Macbeth Acts 1-5 Preview

4 5MACBETH
INTRODUCTION
How this book is set out:
While, at its heart, this book is an edition of Shakespeare’s classic play Macbeth, it is also so
much more. It’s a handbook for understanding the play and thinking about the characters,
themes, symbols, ideas and language in it. There is also a range of activities and resources to
help you get your head around these ideas and write a truly impressive essay.
This book has a number of things to help you navigate your way around the play:
1. At the top of each page, there is a brief, irreverent summary of what is going on in the
part of the play you are about to read. It’s called ‘What the…?’, because that’s what most
students say when they start to read Shakespeare. The What the…? section comes before
the play because it’s a whole lot easier to read Shakespeare’s words when you have a basic
understanding of what is going on.
2. On the right page, or facing page, there are a number of thinking activities. These
are designed to help you further understand the characters, language and ideas that
Shakespeare is writing about in his play. These activities are the sorts of things you will need
to understand in order to write a great essay, and they are the sorts of activities that will
help you write more insightfully.
3. Beside the original text of the play are some icons. They are different on every page, and
the reason they are there is so that you can ﬂip through your text and ﬁnd quotes and key
scenes for the different ideas that these icons represent. Sometimes the icons represent
different themes, sometimes they are about the setting of the play and sometimes they are
about the symbolism that Shakespeare uses. There will be more details about these icons
later in this introduction.
4. At the end of each scene there are some sustained writing tasks. These will help you start to
write your ideas in more detail.
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6 7MACBETH
UNDERSTANDING
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
One of the things that students (and teachers) find difficult about reading Shakespeare is the
language he uses. In this version of Macbeth, we’ve broken each scene into smaller, bite-sized
passages to make the task of grappling with Shakespeare’s language easier. Here are a few
hacks we suggest you use to help you understand each passage.
1. Read the ‘What the…?’ section first: When you know a bit about what you’re going to read,
you’re more likely to understand it as you read it.
2. Read the script beneath: Don’t worry too much about every individual word, but see if you
can find the events or feelings described by the ‘What the…?’ section. Circle or underline
any important words that help you understand the action.
3. Re-read: After you’ve read the play script, read the ‘What the…?’ section again to see if
there’s anything you missed and then re-read the script.
4. Take notes: In the left hand side of every page of play script is space for you to take notes.
Using this space well will help you both think about and better understand the text. On
the opposite page are five ways you can take notes with an example of each in the image
below.
Taking Notes:
A Read the ‘What the...?’ overview and then circle or underline parts of a passage and
explain what is happening in the note-taking space.
B Read the information on the right-hand page and then circle or underline parts of a
passage you think illustrate something important, then explain what is being illustrated
in the note-taking space.
C The icons on the left of the play script are there to direct your attention to important
ideas, images and themes, but they don’t identify specific words. Circle the words you
think are symbolic or illustrate a key theme and explain this reference in the note-
taking space.
D Circle things that don’t make sense and jot your questions in the note-taking space.
E Write a comment about anything else that you find interesting or note-worthy.
ACT1
62 63MACBETH
Insights, Notes, & Annotations
Interrupting her plans for world domination, a messenger comes to see Lady
Macbeth, telling her that the king is about to arrive at the Macbeth homestead.
This is a bit of a shock to Lady M, because she’s just read a letter from her husband
(who has been hanging out with the king) and he didn’t mention a word about it.
However, she recovers quickly and realises that she’s going to need to get tough with
herself so they can work out how to knife the king. To be tough enough, she will need
to be ‘toe top-full/ Of direst cruelty’. And that’s pretty full of cruelty.
What the…?
ACT 1.5 Lady Macbeth hears about the prophecy
LADY MACBETH: What is your tidings?
MESSENGER: The king comes here to-night.
LADY MACBETH: Thou’rt mad to say it:
Is not thy master with him? who, were't so,
Would have inform'd for preparation.
MESSENGER: So please you, it is true: our thane is coming:
One of my fellows had the speed of him,
Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more
Than would make up his message.
LADY MACBETH: Give him tending;
He brings great news.
Exit Messenger
The raven himself is hoarse
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood;
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry 'Hold, hold!’
When Lady Macbeth hears that the king is arriving, she is pretty sur-
prised. This tells us one thing: Lady M expects her husband to let her
know things and be considerate of her, which is unusual for a medieval
Scottish wife. And it also gives us some insight into Macbeth’s planning
skills.
