that just leaves the attendant. The attendant is likely the third murderer because of all the knowledge he has of the plot and of Banquo. He is the person who brings the two murderers to Macbeth to discuss the ambush. So, if Macbeth sent him as the third murderer he would have been able to recognise the other two murderers faces and join them. He is also very knowledgeable about Banquo and his tendencies. When Banquo and Fleance begin to walk to the castle he says “Almost a mile; but he does usually--so all men do--from hence to the palace gate make it their walk.” (III.iii.17-19). This shows how the murderer knows about Banquo and the other lords’ usual travelling patterns. This is something that a person of a higher rank would not notice or care for but a servant, who sees lords enter the castle all the time, would. The third murderer is also the only one of the three who knows what Banquo actually looks like. When Banquo and Fleance get close to the murderers the third murderer is the one who confirms that it is truly them and lets the other murderers know to attack. Banquo would have also seen the attendant when he walked in with Macbeth in III.i which is why when he dies he says “O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge. O slave!” (III.iii.25-26). This shows how Banquo knows that he was betrayed by Macbeth because he could recognize that he was Macbeth’s servant. And, “O slave!” could be seen as an insult to the murderer or it could represent the attendant as he is a servant for his master Macbeth or a “slave” to him. These prove the likelihood that the third murderer that Macbeth hired was his attendant.

Critique of Ben DePetris' Blog

I agree with your points on how Macbeth is paranoid of everyone and does not trust anybody, even his wife, with his plans. And that is why it is unlikely that he would have sent someone that he knows well, to help with the murder. I disagree, however, with your idea that the third murderer is just a random person that Macbeth hired to help the other two murderers. The third murder knows what Banquo looks like and knows the path in which he and the other lords walk to the castle. I believe that a random person that Macbeth hired would not know all of these things about Banquo and therefore couldn't possibly be the third murderer.

Who is the third murderer ? Doruk Demirtas

The murder of Banquo was an extremely important for Macbeth. He wanted to make sure everything was going according to the plan. He needed someone who is both loyal and someone wouldn’t question his decisions. This person would be preferably someone who is not noble and not able to rebel against him.

 I believe that's why third murderer is servant of Macbeth. When Macbeth invites the two murders Servant is the only one who is there when Macbeth is giving them the orders. During that scene something strange occurs, Macbeth tells him ‘’Now go to the door and stay there until I call for you.’’ I think this quotation implies that Macbeth will invite the servant after these two murderers leave. I assume that he will give the same orders and he may say something like make sure these guys are doing what they’re supposed to do. This tone of conversation creates a sense of trust and loyalty between Macbeth and the servant.

In (Act 3, Scene 3, Line 13) the third murderer says "Almost a mile: but he does usually-/So all men do-from hence to th' palace gate/Make it their walk." In my opinion, this sounds like someone who knows Banquo’s usual route and also like someone who knows about the palace really well. So, the servant is most likely to know about Banquo’s usual actions because he’s been friends with his master for so long. Also, the other thanes don’t live in the palace so they wouldn’t know the exact distance to palace gate.

When the murderers come across Banquo. The third murderer recognizes him and says ‘Tis he.’’ which means he knows his face. Interestingly enough, also Banquo recognizes him and he doesn’t think of them as a threat. He then says ‘’It will be rain tonight.’’ I think he says this in order to greet them and show them that he recognizes them. I think who he saw is not a close friend like a thane or a nobleman but also, he definitely saw someone who he knows. I think this behaviour pattern seems like he is talking to a servant. Moreover, if he didn't know the third murderer’s face he could've attacked them as well. I think the second-best soldier in the country is able to fight with three murderers.

Later on, the scene, when the murderers attack Banquo, he shouts ‘’ O treachery!’’ This shows he thinks this a betrayal if he didn’t know who the murderers worked for he wouldn’t say that. I also think he knows that the murderers have a bond with Macbeth. Which the third murderer aka Servant has.

I also think that it is the third murderer is the servant because the other possible third murderers are all in the Macbeth’s party. The servant is the only one who is not supposed to be there.

 The original plan to kill Banquo was for two murderers to ambush him and Fleance on their way back from their horse ride.In the beginning, Macbeth enlists the help of only two murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. Macbeth does this by shaming th murderers and questioning their pride. He even goes as far as telling them they are the most common, low type of man, just as all types of dogs are still dogs (iii.i.101). After convincing the murderers everything was perfect, the feast would be held to give Macbeth his alibi and Lady Macbeth had been kept in the dark about the plan the entire time. Although moments before the murder a third murderer arrives, stating he is sent by Macbeth.

