Gardner Eager

Macbeth: The Banquo Encounter: Macbeth’s Last Chance

Although this scene is not one of the more important or gripping scenes in the play, the Dagger Scene still has purpose in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. This purpose is that this scene is the point when Macbeth makes his final decision to kill Duncan. Before he finally makes the decision to kill Duncan, he has to first confront Banquo and his own conscience. Banquo is being a friend to Macbeth and has an idea of what Macbeth is intending to do. He knows that this action is wrong, and so he tries to get Macbeth to bed. Macbeth is not convinced by Banquo’s insistence for Macbeth to go to bed. Banquo was Macbeth’s first chance in the scene to save himself from the path of destroying his soul. The second chance comes when Macbeth envisions a dagger which blocks his path to Duncan. Macbeth, instead of running away from the dagger, conquers his fear of it and uses his newfound courage to go and slay Duncan. This scene shows how Macbeth still has his soul, but he has the courage to set aside his conscience and proceed on the path of self-destruction.

As the first obstruction between Macbeth and Duncan, Banquo is trying to send Macbeth to bed in order that he might not kill Duncan. Banquo is Macbeth’s best friend and senses that something with Macbeth seems wrong. He has an idea that Macbeth is trying to kill Duncan. This visit by Duncan would be a perfect opportunity for Macbeth to kill Duncan. Banquo is perfectly aware of this fact and knows that killing Duncan would be the wrong thing to do. When Banquo and Fleance meet Macbeth in this scene, Banquo tries to get Macbeth to go to bed. Banquo tells Macbeth that everyone is going to be and so should he. Banquo also says that there is no danger to the king, so there is no reason for Macbeth to be prowling around his castle. Banquo gives a rational argument of why Macbeth should turn back before he completely corrupts his soul. Macbeth listens to what Banquo has to say, yet he has already set his mind towards the killing of Duncan. After their discussion Macbeth finally is able to send Banquo and Fleance to bed and proceeds towards Duncan’s chamber. It will take more than a rational argument to convince Macbeth not to kill Duncan.

The second obstruction that blocks the way of Macbeth is the dagger which appears before him. The dagger comes into vision after Banquo’s reasonable argument fails and he leaves defeated. The dagger appears because Macbeth’s conscience is trying to save him. If anyone were there to witness Macbeth’s banter amongst himself, they would consider him as insane. Macbeth knows that what he is about to do is wrong. This fact is known deep down in his sub conscience. It materializes into a dagger that blocks his way to Duncan so that Macbeth might be saved from destroying his soul. The soul wishes to survive so it will try anything that will keep Macbeth on the right path. Macbeth knows that the dagger is not real after he tries to grab it. Macbeth has to summon an immense amount of courage in order to pass the dagger and enter Duncan’s chamber. His conscience is having a civil war with his courage. This fact proves that Macbeth’s emotions are the most driving force that influences whatever decision he makes. Macbeth in an earlier scene had his manhood questioned by Lady Macbeth. He cannot bear this thought and tries to prove himself. With this in mind, Macbeth is able to kill Duncan and set on the path of him becoming a monster.

When his friend and conscience team up in order to save Macbeth from self destruction, Macbeth is able to pass by both obstacles and commence with his murder. This thereby proves how even Macbeth’s soul cannot save him from his fate. Macbeth is too driven to stop himself and to let Banquo stop him. Macbeth’s courage and insecurities contribute to how Macbeth can ignore his conscience and commit such a horrible crime. Clearly, Macbeth may still have factors which could prevent him from committing violent sins, yet his emotions are too strong of influences upon his judgement.

Trevor Davis—Banquo vs. Macbeth

Act 2, Scene 1 is a very, very important scene because it shows the visions Macbeth is seeing and, in the end, Macbeth kills King Duncan. This scene is the start of the loss of Macbeth’s morality and the start of Macbeth using an iron-fist to rule, like Machiavelli said one should do. Shakespeare uses this scene as a build up to Duncan’s murder. In the beginning, Banquo and Fleance who are both friends of Macbeth and know about the prophecy, are outside around 2 a.m. Macbeth walks out and Banquo gets scared, this shows that Banquo is wary about Macbeth. Banquo plays it off though and questions why Macbeth is still awake, “What, sir, not yet at rest? The king's a-bed (Act 2 Scene 1).” After Macbeth dismisses Fleance and Banquo (showing Macbeth’s dominance) he walks into the hallway and sees a floating dagger, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand, (Act 2 Scene 1)?”