Look at the statements below and choose the option that you think
best encapsulates Macbeth’s ability to plan:
Macbeth has no idea of how much preparation his wife will need to make for the king’s
visit, indicating that he expects her to do her job without interference from him.
Macbeth doesn’t give his wife the information she needs, demonstrating how distracted he
is by the thought of becoming king.
Macbeth doesn’t worry about giving her notice that the king is about to arrive, showing how
competent he thinks his wife is.
The fact that Macbeth focuses upon himself shows us that he does not have the planning
capability needed to be king.
However, what is perhaps more interesting about this particular passage is the contrast it offers
to the previous page, when Lady Macbeth was discussing her husband. Let’s have a look at what
she is saying in this passage, and compare it to what she says about her husband:
Previous page This page
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; / And
chastise with the valour of my tongue
That is: Macbeth needs my spirit to be
brave enough
Come, you spirits… fill me from the crown
to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty
That is: I need help from spirits to be
brave or cruel enough
thy nature; / It is too full o' the milk of
human kindness / To catch the nearest way
That is: Macbeth is too kind to be ruthless
Come to my woman's breasts, / And take
my milk for gall,
That is: because I’m a woman, I’m also full
of the milk of kindness
wouldst not play false, / And yet wouldst
wrongly win:
That is: Macbeth is not a traitor
Come, thick night, / And pall thee in the
dunnest smoke of hell, / That my keen
knife see not the wound it makes,
That is: I need it to be dark, so I can’t see
when I wound the king
A
C
B
D
E
Duncan’s coming
Macbeth should have
told Lady M that
Duncan was coming
Raven = bad things
are going to happen
Does ‘fell’ mean
falling over?
Lady M sounds really
evil like a vampire!
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8 9MACBETH
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PLAY
Macbeth is a play about a warrior who hears a prophecy that he’s going to be king and so he kills
the king (and a whole lot of other people) to make this prophecy come true. Sorry about the plot
spoiler but, really, you should already know this. However, there’s a fair bit of action in the story
itself that deserves a bit more attention. To begin with, this play is a tragedy, so people who went
to watch the play in Shakespeare’s time would have already known that things weren’t going to
end well. As a general rule, Shakespeare’s plays are either tragedies or they’re comedies: if you
want to know the difference, you need to count the bodies at the end of the play. If more people
are dead than alive, it’s a tragedy. Tragedy also has a fairly predictable plot structure, so you can
figure out where you are in the play.
Here’s a quick outline:
ACT 1 ACT 2 ACT 3 ACT 4 ACT 5
ACT 1 ACT 2 ACT 3 ACT 4 ACT 5
The exposition: you
are introduced to
the main characters
and the world in
which they live.
Rising Complication:
the central
complication
leads to a whole
bunch of other
complications that
no one anticipated.
The climax: the
most dramatic part
of all the action.
Something super-
important happens
and the hero of
the play has an
important decision
to make that will
lead to either a
happy or tragic
ending.
The falling action:
all of the bad
decisions the hero
has made begin to
point to certain
doom.
The resolution:
in the case of a
tragedy, it’s more
like a catastrophe.
The hero dies or is
punished for the
poor decisions he
has made.
You’re introduced
to the world
of medieval
Scotland: the
weather is foggy
and awful and
there has been
a huge battle,
which means
that all of the
protagonists
first appear on
stage covered in
blood. Human
blood. Oh, and
in this version of
Scotland, there
are witches. And
they tell the
bloody Macbeth
that he will be
king…
King Duncan
and his sons are
coming to stay at
Macbeth’s house
to celebrate
winning the
battle. Macbeth
and his lady plot
to kill Duncan
and, by the
end of this Act,
Duncan is dead,
his sons have left
the country and
Macbeth is about
to be crowned
king.
Now that he’s the
king, Macbeth
is worried that
his best friend,
Banquo, will tell
all. So Macbeth
arranges for
Banquo to be
murdered. And
then Banquo’s
ghost comes to
haunt Macbeth.
Macbeth talks to
the witches again
and decides that
he’s now going to
kill anyone who
annoys him.
One of the
other important
warriors,
Macduff, has
gone to England
to persuade
Duncan’s son,
Malcolm, to
come back and
be the king.
