What Is Macbeth’s Plan For Killing Banquo And Fleance? | Why

Macbeth hires paid killers to ambush Banquo during a night ride and orders Fleance killed too, aiming to erase a rival bloodline.

Macbeth doesn’t go after Banquo and Fleance on a whim. By Act 3, he has the crown, yet he can’t rest. The Weird Sisters’ prophecy still stings: Banquo may father kings while Macbeth’s line may end.

That fear pushes Macbeth from one hidden murder to a repeat tactic: solve threats with blades in the dark. Banquo and his son become the next targets he thinks he can remove without being tied to the crime.

Why Banquo And Fleance Become Targets

Banquo knows too much. He heard the prophecies beside Macbeth. He watched Macbeth rise fast after Duncan’s death. Banquo stays quiet in public, but he’s alert, and Macbeth can see it.

Fleance matters for a colder reason. The prophecy points toward Banquo’s heirs on the throne. Macbeth can’t strike a “future king” that isn’t born yet, so he tries to cut the line at the source: father and son, same night.

Macbeth’s logic is cruel but clear. If Banquo dies, a respected noble and steady ally is gone. If Fleance dies too, Macbeth thinks the threat ends for good. That second part is where his plan breaks.

What Is Macbeth’s Plan For Killing Banquo And Fleance? In Plain Steps

Macbeth’s method looks simple: hire killers, stay clean, then act shocked when news arrives. Under the surface, he stacks small moves that protect him if anyone asks questions.

Step 1: Confirm The Schedule

Macbeth begins with timing. He invites Banquo to a royal feast, then asks about Banquo’s plans for the evening. Banquo says he’ll be out riding and that Fleance will be with him.

That answer creates the opening. Banquo will be on the road at night, away from the crowd, then expected back for the banquet. If he never returns, people can blame the road, not the king.

Step 2: Recruit Killers With A Grudge Story

Macbeth picks men on the edge and feeds them a story: Banquo is the reason they’re poor, ignored, and shut out. He paints Banquo as the man who “wronged” them.

The point isn’t truth. It’s pressure. If the killers feel personally wronged, they’re less likely to hesitate. They also won’t speak like hired hands later, which helps Macbeth.

Step 3: Keep Lady Macbeth Out Of The Loop

Macbeth plans this murder alone. He doesn’t tell his wife the details. Early on, they act as a team. Now Macbeth hides the plan to keep the circle small and to keep full control.

This secrecy shows a shift in how Macbeth rules. He stops seeking approval and starts acting like the crown gives him the right to decide in private.

Step 4: Order A Double Killing

Macbeth tells the killers to strike Banquo, then adds the harder command: Fleance must die as well. He treats the boy as an extension of Banquo, not as a separate life.

That detail matters for the question you’re answering. Macbeth’s plan is not only “kill Banquo.” It is “kill Banquo and Fleance,” in the same attack, with no survivor who can carry the bloodline forward.

Step 5: Use Night And Confusion As A Shield

The killers wait near the palace as daylight fades. They bring a torch so they can pick out the riders at the last second. Banquo and Fleance arrive with a servant, and the assault starts fast.

Act 3, Scene 3 shows the ambush and the surprise addition of a third murderer. In that scene, the third man admits Macbeth sent him, a hint that Macbeth wants the hit tightly controlled. Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 3.

Step 6: Wait At The Banquet With A Clean Face

Macbeth’s plan includes what comes after the killing. He plans to sit at his feast, greet nobles, and let the murderers report back quietly. If Banquo is dead, Macbeth can act surprised in public.

This is why Macbeth doesn’t swing the blade himself. He wants distance. Distance lets him deny involvement and keep his public mask of “rightful king.”

Macbeth’s Plan To Kill Banquo And Fleance At Night: What He Sets Up

When teachers ask about Macbeth’s “plan,” they often want more than “he hires murderers.” They want the moving parts: the logic, the setup, and the weak points.

Macbeth builds the plan around three ideas. First, Banquo will be on the road at night, which cuts down witnesses. Second, outsiders will do the killing, which shields Macbeth. Third, killing Fleance blocks the prophecy from becoming real.

He adds a quieter layer: control of information. He hosts the banquet, asks about the ride, releases Banquo from court, and stays behind to “prepare” for guests. That pattern makes the ambush feel like bad luck, not a royal order.

Still, the plan has cracks. It depends on a fast, clean hit in poor light. It depends on the killers staying calm. It depends on Fleance being close enough to catch. Macbeth bets on all of that at once.

Plan Piece	Where You See It	What It Does For Macbeth
Banquet invitation	Act 3, Scene 1	Makes Banquo’s absence noticeable, not strange
Questions about the evening ride	Act 3, Scene 1	Locks in timing and confirms Fleance will be there
Recruiting two killers	Act 3, Scene 1	Outsources violence and limits direct blame
Grudge narrative	Act 3, Scene 1	Pushes the men to act without pity
Order to kill Fleance	Act 3, Scene 1	Tries to cut off Banquo’s line
Third murderer added	Act 3, Scene 3	Keeps the hit under Macbeth’s eye at a distance
Night ambush with torch	Act 3, Scene 3	Uses darkness to reduce witnesses and raise panic
Report at the banquet door	Act 3, Scene 4	Gives Macbeth news without a public scene

What Happens In The Ambush

On the road, Banquo remarks on the night and the weather. Then the killers rush in. They hit Banquo first, which matches Macbeth’s priority: remove the adult who can question him at court.

