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Banquo's ghost.

Act 3 Scene 4 – Key Scene

In this scene, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth host a banquet for the Scottish thanes. A murderer tells Macbeth that he has been successful in killing Banquo, but that Fleance escaped. During the banquet, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo sitting at his place at the table. He is horrified. Lady Macbeth reassures the guests that it is a momentary fit and tells Macbeth to stop. The ghost disappears and Macbeth is calm. However, moments later, the ghost appears again. Macbeth is so distressed that Lady Macbeth tells the thanes to leave. Macbeth decides to visit the witches the next day.

You can take a look at the scene here. Using the following steps, remember to look at it line by line and if you’re looking at the scene for the first time, don’t worry if you don’t understand everything at once.

Take a look at the scene. What stage directions are there in the text? Who speaks the most? Actors at the RSC often put the language into their own words to help them understand what they are saying. We’ve added some definitions (in black), questions (in red) and paraphrased some sections (in green) to help with this. You can click on the text that is highlighted for extra guidance.

You, Banquo’s ghost, cannot accuse me of killing you.

What do you think Ross and the thanes think about Macbeth’s unexpected behaviour?

If you make a fuss of him, you will make things worse.

This question is directed at Macbeth. How public do you think this question is? How could you stage this question and the conversation that comes afterwards, without the thanes overhearing?

Ridiculous! This is all imaginary. This is exactly like when you had a vision of a dagger before you killed Duncan.

This feeling is completely unreal in comparison to real fears.

A fairy tale.

Macbeth is responding to the ghost’s movements. What do you think the ghost is doing? Can the audience see the ghost or is it all in his imagination?

If buried bodies rise, there will be no bones left in the graves - like in the stomach of a bird of prey.

Have you completely lost sense of who you are as a man, with your silliness?

  • Listen Read the scene aloud. Are there any words or lines that really stand out? What do you think are the key moments in this scene? What does it reveal about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as characters?

macbeth seeing ghost of banquo

Play scene in performance

Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost at the banquet.

Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost in the 1952 production of Macbeth.

Macbeth is startled by Banquo's ghost.

Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost in the 1946 production of Macbeth.

Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost.

Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost in the 1955 production of Macbeth.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth at the banquet.

Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost in the 1938 production of Macbeth.

Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost.

Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost in the 1996 production of Macbeth.

Banquo's Ghost is bathed in red behind a manic Macbeth.

Greg Hicks as Macbeth and Louis Hilyer as Banquo's ghost in the 2004 production of Macbeth.

Macbeth and Banquo's ghost in the 2007 production of Macbeth.

Macbeth and Banquo's ghost in the 2007 production of Macbeth.

Christopher Eccleston as Macbeth and Raphael Sowole as Banquo's ghost in the 2018 production of Macbeth.

Christopher Eccleston as Macbeth and Raphael Sowole as Banquo's ghost in the 2018 production of Macbeth.

Banquo's Ghost grabs Macbeth.

Macbeth and Banquo's ghost in the 2011 production of Macbeth.

macbeth seeing ghost of banquo

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The Folger Shakespeare

Macbeth - Act 3, scene 4

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Last updated: Fri, Jul 31, 2015

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Act 3, scene 4.

As Macbeth’s banquet begins, one of Banquo’s murderers appears at the door to tell Macbeth of Banquo’s death and Fleance’s escape. Returning to the table, Macbeth is confronted by Banquo’s ghost, invisible to all but Macbeth. While Lady Macbeth is able to dismiss as a momentary fit Macbeth’s expressions of horror at the ghost’s first appearance, the reappearance of the ghost and Macbeth’s outcries in response to it force Lady Macbeth to send all the guests away. Alone with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth resolves to meet the witches again. He foresees a future marked by further violence.

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macbeth seeing ghost of banquo

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Summary and Analysis Act III: Scene 4

At Forres, Macbeth and his wife welcome the thanes of Scotland to the banquet. Immediately prior to the feast, one of the murderers appears at a side door and reveals to Macbeth the truth about the mission: their success in the killing of Banquo and their failure to murder Fleance. Macbeth recomposes himself and returns to the table. As he raises a toast to his absent friend, he imagines he sees the ghost of Banquo. As with the ethereal dagger, the ghost of Banquo appears to come and go, propelling Macbeth into alternating fits of courage and despair. Lady Macbeth invites the thanes to depart and, once alone, tries one last time to soothe her husband. But Macbeth's paranoid mind is already on to the next murder, that of Macduff . To ascertain his future with greater certainty, he makes clear his intention to visit the Weird Sisters once more.

Macbeth's words and phrases to the thanes, such as "You know your own degrees" and "Both sides are even: here I'll sit i'th'midst" suggest a renewal of order and symmetry in Scotland, yet the audience knows that this is not the case. Both sides are not even, because Banquo is missing. Degree, or rank order, has been effectively perverted by Macbeth by his killing of the king and his usurpation of the throne. As in Act I, Scene 6, Lady Macbeth's words of introduction disguise her true feelings. Once again, the Macbeths act with suspicious confidence. This confidence is about to desert Macbeth, however, as his dark secret comes back to greet him in the form of the First Murderer.

At first, Macbeth is pleased with the murderer, telling him he is "the best," "the nonpareil" (without equal); moreover, Macbeth's own supposed invincibility is shown when he says that he feels "as broad and general as the casing air," but on hearing the unwelcome news that Fleance escaped his treachery, Macbeth's language abruptly changes: "But now I am cabin'd, cribbed, confin'd, bound in / To saucy doubts and fears" (25-26). The alliteration of the hard c sounds reveals Macbeth's sense of constraint, in contrast to the freedom which he claims to have enjoyed previously.

The imagery of confinement and constraint plays an increasing part in his language from now on. For example, these words foreshadow the point in Act V, Scene 7 when, recognizing that he is physically trapped by the advancing English army, Macbeth cries out, "They have tied me to a stake, I cannot fly" (flee). Now, though, something altogether more terrifying holds him down and prevents him from moving: In the very place reserved for him at the table, Macbeth sees, or thinks he sees, the spirit of the assassinated Banquo.

The rich banquet, a symbol of great orderliness and generosity, now becomes a hellish parody of itself. Instead of Macbeth sitting "in the midst," dispensing his largesse as he would wish, his throne has been usurped by the bloody apparition of his former friend. Macbeth's language reflects this change. The ghost, so hideous that it would "appall the devil," appears to have risen from a grave or a "charnel-house." Macbeth cannot understand why what is dead should "be alive again," when its bones should "be marrowless" and its blood "cold." Finally, he challenges the all-too-real apparition to "dare me to the desert with thy sword."

In contrast to the urgent horror of Macbeth's addresses to the gruesome apparition are moments of comparative calm. Each time the ghost vanishes, Macbeth's relief is recorded in softer, more lyrical expression: "Can such things be / And overcome us like a summer's cloud, / Without our special wonder?" (112-114). Indeed, the entire structure of this scene shows a man swinging from one state of mind to another, recalling the structure of the earlier dagger speech. Three times Macbeth sees the ghost, and three times he appears to recover his senses. This alternating structure adds strongly to the impression of Macbeth's loss of control.

Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, remains constant in her judgement. Unlike Macbeth, she cannot see the ghost, and her tone is typically pragmatic and down-to-earth: "When all's done, / You look but on a stool." She appears to want to calm his rages, but anger simmers beneath her conciliatory words. Once more she upbraids her husband for his apparent lack of manhood. A specific parallel with the murder scene occurs when Macbeth accuses his wife of being able to "keep the natural ruby of your cheeks, / When mine is blanched (whitened) with fear" (116-117). Here, the words "ruby" and "blanched" clearly recall the distinction that Lady Macbeth made between the "red" hands of murder and the "white" heart of a coward (II: 2, 64).

With the departure of the guests, Macbeth appears to regain some of his earlier self-confidence. He announces his decision to visit the Weird Sisters once more, this time of his own accord. His language in this coda to the banquet scene is mysterious and prophetic: The short scene is dominated by the repeated word "blood" and by the idea that a tide of murder has now been initiated which Macbeth is powerless to stop.

