This scene serves as a crucial turning point in the play's political structure, marking the moment when opposition to Macbeth's rule becomes organized and international. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony extensively through Lennox's speeches, as his apparent praise of Macbeth is clearly sarcastic to both the audience and the other lord. The heavy irony in phrases like "gracious Duncan was pitied of Macbeth. Marry, he was dead" reveals how transparent Macbeth's guilt has become to his subjects.The juxtaposition between Scotland under Macbeth's "accursed hand" and England under the "pious Edward" reinforces the play's exploration of legitimate versus illegitimate rule. The lord's description of what they hope to restore—"meat to our tables," "sleep to our beds," "sweet dreams to our nights"—uses concrete, domestic imagery to show how tyranny disrupts the most basic aspects of civilized life. This connects to the broader theme of how political corruption infects every level of society.Shakespeare also develops the theme of surveillance and fear in tyrannical states. The cautious, indirect way both men speak—Lennox's ironic circumlocutions and the lord's careful explanations—demonstrates how subjects must communicate in code under a paranoid ruler. The scene's brevity and the characters' quick exit emphasize the danger of such conversations.The religious language...
Scene Summary
In this brief but crucial scene, Lennox speaks with another Scottish lord about the current state of affairs under Macbeth's rule. Lennox uses heavy sarcasm and irony to express his true feelings about Macbeth's actions, calling him "pious" while clearly believing him to be a murderer. The lord reveals that Malcolm is living safely in the English court under King Edward's protection, and that Macduff has gone to England to seek military aid from Northumberland and Siward to overthrow Macbeth.
The conversation reveals that Macbeth has summoned Macduff, but Macduff refused to come, sending back a blunt refusal that has put him in danger. Both men pray for England's swift response to help free Scotland from Macbeth's tyrannical rule. This scene establishes that organized resistance to Macbeth is forming, with Malcolm and Macduff working together to gather foreign support.
"Things have been strangely borne. The gracious Duncan / Was pitied of Macbeth. Marry, he was dead." — Lennox (3.6.3-4)
"Was not that nobly done? Ay, and wisely, too, / For 'twould have angered any heart alive / To hear the men deny 't." — Lennox (3.6.14-16)
"But peace, for from broad words, and 'cause he failed / His presence at the tyrant's feast, I hear / Macduff lives in disgrace." — Lennox (3.6.21-23)
"Give to our tables meat, our altars incense, / Our beds sleep, our free hearts rest" — Lord (3.6.33-34)
"Some holy angel / Fly to the court of England and unfold / His message ere he come, that a swift blessing / May soon return to this our suffering country / Under a hand accursed!" — Lennox (3.6.45-49)
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