Macbeth Act III Scene 2 Summary

Plot Summary / Story-line

Lady Macbeth expresses despair, stating that despite their achievement of the crown, something remains incomplete ("Naught's had; all's spent"). She sends a servant to summon Macbeth. Upon his arrival, Macbeth confesses that his mind is "full of scorpions" and that he is deeply discontented. He tells his wife of a "deed of dreadful note" planned for the evening but deliberately withholds specifics.

Macbeth instructs Lady Macbeth to be particularly kind and attentive to Banquo during the feast, encouraging him into a false sense of security before his murder. He urges her to mask her anxiety and maintain appearances. Lady Macbeth attempts to comfort her husband but recognizes that the murders have not brought the peace they anticipated.

Commentary on Act III, Scene ii

This scene reveals the psychological deterioration of both protagonists and the fundamental emptiness of their achievement. Lady Macbeth's opening lament ("Naught's had; all's spent") represents a crushing reversal from her earlier dominance—she now despairs as her husband grows more decisive and murderous.

The role reversal is complete: Macbeth now instructs her to dissemble and mask her emotions, echoing her earlier advice to "look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't." Her wishful statement, "What's done is done," reveals a dangerous illusion—she believes closure is possible, yet Macbeth's plans for Banquo and Fleance demonstrate that the cycle of violence has only begun.

The couple's inability to find contentment in the crown illustrates a central theme: ambition pursued without moral constraint creates an insatiable appetite for power and control. Neither can rest because their rule lacks legitimacy. The "scorpions" in Macbeth's mind symbolize the gnawing guilt and paranoia that will eventually consume him entirely.