This is the start of Macbeth losing his mind. The dagger floating also is the beginning of the killing of Duncan. The dagger appears to be floating in the air and is not real, but Macbeth does have one in his pocket, “As this which now I draw (Act 2 Scene 1).” The dagger is also moving in the air. The dagger is also floating towards Duncan’s chambers, Macbeth even says, “Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going; and such an instrument I was to use (Act 2 Scene 1).” If you go more in-depth into these two lines, it is obvious that Macbeth is going towards the room and therefore he has already committed to the murder, he is just performing the action. Macbeth was easily influenced in the scene, but the ironic this is that throughout the rest of the play, Macbeth does not take influence from anybody else. He makes his own decisions from now one, just like Machiavelli said a king should.

The scene really shows off Shakespeare’s ingenious ability to prove that Macbeth really only needed a small push to get him on his way to king. This “small push” is really the collapse of Macbeth’s moral rights and good standards. After this scene, Macbeth is a whole new man after the murder of Duncan as seen in the rest of the play.

Thanks to the dagger floating towards Duncan’s room and the collapse of what is right and what is wrong, Macbeth turns into a monster with no emotions, “I go, and it is done; the bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell (Act 2, Scene 1).”

Jim Hanley—Macbeth and the Dagger

In Act two Scene one Macbeth successfully suppresses his conscious. He has proven to himself that he has the courage to kill Duncan, allowing him to feel masculine. Prior to the scene Macbeth regarded Banquo as a friend but now must put on a friendly façade to avoid suspicion, “BANQUO: Who's there?

MACBETH: A friend,” (Shakespeare).

Macbeth’s vision of a dagger floating before Duncan’s door symbolizes Macbeth’s conscious decision to Macbeth. The vision also represents the virility that he will never possess, “MACBETH: I have thee not, and yet I see thee still,” (Shakespeare). If he does not kill Duncan he will live the rest of his life believing that he is a coward for allowing his emotions to overcome him because he is insecure about his masculinity. If he does kill Duncan he will not have any emotion at all, he will be incapable of loving his wife or producing children. Act two Scene one is where Macbeth makes the conscious decision to never be a man again. After this he lives off of the lives of those he murders, incapable of loving and incapable of being a man.

Carter Gray

The Dagger Scene

Throughout the play Macbeth, Shakespeare is trying to prove Machiavelli’s statement wrong. Machiavelli said that to be a good King, one must be able to do whatever it takes to provide good security for his people. Macbeth followed Machiavelli’s statement when he killed Duncan because Duncan was weak and he wasn’t a good King. The only way Macbeth could become King was if he took it from Duncan. If Machiavelli’s statement was true then Macbeth would have prospered as a King. Unfortunately, Macbeth did not fare well as King. The dagger scene defined the rest of the play because Macbeth wasn’t confident in himself when he killed Duncan and he wasn’t confident as King as well.

The dagger scene starts with Banquo and his son, Fleance, hanging out in a courtyard outside the castle, Inverness. They are hanging out when all of a sudden, Macbeth appears outside. Banquo has a feeling about Macbeth’s intentions, and he tries to hint to Macbeth that it isn’t worth it to kill Duncan. Banquo also fears the life of his son, because the witches said that Fleance would be King after Macbeth. However hard Banquo tries to change Macbeth’s mind, Macbeth tells Banquo to go to bed. “We would spend it in some words upon that business, if you would grant the time.” Macbeth wants Banquo to go to bed so that he can carry out the deed which is killing Duncan. Banquo decides it is probably wisest to stay friends with Macbeth, so he does what he is told and he goes to bed. Macbeth clearly isn’t himself in this scene, he isn’t confident and although he struggled with himself deciding what to do, he ended up killing King Duncan.

The dagger scene foreshadows the rest of the play because when Macbeth was able to rationalize murdering Duncan, he destroyed part of his soul. Throughout the rest of the play he continues to destroy his soul. The moment where he has definitely destroyed his soul was when he was able to clear his conscience of killing Banquo. Shakespeare rebuts Machiavelli’s statement by showing the progression of Macbeth throughout the play. At the beginning, Macbeth was honorable and a valiant man. At the end, he is paranoid and soulless. If Machiavelli’s statement was true then Macbeth would have prospered as a King. Instead, Macbeth gets killed and goes to hell because he committed too many murders.