I believe this murderer was Macbeth, this is for several reasons. One reason why the third murderer is Macbeth is because of how quickly the third murderer was sent, I believe Macbeths felt he had to kill Banquo himself. Throughout the play all of Macbeths murders have been committed by his own hands, so why should Banquos be any different? Macbeth has always been a hands on type of person and we see this the first time we are introduced to him as he is fresh from a battle where he killed so many men, his sword was steaming (i.ii.20). This is proof Macbeth is used to killing, and the importance of Banquos murder would have certainly pushed Macbeth to kill him himself,

Another reason Macbeth is the third murderer is the lack of trust he is beginning to show since he has become king, we see this in how he leaves lady Macbeth, the one person he shares everything with, out of the plan telling her to “be innocent of the knowledge” (iii.ii.50). This is proof that Macbeth is starting to act more on his own. We’ve seen in the past how Macbeth makes mistakes and haste decisions when he acts on his own, an example of this is how he brings the bloody daggers back to the room. Immediately Lady Macbeth tells him to take them back and fixes his mistake but this is an early sign of bad quick decision making by Macbeth. Now that we see Macbeth making these poor quick decisions, it isn’t out of the question he made yet another bad decision in a moment of stress and went to kill Banquo himself.

    Macbeth needed to kill Banquo and he wasn’t going to let anyone else but himself be the one to do it. Lately we’ve seen Macbeth making all the wrong decisions, such as leaving Lady Macbeth out of the plan, so it would make sense if he decided to kill Banquo himself. Macbeth has also shown that he is hands on when it comes to people he wants dead. These are just some of the many reasons why Macbeth is the third murderer. These reasons may also foreshadow Macbeths downfall, as if he is willing to kill his closest friend, he will be willing to kill anyone else.

Comments on other blog I read: I read Bens blog and I thought his idea about the third murderer actually being a murderer could have some truth behind it. I believe this because one of his points was similar to mine as he stated Macbeth had sent another murderer as he was losing trust in everyone. The only major difference between our two ideas was that I believed Macbeth went himself rather then sending another murderer, and this is why I believed Bens theory carries some truth.

Abdul Mahrouse-Who is the third Murderer?

Abdul Mahrouse

Mr.Breaton

Monday, October 11, 2018

ENG 3U1-04

Who is the third murderer?

   Many theories are speculating around the idea of who could the third murderer be in the third Act in Macbeth. There could be many answers and arguments to this question, but I concluded on that there could never possibly be one right answer no matter what character you could come up with to find out who the role was. I believe that Shakespeare intentionally added this unexplained reason on who the third murderer could be because Shakespeare always seems to like to leave the audience or reader in thought for them to figure out later. I believe that the third murderer was no other than Macbeth himself and here’s why I chose him out of all the other characters in the play.

   During around this time of the scene, we can see that Macbeth is very paranoid and was also very anxious to make sure that Banquo had to be killed or else his deepest secrets could be revealed to everyone else in the play because he has the feeling that Banquo knows that he killed Duncan. We see that Macbeth orders these two unknown murderers to kill of Banquo when the time is right. I find that Macbeth and Banquo both have the same skills as a warrior in the way of both of the men can take on the same task and could finish it the right way, especially when it comes to weapons. My theory is that Macbeth couldn't handle the thought of the two murderers he hired to take on Banquo, to finish him off because of how strong Banquo is; and it also wouldn't make sense if two commoners would be that great of a match compared to Banquo’s skills. I think that Macbeth disguises himself to be another person which is why he knows exactly the spot the murderers were hiding to ambush Banquo. We can see that when one of the murderers approaches then the third murderer and asks for him to state his business. “But who did bid thee join with us? Macbeth. He needs not our mistrust; since he delivers our offices, and what we have to do, to the direction just” (III, iii, 1-5). We can see that the first murderer was getting suspicious on the fact of how this random person came up on the two hiding men that were placed in a secret location that only Macbeth knows of since he knows the route that Banquo takes every day. I found that in the scene when Banquo was on the verge of dying, we can see in one of his lines crying out misfortune in a way. “O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge O slave!” (III, iii, 25-26). The significance in these particular lines most likely means that Banquo had recognized Macbeth in the darkness and called him out as a “slave” to his ambition and the prophecies of the witches.

In the end, we can see that there are many characters that we can choose out of all the play but with my evidence I have provided, it makes clear sense that Macbeth was the only person to know everything about Banquo the most which are why Macbeth is the first candidate on the lost on who the third murderer could be.

Critique to Aziz Basics Blog

I find Aziz’s facts to be very well thought and gave solid textual support supporting his theory. I agree on most of the parts that he said about how Lady Mac secretly mentions on killing Banquo herself but one question I have on why she couldnt be the third murderer is because Macbeth doesn't even tell her the plan about killing Banquo in the first place. When Macbeth come back from the conversation back at Scene IV, when the Banquet was held together, Lady Mac asks him what was wrong and if anything had to be done. Macbeth responds with nothing and tells her to “be innocent of the knowledge”. I find this interesting because when I go back to my point about how no one could really be the third murderer, it all just shows you that there are no wrong answers just as Breaton said.

