The quote ‘fail not our feast’ is ironic because the audience have been discretely made aware that Macbeth intends to have Banquo murdered whilst he is out riding and will therefore not return for the feast.Īfter dismissing Banquo, Macbeth makes a rather bold and surprising decision to do the same with his wife, ‘Till supper time alone, while then God be with you.’ I believe this to be the point in the play where the tide turns. Shakespeare uses a combination of irony and flattery in his writing to hide the fact Macbeth is actually intensively interrogating Banquo, ‘fail not our feast’ and ‘Ride you this afternoon’ are two examples of this. Arguably for the very first time in the play, we witness the devious and crafty personality of Macbeth. Macbeth continues to take great interest in Macbeths proposed journey which causes the audience to suspect that Banquo might be in danger. He exposes a kinder, more inviting aspect to his personality by hosting a feast, ‘Tonight we hold a great feast and I’ll request your presence.’ The verb request is significant because it implies the invitational is optional, however I don’t believe anyone would turn down an offer from the King as there may be serious consequences. Shakespeare makes it clear that Macbeth is now king by altering slightly the way in which Macbeth behaves and addresses others. After all, she had finally achieved what she and her husband had always dreamt of, ‘My dearest partner of greatness.’ I imagine in this part of the scene Lady Macbeth’s introduction would have been very grand and regal as if she loved her new role. ‘ Shrewdly, they attempt to make Banquo feel important and well appreciated, ‘If he had been forgotten, it had been a big gap in our great feast.’ However this was all a big act, as the audience was about to find out. Proud to be in their new role, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth greet Banquo very majestically, ‘here’s our chief guest. Shakespeare made Macbeth solely responsible for Duncan’s murder when actually Banquo was an accomplice to the murder. Add this to the fact Shakespeare altered Holinshed’s version of events that were written years earlier then you could be mistaken for agreeing with the critics. The direct relation between Banquo and King James is hinted a few times during the play. Some critics argue that Shakespeare wrote Macbeth to flatter the new king. ‘ This line would have been of great interest to King James I as it suggests he is a descendant of Banquo. In the soliloquy there is also a reference to the witches’ predictions for Banquo’s descendants, ‘myself should be the root and father of many kings.
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