Hecate, the goddess of witches, is pretty peeved that the three witches we met in Act I have been messing with Macbeth’s life—mainly because she thinks they’ve mucked it up. She tells them to meet with Macbeth in the morning, and they’ll tell him everything he wants to know about his future.
Macbeth finds out that Banquo has been murdered, but that his son has escaped. As Macbeth heads back to eat at his banquet table, he finds his seat has been taken by none other than the ghost of Banquo. He freaks out at the sight, and Lady Macbeth dismisses it as a momentary fit. When Macbeth tells her he sees Banquo’s ghost in his seat, she quietly tells Macbeth to be a man and get over his anxiety. After screaming at the ghost, he gathers himself and makes excuses to his guests, shooing everyone away from the banquet table.
Banquo’s murderers gather to carry out their hit. No sooner do Banquo and his son arrive on the scene than Banquo is killed. His son manages to escape, and the murderers head off to tell Macbeth what happened.
Lady Macbeth summons her husband to her, and the two of them have a heart to heart. They’re both pretty unhappy with their current situation—Lady Macbeth because getting what she wanted hasn’t stopped her worrying, and Macbeth because he’s afraid of what Banquo knows. He tells his wife he’s got a plan to handle the situation, but he doesn’t tell her he’s already put Banquo’s murder into motion. He doesn’t want her to wade any deeper into this mess.
Banquo is starting to wonder if Macbeth is up to no good. He even suspects (quite rightly) that Macbeth is the king’s murderer. After all, he witnessed the witches’ prophecy, so he knows what Macbeth stood to gain. When Macbeth, the newly crowned king, arrives on the scene with all his attendant lords—and his wife—Banquo plays nice and then promptly leaves. Left alone, Macbeth begins to worry out loud about Banquo. Macbeth knows he’s a good guy, but he also knows that Banquo heard the prophecy. He thinks Banquo might figure things out.
Ross, Macduff, and an old man discuss the recent goings-on in Scotland. They all agree that something awful is afoot. Macduff tells them that rumor has it Malcolm and Donalbain were the ones who hired the servants to kill Duncan. Everyone suspects them because they fled Scotland so quickly after the king died. He also tells them the latest news: Macbeth is king. But Macduff is not too keen on attending his coronation.
A porter hears knocking at the gate of Macbeth’s castle. It’s Macduff and Lennox, who have come to rouse Duncan. Macbeth arrives and tells them the king is still sleeping. Macduff heads off to wake the king, and promptly returns, screaming bloody murder. He wakes up the whole castle, including Lady Macbeth, who pretends to be shocked and horrified at the news. As planned, everyone suspects Duncan’s servants. Macbeth has gone to see the murder scene for himself, and when he comes back, he tells everyone that he’s killed the servants in a rather swift act of vengeance.