The feast . . . ceremony (35) Banquets which are given freely are made more attractive by the "sauce" of ceremony.

roofed (35) surmounted

flaws and starts (62) outbursts

become (63) suit

authoriz'd (65) written

maws (72) appetites

gentle weal (75) noble commonwealth

speculation (94) eyesight

protest me (104) claim that I am

disposition . . . owe (112) my own human nature, courage

augurs. . . blood (123) Prophecies have (in the past) revealed even the most well-hidden murders

magot-pies (124) magpies

fee'd (131) paid

wants (142) requires

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macbeth seeing ghost of banquo

Macbeth finds out that Banquo has been murdered, but that his son has escaped. As Macbeth heads back to eat at his banquet table, he finds his seat has been taken by none other than the ghost of Banquo. He freaks out at the sight, and Lady Macbeth dismisses it as a momentary fit. When Macbeth tells her he sees Banquo’s ghost in his seat, she quietly tells Macbeth to be a man and get over his anxiety. After screaming at the ghost, he gathers himself and makes excuses to his guests, shooing everyone away from the banquet table. Left alone with his wife, Macbeth tells her he’s terrified of the consequences of his evil deeds. He wants to meet with the witches again, to figure out what else lies in store. Nothing good, he thinks.

You all know your places, so please have a seat. From the highest rank to the lowest, I give you a hearty welcome.

Thanks to your majesty.

I will sit among you and act as the humble host. Our hostess will stay in her seat of honor, but when the time is right, she will welcome you also.

Lady Macbeth

Sir, welcome all our friends for me; for they’re welcome in my heart.

Look, they respond to you with their heart’s thanks. The table is full on both sides, so I’ll sit here in the middle. Everyone have a great time, we’ll soon have a toast all around the table!

There's blood on your face.

First Murderer

Then it’s Banquo’s.

Better on the outside of you than on the inside of him. Is he finished off?

My lord, his throat is cut. I did that to him.

You’re the best of the cut-throats. But it would be great if someone did the same to Fleance. If it was either of you, you are without equal.

Most royal sir, Fleance has escaped.

Oh God, there comes my fear back again. If it wasn’t for this I’d be perfectly fine, solid as marble, grounded as rocks, as free and easy as the air around us. But now I’m cramped and confined and all boxed in by unruly fears. But Banquo’s dead for sure?

Yes, my good lord. He’s surely lying in a ditch with twenty deep gashes in his head. The least of those would have killed him.

Thanks for that, at least the grown serpent lies dead. The young snake that ran away will eventually have poison, but right now he has no teeth. Get out of here. Tomorrow we’ll talk again.

My royal lord, you haven’t given a toast. If you don’t make them feel welcome during the feast, the guests will feel like they’re paying for feasting here. If all they’re doing is eating they might as well be at home.  Company is the special sauce that makes feasts worthwhile.  Dining together would be bland without company.

Sweet of you to remind me! Now, let’s drink to good digestion, and good appetite that precedes it... and to good health, which comes from both!

Please have a seat, your highness!

We would have every nobleman in the country under our roof, if only gracious Banquo had come. I hope I can accuse him of rudeness for being late, rather than pity him for some accident.

I think you can blame his absence on him, sir, since he promised to be here. He promised to come. Your highness, please sit and grace us with your royal company.

The table's full.

Here is a place for you, sir.

Here, my good lord. What’s disturbing your highness?

Which of you has done this?

What, my good lord?

You can’t say I did it. Don’t shake your bloody hair at me.

Gentlemen, let’s get up. His highness is not feeling well.

Please sit, my worthy friends.

My husband is often like this and he’s been this way since he was young. Please, stay seated. It’s a momentary fit, he’ll be fine in a second. If you pay attention to it, you’ll make it worse and it will last longer. Just eat, and ignore him. [To Macbeth] Are you a man?

Yes, in fact, a brave one, since I dare to look at a thing that would scare the Devil.

Oh what nonsense! This is your fear making you see things. This is like the dagger in the air which you said led you to Duncan. These outbursts of yours aren’t fears of real things, more like old wive’s tales. Shame on you! Why are you making faces like that? You’re just looking at an empty chair when all’s said and done

Has your madness made you no longer a man?

