By the third act of Macbeth, the natural order has been upset by staggering wickedness: with the murder of King Duncan Macbeth has already killed in cold blood and committed treason against the whole of Scotland, and set in motion his own spiritual decay in the pursuit of royal power. Fearful of the Weird Sisters’ prophecy hinting at another impediment to his throne, Macbeth was driven to commit further bloodshed, this time with the hope of eliminating an old friend along with his issue that was foretold to become king: Banquo, the Thane of Lochaber, and his son Fleance. Now headquartered at Forres and about to host an unforgettable feast, Macbeth would first send out three murderers to hunt down the father and son in the dark Scottish highlands, in the obscure hours when ‘night’s black agents to their preys do rouse’ (3.2.54). 1 In this setting, the hunters and their prey tread without the knowledge of the evil higher powers that ultimately determine their fates. Just at the moment before the murderers attack Banquo, he walks along by torchlight with Fleance and looks at the sky, making what could have been an idle observation in any other world than Macbeth: