The Situation:

Act III of Macbeth is where it all starts to come unravelled for our intrepid hero. He sends murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance, and then is almost immediately confronted by his BFF's ghost at a feast, which results in some enjoyably twitchy awkwardness.

It all seems fairly straightforward, except for one thing: the mysterious appearance of a third murderer in Act III sc iii. Once again, Shakespeare has decided to toy with us, and give us what seems to be an unsolvable puzzle: Who is the Third Murderer?

The interwebz will lead you to several suspects (Macbeth himself, Lady Mac, Lennox, Ross...one badly supported student essay online is certain that it's Macduff, and another fairly legitimate seeming article will suggest that he's not really a man at all, but the physical manifestation of Macbeth's paranoid willpower), so there's not much joy to be had in just Googling it. Guess you'll just have to hash it out amongst yourselves and make up your own mind.

The Assignment:

a) In an informally written blog post of about 500 words, choose a suspect for the Third Murderer and attempt to prove, using evidence from the play itself and your native wits, that your suspect is the most likely candidate.

b) Make specific references to the text (plot elements, speech patterns, quotations, etc.) to support your theory. You may also make reference to life, movies, other things you've read, etc., so long as it's relevant and supports your idea. Be sure to cite or quote your supporting material.

c) Finally, somewhere in your blog you must make a detailed comment about at least one classmate's posting, agreeing, disagreeing, or taking the discussion in a different direction.

*Include your NAME in the title of your entry.
**You may use graphics and images to help illustrate your points (Breaton loves some delicious memes).
***To make a new post, look in the top right corner of this blog page for a "New Post" button.

HEADS UP!
You may notice that there are a lot of people in this blog, and not necessarily folks from your class. That's because this is the first time I've invited two concurrent classes to the same blog for a giant cage-match discussion. So, you're not just competing against your own classmates, you're also in it against my other English class as well. Heh heh. Have fun!
Dig deep. Take no prisoners.

Thursday, 27 September 2018

The Third Murderer


Karina Tavernese
Breaton
ENG3U1-03
27 September 2018
The Third Murderer

While Banquo’s murderers are preparing to attack, they encounter a strange person that claims they were sent by Macbeth to help kill Banquo. After careful consideration I am certain that Macbeth is the third murderer. It is Macbeth’s unwillingness to tell Lady Macbeth his plan, his ability to travel at unbelievable speeds, and Banquo’s reaction to the attack that all lead to the belief that he is the third murderer.
Throughout the novel, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth always share their thoughts. However, in III.ii Macbeth refuses to share his plans; “What’s to be done?/Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,/Till thou applaud the deed.” (III.ii.49-51). The audience can definitely sense this strange change of tone, as Shakespeare is very clearly pointing out that something weird is going to occur. The fact that the audience is also unaware of Macbeth’s plan is very odd, since his character is often introspective and frequently shares what he is thinking. It is his peculiar behaviour that points to him being the third murderer.
In I.iv Macbeth hastily returns to his castle to prepare for Duncan’s visit. It is here that the audience discovers that Macbeth has the ability to ride very quickly. This explains how Macbeth can easily travel from his castle to where the murderers were waiting, as he certainly has the ability to surpass Banquo and Fleance’s comfortable pace. Why else would Shakespeare feel the need to mention his speed otherwise? It only makes sense that his speed is important if there is a need for it in the play.
It is often mentioned throughout the play that although Banquo is an amazing warrior, he is always second to Macbeth. This then begs the question of who could possibly be strong enough to kill Banquo? The answer is obviously Macbeth. Before Banquo dies he yells; “O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!/Thou mayst revenge. O slave!” (III.iii.25-6). By saying this, readers can assume that Banquo knows his killer and that it is Macbeth. If he wasn’t aware of who his killer was, Banquo would not have yelled “treachery”, as he would have not known who these men were. Macbeth’s betrayal reveals him to be the murderer.
The theme of death plays a major role in how relationships end in Macbeth. Macbeth killing Banquo is a perfect example. Since Macbeth is constantly worried about being caught, Macbeth chooses to save his own skin instead of giving Banquo the benefit of the doubt; “Thou know'st that Banquo, and his Fleance lives./But in them nature's copy's not eterne.” (III.ii.41-2). It can be predicted that more relationships will end in a similar manner by the end of the play because of Macbeth’s growing paranoia.
Murder and death are main themes of the play and it is evident that Macbeth is the third murderer. His behaviour is odd in that he doesn't speak of his plans even to his closest confidant, Lady Macbeth. Shakespeare feels the need to introduce a way for him to be the murderer through Macbeth’s speed. Finally, and most telling, are Banquo’s own words which indicate that he personally knows the killer.
While I appreciate the creativity behind Zaina's theory of Hecate being the third murderer, I have to disagree. She believes Hecate's intention was to prevent any further damage the Witches may cause, yet by killing Banquo, Hecate only adds fuel to the fire. Once Banquo is dead, Macbeth is in the worst state the audience has ever seen him in; “Ere we eat our meal in fear, and sleep/In the affliction of these terrible dreams/That shake us nightly: better be with the dead,” (III.ii.19-21). If Hecate was trying to help Macbeth, why would he think that he is better off dead? Another reason the third murderer is not Hecate is because Shakespeare did not write her character. It would have been impossible for the author to know that the goddess would later be written in. Even though it is a very interesting idea, I do not believe that Hecate is the third murderer.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Toronto: Nelson Education. Print.
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