Lee's Blog

His cloistered flight; ere, to black Hecate’s summons,
The shard-borne bettle, with his drowsy hums,
Hath rung night’s yawning peal, there shall be done
A deed of dreadful note!

She affects not to understand him–perhaps does not–and
she asks:

What’s to be done?

Macb. Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,
Till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night,
Skarf up the tender eye of pitiful day;
And, with thy bloody and invisible hand,
Cancel, and tear to pieces, that great bond
Which keeps me pale!–Light thickens; and the crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood;
Good things of day begin to droop and drowse;
While night’s black agents to their prey do rouse.
Thou marvel’st at my words: but hold thee still;
Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill:
So, prithee, go with me. [Exeunt.

In the next scene, the murderers, previously engaged
by Macbeth, waylay Banquo in the park as he is approaching
the castle, and kill him, his son Fleance and a servant
escaping. Then follows the banquet, Macbeth himself
moving about at first, and then he takes a seat at the table
lower down. One of the murderers comes in and whispers
to him what has been done. The stage direction is, “The
ghost of Banquo rises and sits in Macbeth’s place.” As no
one at the table but Macbeth sees this apparition, it might
be inferred that it is the force of his imagination which
presents the spectacle to him, as Lady Macbeth supposes,
when she says to him:

O proper stuff!
This is the very painting of your fear:
This is the air-drawn dagger, which, you said,
Led you to Duncan.

But the stage direction must be taken as a literal ap-*