As sure as I’m standing here, I saw him.

Oh, for shame!

In the old days, back before laws made us civilized, blood was often shed. Since then too, murders too terrible to describe have been committed. It used to be that once a man’s brains were dashed out, he was dead, and that was the end. But now the dead rise again, even with twenty fatal gashes in their heads, and push us off our chairs! This is much stranger than any murder.

My worthy lord, your noble friends miss you.

I forget. Don’t worry yourselves about me, worthy friends, I have a strange illness, which is not a big deal to those who know me well. Come, let’s drink to love and health for all! Then I’ll sit down. Give me some wine and fill my glass full. I drink to the general happiness of the whole table, and to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss. I wish he were here! To everyone!  And to Banquo! Drink, everyone!

To our duty, and your toast!

Go away, get out of my sight! Get back into the ground! Your bones have no marrow, your blood is cold. There’s no vision in those eyes glaring at me!

Fellow nobles, think of this as something ordinary, nothing more, although it does rather ruin the evening.

I’ll do whatever any man is brave enough to do. Come at me like a Russian bear, or an armored rhinoceros, or an Asian tiger. Take on any shape but that one, and my nerves will never budge! Or just be alive again, and challenge me to get what I deserve from your sword.

If I’m trembling in fear, then call me a little girl. Get away, horrible ghost! You mockery of reality, get out of here!

Why, now that he’s gone, I’m a man again. Please, everyone, stay here.

Can things like this happen and no one act surprised? It overshadowed this party like a cloud in summer. You make me feel like I’m not my normal self, now that I realize you can see things like that and keep your composure while I go pale with fear.

What things, my lord?

Please don’t talk to him. He’s getting worse and worse. All these questions are just making him angry. Good night to everyone, right now. No need to leave according to your social rank - just go quickly.

Good night, and I hope his majesty is in better health soon!

A kind good night to all of you!

“Blood will have blood”, as they say.  Blood will have blood. They say rocks have been known to move and trees have spoken. Man’s bloodiest secrets have been shown by omens in magpies and crows. What time is it?

It’s right at the divide between night and morning.

What do you think of Macduff not coming as requested?

Did you send for him, sir?

I heard about this from others, but I will send for him. I have servants paid to spy in every one of their houses. Tomorrow - and early -  I’ll go to the witches. They must tell me more, I’m determined to know the worst by their evil means. For my own good, everything else has to give way. I’m so deep in this bloodshed that if I stopped this business now, going back would be as difficult as continuing all the way. I have strange things in my head that must be done, and they should be done before I think them through.

You really need some sleep.

Come, let’s go to bed. This strange behavior comes from beginner’s fears that will fade in time.  We’re still quite inexperienced in murder.

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English Summary

Notes on Ghost of Banquo in Macbeth by Shakespeare

Back to: Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Banquo, a general in King Duncan’s army and a friend of Macbeth serve as a contrasting character to Macbeth. In the play, he is introduced to us in the same scene alongside Macbeth and he also sees and receives a prophecy from the three witches at the same time.

But the effect on both of them is dramatically different. Macbeth’s evil is sharply demarked in comparison to the clear conscience of Banquo.

He warns Macbeth after listening to the prophecies by the three witches that “ oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray us. ”

He revolts against the possibility of any such things even in his thoughts. Knowing that his coming generation will be comprised of kings doesn’t spring him into action the way it does in Macbeth. 

Banquo is a righteous father and asks for no aid to any hint of ambition which curiously comes to him after listening to the prophecy. He says to the witches that he “ neither beg nor fear your favours nor your hate. ”

We eventually sympathise with him because of the way he dies without any foreknowledge of his own death while coming to attend the banquet organised by his own murderer.

There is a suggestion in the play to his knowledge regarding misdeeds done by Macbeth when in the Act III Scene 1 he says to Macbeth that “ Thou hast it now, King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, As the weird women promised, and, I fear, Thou play’dst most foully for’t. ”

Significance of Banquo’s Ghost

In an archetypal way, after Banquo’s cold murder, his spirit seems to have transcended his mortal death. At the table, it’s only Macbeth who is able to see him. This dramatic situation reveals the paranoia running under the maintained grandeur of Macbeth.

