Macbeth · Chapter
Scene III explained
Three murderers, one sent by Macbeth, ambush Banquo and Fleance near the palace.
What happens
Three murderers, one sent by Macbeth, ambush Banquo and Fleance near the palace. Banquo is killed, but Fleance escapes, thwarting the murderers' plan to eliminate both.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This scene marks the dramatic climax because it presents the definitive psychological and strategic turning po…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Violence and Masculinity
The murderers' cold-blooded attack on Banquo demonstrates how violence is used as a tool to assert power and eliminate threats, a key aspect of Macbeth's tyrannical rule.
- Fate vs. Free Will
Fleance's escape introduces uncertainty into the witches' prophecy that Banquo's descendants will be kings, suggesting that human actions can alter the course of fate.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge. O slave!”
Betrayed! Run, Fleance, run! You can avenge me someday. Oh, villain!
Banquo's dying cry reveals his awareness of the betrayal and his hope that Fleance will survive to seek retribution.
“We have lost Best half of our affair.”
We've failed in the most important part of our mission.
The second murderer acknowledges that letting Fleance escape undermines the purpose of the attack, as the prophecy about Banquo's heirs remains unfulfilled.
