Banquo dies but Fleance escapes, and when the murderer arrives to tell Macbeth, the first thing Macbeth notices is "There's blood on your face" (III, 4, 13). This point is both a step forward and a step back for Macbeth; his former friend Banquo is dead, removing a source of suspicion, but Banquo's son lives, ready for revenge. The blood Macbeth sees on the murderer's face reflects both his rise to power and his fall from grace.

Before this scene, however, Macbeth murders King Duncan. He almost does not go through with it, but for Lady Macbeth convincing him first that he is no man if he does not, and second by outlining how they'll get away with it: "what not put upon / His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt" (1, 7, 70-1). The word "spongy" refers both to the fact that they are going to get the...
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