In Act III, Macbeth invites the members of his court to a
banquet. As he enters, he sees the bloody ghost of Banquo seated at the table. He is shocked and
terrorized by the sight. Knowing he himself had arranged for Banquo's murder, Macbeth attempts to
shift guilt by asking which of the others had "done this," meaning which of them had killed
Banquo. They, of course, are very confused because only Macbeth can see the ghost. Macbeth
continues, this time speaking directly to Banquo's ghost:
Thou canst not say I did it. Never
shake
Thy gory locks [bloody hair] at
me.
It is clear to everyone present
that Macbeth seems completely irrational. At this point, Ross tells the other guests to rise,
noting that Macbeth is "not well." In other words, he tries to end the banquet and direct
everyone to leave because Macbeth is acting so strangely.
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