Murder most foul - Natalie W

Natalie Wolski

Mr. Breaton

ENG3U

October 3, 2018

The Third Murderer

After thoroughly reading through the play one is lead to believe the murderer is surely Lady Macbeth. During act three scene two Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have a conversation about Banquo and Fleance. Lady Macbeth is a fiercely loyal wife as one sees throughout the entire play especially when she compares breaking a promise to her husband to killing a baby. “I would, while it was smiling in my face,/Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums,/And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn/As you have done to this.” (I.vii.61-64) Lady Macbeth would do anything for her husband and put herself at risk for his best interest. She comforts him when she is sad and assures him everything they did will be just fine in the end, “With them they think on? Things without all remedy/ Should be without regard: what’s done is done.” (III.ii.13-14). These traits in Lady Macbeth leads one to believe she would want to ensure the success of Macbeth's plan by seeing it through and participating as she has done before. However, one may ask, why did she not just ask the murders what the plan was and demand them to let her help. This is because she does not want to be revealed, she is a woman and women are not supposed to be interested in this type of darkness, so she had to go in disguise as the third murderer. As a loyal wife and fierce woman it was in Lady Macbeth’s best interest to help her husband to ensure his success. In the past Lady Macbeth has been very passionate about taking matters into her own hands. She consistently involves herself in the affaires that have to do with Macbeth, herself and their future power. For a textual reference, when Macbeth had just killed Duncan he took the daggers he used to kill him with him. When he encountered Lady Macbeth, she saw the daggers and told her to return them at once as everyone would figure out it was them who killed Duncan. Macbeth refuses her for the first time in the entire play and says he can not face the scene of the death, with all the guilt he felt. So, Lady Macbeth takes it upon herself to go and put the daggers back in the scene of the crime. “Why did you bring these daggers from the place?” (II.ii.63) asked Lady Macbeth “I’ll go no more:” (II.ii.65) replied Macbeth, do Lady Mac took it into her own hands and said “Give me the daggers: the sleeping, and the dead” (II.ii.69). Lady Macbeth is a very knowledgeable woman and one can be sure she is one step ahead of the game. Knowing this one can infer she was already thinking about Banquo and what the future may hold for her husband, after Macbeth mentioning it surely Lady Mac would want to be a part of it and assure it’s success, so she disguised herself and went along with the murderers and killed Banquo. Lady Macbeth is the ideal murderer. Lady Macbeth was a brilliantly orchestrated character who fits the third murderer ideal perfectly.

Marshall says Macbeth is the murderer because the murderer and Macbeth have similar language. This is clearly false because at this point in time many people have similar language to one another. I also believe Macbeth is not the murderer because after he has found out about Fleance’s escape in an aside he speaks of his shock, ¨There are grown serpent lies: the worm that’s fled¨ (III.iv.34) He speaks as he did not know this would happen, if Macbeth was the murderer why would he be lying to himself in an aside pretending he is distraught by this news.

Aziz Basic-Who Is The Third Murderer?

Aziz Basic

Mr. Breaton

ENG-2D1

September 28th, 2018

Who Is The Third Murderer?

During the night of the murder, there were only supposed to be two murderers. Right before the spotting of Banquo and Fleance, a mysterious person appears saying Macbeth sent them as well to help with the murder. Through thorough examination, I believe that Lady Macbeth is the third murderer. Lady Macbeth saw Banquo as a threat to their rule, she wanted to know what to be done with Banquo, and she shows she is willing to murder someone.

In act three, scene two, Lady Macbeth shows exasperation when talking to the servant about Banquo. “Nought’s had, all’s spent. Where our desire is got without content ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy Than, by destruction, dwell in doubtful joy” (III,ii,6-9). Lady Macbeth shows similar discontent as Macbeth shows when he enters the scene, it makes the audience wonder that Lady Macbeth also wants Banquo dead. Lady Macbeth is aware that Banquo began to presume it was Macbeth who murdered king Duncan. With Banquo knowing this, it poses a threat to their rule. With Lady Macbeth aware of this, it helps support that it she was the third murderer.  

During act three, scene two, Macbeth hints to Lady Macbeth that something terrible was going to occur to Banquo. Lady Macbeth was eager to know, but Macbeth does not tell her the plan. However, she shows she is willing to help with whatever was planned. “What’s to be done”(III,ii,49). At the beginning of the scene Lady Macbeth was told where Banquo was by the servant. Knowing Lady Macbeth she would want to go and make an assurance that whatever was planned it would not fail completely. As we saw during Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth went back to arrange the daggers in the proper place. She is always there to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Throughout the play, we learned many things about Lady Macbeth. One of the many things we learned about her is that she is willing to murder someone. If we look back on the night of king Duncan’s death, Lady Macbeth mentions “Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had done’t”(II,ii,16-17). She says that she would have murdered the king, but he looked like her father in his sleep. At this moment the audience sees that Lady Macbeth is willing to murder someone. With all of this in mind it makes the reader believe that Lady Macbeth is the perfect candidate for the murder of Banquo.

There are many candidates for the third murderer. With thorough investigation Lady Macbeth proves to be perfect due to her awareness of Banquo’s threat to their rule, wanting to know what to be done with Banquo, and her being willing to murder someone.

Works Cited

Roy, Ken, and William Shakespeare. Macbeth, Second Edition. Harcourt Canada, 2001.