The gracious Duncan / Was pitied of Macbeth:—marry, he was dead:— / And the right valiant Banquo walk’d too late; / Whom, you may say, if’t please you, Fleance kill’d, / For Fleance fled.
Act III, Scene 6 · Lennox
Context
Lennox is speaking to another lord, recounting recent deaths under Macbeth's rule. He repeats the official story that Duncan was pitied by Macbeth (who is now king), that Banquo died because he walked too late at night, and that Fleance must have killed him since Fleance fled.
Analysis
Lennox loads his summary with the modal phrase "you may say, if't please you," which marks his speech as theatre—he's performing belief in an absurd story rather than asserting it. The ironic juxtaposition of "pitied" with "marry, he was dead" makes Macbeth's supposed compassion arrive only after Duncan's murder, exposing the logical gap in the official narrative. By stringing together these flimsy explanations without transition, Lennox invites his listener to hear how ridiculous they sound when placed side by side.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Shakespeare shows tyranny depending not just on violence but on forced public performance—Lennox must voice the regime's lies while simultaneously signaling he knows they're lies, demonstrating how dictatorship corrupts even private speech.