When Macbeth comes across the witches later alone, to mislead him they show him certain apparitions and a vision of Banquo walking with a mirror next to eight other descendants.

The play is supposedly believed to be performed under the watch of King James to whom Shakespeare’s allegiance was true. King James was in the ninth generation of descendants of Banquo, the historical character hence those eight descendants in the first vision of Macbeth regarding Banquo’s Ghost

Banquo’s Ghost at the banquet table is a subversive attack on the composure of Macbeth. It disarms him of what he manages himself to be and aims at his vulnerability otherwise saved by Lady Macbeth .

It marks the solid return of Macbeth’s conscience, the beginning of his critical suffering for the evil deeds done by him. In a symbolic way, Shakespeare positions him in the very seat of Macbeth which is Macbeth’s greatest fear.

It dismantles his hardly maintained sanity. When Ghost exits finally, Macbeth cries “ why, so. Being gone, I am a man again. ” In the play, Banquo’s Ghost marks a critical juncture. 

The time which Macbeth is supposed to celebrate ironically marks his descend towards his final disintegration and defeat. Banquo’s Ghost reminds Macbeth of everything which he possibly wants to avoid from the bloody past and a future which he fearfully imagines. 

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COMMENTS

  1. Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4

    1. degrees, ranks. 1, 2. at first And last, from the beginning to the end of the feast, once for all. 3. Ourself, we (the royal plural). 5. keeps her state, remains in her throne; the "state" meant originally the canopy over the chair in which a king sat. 6. require, ask for.

  2. Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4

    During the banquet, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo sitting at his place at the table. He is horrified. Lady Macbeth reassures the guests that it is a momentary fit and tells Macbeth to stop. The ghost disappears and Macbeth is calm. However, moments later, the ghost appears again.

  3. Macbeth Act 3: Scenes 4-6 Summary & Analysis

    Analysis: Act 3: Scenes 4-6. Throughout Macbeth, as in many of Shakespeare's tragedies, the supernatural and the unnatural appear in grotesque form as harbingers of wickedness, moral corruption, and downfall. Here, the appearance of Banquo's silent ghost, the reappearance of the witches, and the introduction of the goddess Hecate all ...

  4. What is the importance of Banquo's ghost in Macbeth

    Cite The appearance of Banquo 's ghost reminds us that Macbeth, despite his absolute power, isn't enjoying life as king of Scotland. A basically decent man brought low by overweening...

  5. Macbeth

    Synopsis: As Macbeth's banquet begins, one of Banquo's murderers appears at the door to tell Macbeth of Banquo's death and Fleance's escape. Returning to the table, Macbeth is confronted by Banquo's ghost, invisible to all but Macbeth.

  6. What effect does Banquo's ghost have on Macbeth?

    Curt Southern | Certified Educator Share Cite After learning that his assassins murdered Banquo but allowed Fleance to escape, Macbeth experiences feelings of uncertainty and fear before he...

  7. How does Macbeth handle his behavior after seeing Banquo's ghost at the

    In act 3, scene 4, Macbeth attends a banquet with his Scottish lords and sees Banquo 's ghost. When Lennox asks Macbeth to have a seat, Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost for the first time...

  8. Macbeth: Summary & Analysis Act III Scene 4

    Summary and Analysis Act III: Scene 4. Summary. At Forres, Macbeth and his wife welcome the thanes of Scotland to the banquet. Immediately prior to the feast, one of the murderers appears at a side door and reveals to Macbeth the truth about the mission: their success in the killing of Banquo and their failure to murder Fleance.

  9. Macbeth Navigator: Summary of Act 3, Scene 4

    Page Index: Enter Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Ross, Lennox, Lords, and Attendants. —Macbeth and Lady Macbeth welcome the guests to their royal banquet. First Murderer appears at the door. —Macbeth hears from First Murderer that Banquo is dead, but Fleance has escaped. Enter the Ghost of Banquo and sits in Macbeth's place.

