Macbeth Group

Question:


fannyy90
Student
High School - 12th Grade

In Act 3 Scene 1, where Macbeth does a soliloquy, "To be thus is nothing, but be safely thus.." What does this soliloquy mean?

This is right before Macbeth speaks with the two murderers.

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Posted by fannyy90 on Monday October 29, 2007 at 5:44 PM and tagged with banquo, macbeth.

Answers:


  1. cmcqueeney Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Macbeth has become king as he aspired, but he fears that he is not safe as long as Banquo is alive. Banquo heard the prophesies of the witches and Macbeth thinks Banquo knows the king was murdered. He also talks about how the witches said Macbeth would be king, but they said Banquo would be father to kings, which would be considered better. At the end of the soliloquy, Macbeth realizes that if Banquo's sons are going to be the future kings, then Macbeth has committed murder for him. Macbeth benefits little from it.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/macbeth-text/3356

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    Posted by cmcqueeney on Monday October 29, 2007 at 6:10 PM

  2. prhodes
    prhodes Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Macbeth is saying that now that he is king, he finds that it is not the way he imagined it would be. (to be thus is nothing) Now that he's king, what he's focussing on is the fact that he does not feel safe in this position. In part, this is because of his guilty conscience - the fact that not only has he committed regicide (killed the king) to gain the throne, but also he does not have the right to claim the kingship. Duncan had named his successor (Malcolm) before his death, as he was entitled to do, and Shakespeare's audience believed the kingship was bestowed by God. So Macbeth was not entitled to the kingship on either count.

    Also, because of his own treachery, he distrusts other people, who may betray him. And he especially fears Banquo, who heard what the witches said, and who also was told his sons would succeed to the throne. Macbeth is now obsessing about the fact that he has damned himself to hell to attain the crown, and it won't even stay in his own family's hands.

    At the end of the speech we see that he has already decided to take matters into his own hands again - he has a plan to kill Banquo and his son.

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    Posted by prhodes on Monday October 29, 2007 at 6:18 PM

  3. hanumante
    hanumante Student
    College - Senior

    erthjrst

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    Posted by hanumante on Tuesday July 14, 2009 at 9:26 PM