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No Fear Translations of Shakespeare’s plays (along with audio!) and other classic works
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Act 3, Scene 1
Thou has it no king, Cawdor, Glamis, all.
As the weird women promised, and I fear
Thou played’st most foully for ‘t. Yet it was said
It should not stand in thy posterity,
But that myself should be the root and father
Of many kings. If there come truth from them –
As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine –
Why, by the verities on thee made good,
May they not be my oracles as well,
And set me up in hope? But hush, no more.
Here, in a soliloquy at the opening of Act 3, Scene 1, Banquo voices his suspicions of Macbeth and contemplates the predictions the witches made regarding Macbeth as well as himself in Act 1, Scene 3. Read more about this soliloquy in Quotes by Character: Banquo (the second quote).
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 feared. 'Tis much he dares,
And to that dauntless temper of his mind
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor
To act in safety. There is none but he
Whose being I do fear...
Macbeth speaks these lines in Act 3, Scene 1, a as he starts to perceive that keeping his crown will require just as much work as obtaining it. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Theme: The Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition (the fourth quote).
He chid the sisters
When first they put the name of king upon me
And bade them speak to him. Then, prophet-like,
They hailed him father to a line of kings.
Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown
And put a barren scepter in my grip,
Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand,
No son of mine succeeding.
In this comment to himself in Act 3, Scene 1, Macbeth contemplates how little his murderous actions have gained him, since despite being king, he has no heir. He speaks bitterly about the witches, who prophesied that Macbeth would be king but that the children of Banquo (the “he” Macbeth refers to in his speech) will rule in the future. Now that he is king, Macbeth finds this prophecy increasingly unsettling. Soon, this resentment will manifest itself in murderous rage.
If ’t be so,
For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind;
For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered,
Put rancors in the vessel of my peace
Only for them, and mine eternal jewel
Given to the common enemy of man
To make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings.
Macbeth utters this quote in the middle of a lengthy soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1. Throughout his soliloquy, the consequences of his murderous actions are weighing on him, as is the realization that being without a child and heir puts him and his kingdom in a difficult position politically. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Theme: The Role of Children in Political Struggles (the second quote).
Act 3, Scene 2
Nought’s had, all’s spent
Where our desire is got without content
In Act 3, Scene 2, Lady Macbeth uses these words to express her frustration over the fact that killing Duncan and usurping the throne hasn’t achieved hers or Macbeth’s hopes; instead, they are left unhappy, dissatisfied, and drowning in guilt over their treacherous actions.
Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,
Till thou applaud the deed
Macbeth says this to Lady Macbeth in Act 3, Scene 2, as he is preparing for the murder of Banquo. Unlike Duncan’s killing, which they planned together, Macbeth warns his wife that she’s better off not knowing what he is going to do next—although he’s confident she will praise him later for what he is about to do. He further diminishes Lady Macbeth by including the condescending phrase “dearest chuck” in this admonishment. At the time the play was written, “chuck” was a common term of affection.
Act 3, Scene 3
O treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!
Thou may’st revenge – O slave!
After being fatally wounded by Macbeth’s hired assassins in Act 3, Scene 3, with his dying words Banquo urges his son to escape so that he can one day revenge his death. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Character: Banquo (the third quote).
There’s but one down. The son is fled
After killing Banquo in Act 3, Scene 3, the three murderers hired by Macbeth to kill Banquo and his son Fleance have a conversation in which one of them confirms that they have failed to do the second part of their task, as Fleance has escaped.
