PLANNING
Summary
In Act III, Macbeth plans to have Banquo and his son Fleance
murdered, so as to stop the witches’ prophecy that Banquo will
father a line of kings. The hired murderers kill Banquo, but Fleance
escapes. At a celebratory banquet, Macbeth—now the king—sees
the ghost of Banquo and begins to act erratically in front of his
thanes. Lady Macbeth ends the banquet early, but the thanes now
question Macbeth’s sanity and begin to turn against him. Macbeth
insists that he must see the witches again so he can be certain of
his future. Meanwhile, Macduff meets in England with Malcolm,
and the two men agree to join their forces to march on Macbeth
in Scotland.Whole Class learning
PerformanCe Task
In what ways does
Macbeth attempt to
control the future and
to bury the past?UniT PerformanCe-Based
assessmenT
What is the relationship
of human beings to time?essenTial QUesTion:
How do our attitudes
toward the past and
future shape our actions?The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act III
Connection to essential Question
Act III of the play connects to the Essential Question, “How do our
attitudes toward the past and future shape our actions?” Macbeth’s
new decision to murder Banquo and Fleance reflects his obsession
with controlling the future as well as his continuing moral and mental
degeneration. Macbeth declares that he will seek clarification of the
witches’ prophecies by visiting them the next day. This reveals his
continuing desire to control the future.Connection to Performance Tasks
Whole-Class Learning Performance Task In this Performance Task,
students will consider the question, “In what ways does Macbeth
attempt to control the future and to bury the past?” Students will
observe that Macbeth’s latest murders and his decision to seek out the
witches’ counsel are significant indicators of his continuing obsession
with controlling the future.Unit Performance-Based Assessment Students will note that in Act III,
Macbeth commits further acts of murder in an attempt to guarantee
that his reign will bear fruit and his heirs will rule Scotland. Macbeth’s
attempt to stop the witches’ prophecy concerning Banquo’s heirs reveals
his irrational belief that he can bend the future to his vision, even while
the witches’ foreknowledge of events may make it clear that he cannot.WHOLE-CLASS LEARNING • THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, ACT IIIinsight
In Act III, Macbeth’s drive to control his present and future reign
escalates as he decides to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. Students
will also see the insidious guilt that is eating at Macbeth’s conscience.
Macbeth’s vision of Banquo’s ghost plants seeds of doubt in the minds
of the other thanes, and these seeds will grow into rebellion against
Macbeth in future acts.aUdio sUmmaries
Audio summaries of Act III
of The Tragedy of Macbeth
are available online in both
English and Spanish in the
Interactive Teacher’s Edition or
Unit Resources. Assigning these
summaries prior to reading the
selection may help students
build additional background
knowledge and set a context for
their first read.296A UNIT 3 • FACING THE FUTURE, CONFRONTING THE PAST
LIT17_TE12_U03_A3_WC_INTER.indd 1 25/03/16 4:20 AM