  10. Act 3, Scene 4: Full Scene Modern English

    Macbeth. Act 3, Scene 4. Macbeth finds out that Banquo has been murdered, but that his son has escaped. As Macbeth heads back to eat at his banquet table, he finds his seat has been taken by none other than the ghost of Banquo. He freaks out at the sight, and Lady Macbeth dismisses it as a momentary fit.

  11. Shakespeare's Macbeth

    Key points Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare that tells the story of a Scottish nobleman called Macbeth. At the start of the play, Banquo is Macbeth's friend and is also a general in...

  12. William Shakespeare

    The First Murderer appears during a royal banquet to inform Macbeth that Banquo is dead, Fleance escaped. As Macbeth returns to the table, the Ghost of Banquo appears and sits in his chair.

  13. Act III Scene 4: Banquo's ghost Summary Macbeth (Grades 9-1)

    Overview Study [ Add note to page Act III Scene 4: Banquo's ghost Summary Macbeth welcomes various guests to his banquet. The first murderer appears and Macbeth steps aside to speak with him. The murderer tells Macbeth that Banquo is dead, but that Fleance escaped. Macbeth is disturbed.

  14. Act III Scene 4: Banquo's ghost Why is this scene important? Macbeth

    It ironically foreshadows the future: Banquo's ghost occupies Macbeth's seat, as his descendants will occupy his throne - and 'push us from our stools' (line 82). It marks the beginning of the decline of Macbeth's rule and power: he cannot keep calm on this important occasion of state, and almost reveals his guilt.

  15. Banquo Character Analysis in Macbeth

    The Three Witches Banquo Macduff King Duncan Malcolm Literary Devices Themes Motifs Symbols Protagonist Antagonist Setting Genre Allusions Style Point of View Tone Foreshadowing Metaphors & Similes Questions & Answers Are the Witches in Macbeth real? Did Macbeth always want to be king? Why does Macbeth think the Witches want to help him?

  16. What are two reasons for the importance of Banquo's ghost in Macbeth

    Banquo's ghost appears in act 3, scene 4, and sits down in Macbeth's place. The fact that Banquo's ghost chooses to sit in the king's seat is significant because it foreshadows how Banquo's ...

  17. Ghost of Banquo in Macbeth

    Banquo's Ghost at the banquet table is a subversive attack on the composure of Macbeth. It disarms him of what he manages himself to be and aims at his vulnerability otherwise saved by Lady Macbeth. It marks the solid return of Macbeth's conscience, the beginning of his critical suffering for the evil deeds done by him.

  18. Macbeth Navigator: Characters: Banquo, Scottish general

    Macbeth betrays his fear, and the ghost leaves, only to return when Macbeth proposes a toast to his good friend Banquo. [ Detailed Scene Summary ] In the course of a sarcastic commentary on Macbeth's version of recent events, Lennox says to another Lord, "And the right-valiant Banquo walk'd too late; / Whom, you may say, if't please you ...

  19. KS2 English: Macbeth. 5. A trap for Banquo

    Lady Macbeth beckons him back to the table but when Macbeth returns he sees his place filled by the ghostly spectre of Banquo. Lady Macbeth manages to convince Macbeth that he is merely...

  20. Banquo

    Banquo's ghost returns in a later scene, causing Macbeth to react with alarm in public during a feast. Shakespeare borrowed the character Banquo from Holinshed's Chronicles, a history of Britain published by Raphael Holinshed in 1587.

  21. What was Lady Macbeth's reaction to Macbeth seeing Banquo's ghost and

    Lady Macbeth's reaction to Macbeth's seeing Banquo's ghost is to immediately cover up her husband's hallucinations. Lady Macbeth recalls the "air-drawn dagger" that Macbeth claimed to...

  22. Is Banquo's ghost real or a figment of Macbeth's imagination?

    The evidence in the play suggests that the ghost of Banquo is Macbeth 's hallucination. Consider the events leading up to the appearance of the ghost. Macbeth marks Banquo and his son...

  23. What is the significance of the eight kings shown to Macbeth?

    Expert Answers. The significance of the parade of eight kings revealed to Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth Act 4.1 is that it demonstrates that Banquo 's heirs will rule Scotland, not Macbeth's ...