Banquo’s last act is telling Fleance to run. That line flips Macbeth’s plan. Fleance slips away in the confusion, and the killers lose him. They still take Banquo’s body, but Macbeth wanted two deaths, not one.

Fleance’s escape keeps the prophecy alive and keeps Macbeth’s fear alive. It also means a living witness exists: someone who knows his father was attacked after leaving Macbeth’s court for the evening.

Why Macbeth Adds A Third Murderer

Act 3, Scene 3 opens with a surprise: a third man arrives. When the others ask who sent him, he answers, “Macbeth.” Macbeth doesn’t trust the first two men to finish the job, or he doesn’t trust them to stay quiet, or both.

The third murderer changes the feel of the plan. Macbeth is no longer only ordering a crime. He is managing it. He wants tighter control, and that need shows how quickly he stops trusting anyone.

The Story Macbeth Wants The Court To Believe

Macbeth needs a public story that fits the setting. A night ride is risky. Roads are dark. Scotland is tense after Duncan’s death. So Macbeth wants it to sound like random violence, not a targeted hit.

That’s why the banquet matters. Banquo is expected. When he doesn’t arrive, Macbeth can ask where he is in front of nobles, then accept a vague answer that points away from himself.

That story crumbles when the killers report the truth Macbeth dreads: Fleance escaped. Banquo’s death can be pushed behind a story. Fleance’s survival means the job is unfinished, and Macbeth knows it.

How The Failed Plan Pushes The Plot In Act 3

Macbeth hears the news at the feast. He learns Banquo is dead. Then he hears the name he didn’t want to hear: Fleance lives. He tries to keep hosting, but his mind is already racing.

The play then shows fallout that ties straight back to the plan. Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost at the banquet. The nobles see a king who can’t keep steady. Lady Macbeth tries to smooth it over, but the damage sticks.

Macbeth’s answer is more violence. If one secret killing didn’t buy safety, he’ll stack more killings. That arc is why Banquo and Fleance matter: their ambush is the hinge where Macbeth turns from one hidden crime into a pattern of rule by fear.

Quiz Or Essay Angle	Evidence To Use	Fast Point To Make
Macbeth’s motive	Prophecy about Banquo’s heirs; Banquo’s suspicion	Macbeth fears Banquo as both witness and rival line.
Why Fleance is targeted	Macbeth orders the son killed too	Fleance is the link to a future crown Macbeth can’t control.
How the plan works	Hiring killers; ambush on the road at night	Macbeth uses others to kill while he stays in public view.
What fails	Fleance escapes during the attack	The second target survives and can vanish.
Why the third murderer matters	Third man says Macbeth sent him	Macbeth tightens control because trust is gone.
How it links to the banquet	Murderer reports at the door; ghost appears	News of the ambush triggers Macbeth’s public collapse.

Lines And Moments That Help In Writing

If you’re writing about Macbeth’s plan, pick lines that show intention and method, not only the killing. Act 3, Scene 1 gives you Macbeth shifting from polite host to planner, with his fear of Banquo’s heirs close to the surface.

Then use the quick exchange in Act 3, Scene 3 where the third murderer is questioned about who sent him. It’s brief, but it shows Macbeth’s reach into the crime. Add Banquo’s final shout telling Fleance to run, since it marks the instant the plan fails in action.

One more anchor sits in Act 3, Scene 4 when Macbeth learns Fleance escaped. His reaction shows why this murder doesn’t calm him. It feeds the fear that drives the rest of the play.

How To Talk About The Plan In Class

A clean way to explain the plan out loud is to split it into motive and mechanics. Motive: Macbeth fears the prophecy and fears Banquo as a witness. Mechanics: he sets a trap during Banquo’s ride, hires killers, orders a double killing, and waits for news while he hosts the nobles.

Then add the twist: the plan works halfway. Banquo dies, Fleance lives. That single gap keeps Macbeth on edge, and it keeps the story moving, since Macbeth now feels hunted by a future he can’t stab.

What The Plan Shows About Macbeth As A King

Macbeth isn’t acting like a ruler who trusts law or loyalty. He acts like a man who thinks power survives only through secrecy and force. His plan against Banquo and Fleance is proof.

He treats friends like threats. He treats a child as a problem to erase. He treats truth as something he can manage with timing and bodies. When Fleance escapes, it shows that murder can’t give Macbeth the control he wants. It only spreads fear through the court.

If you want a one-line takeaway for notes: Macbeth plans a night ambush, hires killers, orders Banquo and Fleance dead, and ends up with Banquo dead and Fleance gone.