While these two
are talking, they
find out that
Macbeth has
killed the whole
Macduff family.
Lady Macbeth
starts
sleepwalking
because she
feels so guilty.
Eventually,
she jumps off
the roof of the
castle. Malcolm
has brought a
whole army to
Macbeth’s castle,
but it’s Macduff
who gets to fight
Macbeth and cut
his head off.
All of the
witches’
prophecies have
come true.
Falling
Action
Prologue
Charaters +
Setting
Denouement
Tone + Moral
Conflict
Rising Action
Climax
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10 11MACBETH
WHO IS IN THE PLAY:
The cast of Macbeth is extremely confusing. Some characters only last for one Act, and other
characters seem to pop in and out of the action and you can’t quite work out why they are there
until it’s too late and you’re super-confused. So, here are a few things to watch out for.
The feudal world of medieval Scotland
In this play, Scotland has a king and he rules the land with a group of important noblemen who
are called thanes. At the very beginning of the play, Macbeth himself is a thane. These thanes
control smaller areas of Scotland. Beneath the thanes are various noblemen, who don’t control
as much land, but who are important allies to the king and his thanes.
Before each Act
At the beginning of each Act, you will ﬁnd a chart of the characters you are about to encounter.
These charts will change throughout the course of the play because some characters are killed
and other characters change locations.
General overview of characters
Here is a quick summary of some of the more important characters that you can ﬂip back
to when you get confused.
Character Icon Description
The Macbeths
Macbeth is the protagonist of the play, and the man who
makes all of the bad decisions that are about to unfold. At the
beginning of the play, Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis, but
during Act One he also gets the title of the Thane of Cawdor.
By Act Two, he is the King of Scotland and he stays there,
wreaking havoc until he is killed.
Lady Macbeth is Macbeth’s wife. She encourages Macbeth to
murder Duncan so that Macbeth can be king.
The King and his Family
Duncan is the King of Scotland at the start of the play. He
has two sons – Malcolm and Donalbain – and he is killed by
Macbeth.
Malcolm is Duncan’s oldest son. When Duncan is killed,
Malcolm runs away to England.
Scottish Thanes and Lords
Banquo is Macbeth’s best friend, until after Macbeth becomes
king and kills him. Banquo is the only character other than
Macbeth who can see the witches.
Macduff is Macbeth’s nemesis. After Duncan is killed, Macduff
goes to England to get Malcolm to return to Scotland so he
can become king.
Lennox is another random nobleman who tries to stay loyal to
the King of Scotland, even when he thinks the King is terrible.
Ross is a nobleman whose most important job seems to be
delivering messages between the King and other noblemen.
Angus
Angus is another random nobleman. He is the friend of Ross.
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12 13MACBETH
Why it’s important
At the very beginning of the play, Macbeth is
loyal to his king and his king rewards this loyalty.
However, once Macbeth has chosen to betray his
king, a number of other betrayals also happen. As
king, Macbeth doesn’t keep his subjects safe, which
is a betrayal of his role. But it is not only Macbeth
who betrays people – he has created a world where
his own subjects want to betray him.
English Lords
Siward Siward is a rich Englishman who helps Malcolm by providing an
army to defeat Macbeth. His son – Young Siward – is killed in
the final battle.
Supernatural Characters
The witches are three ugly, bearded women who make a
whole bunch of predictions about Macbeth. They act as
agents of chaos in the play.
WHAT IS THE PLAY ABOUT?
In most English classrooms, teachers will discuss texts in terms of themes. This is one of those
concepts that students find really confusing or difficult to begin with, but really it just means
the big ideas a text is about. That is, a text is about more than just the plot and the charac-
ters – usually an author (or, in this case, a playwright) is trying to say something about how
we, as people, think about the important things in life. Shakespeare is a bit over-the-top, so he
presents us with opposite extremes of an idea. Usually characters represent different aspects
or extremes of an idea.
To help you understand which parts of a text explore particular themes, we’ve put icons through-
out the play. Below, you’ll find a rundown of the themes and the icons that signpost them
throughout the text.
This is the most important theme in the play.
Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates
how there is a natural and normal way of doing
things – like being loyal, moral and serving the
king – and that when people break with this natural
order, they create disorder and chaos. You’ll see
below how all the other themes in the play connect
to this big idea.
Key Idea
Key Idea
Natural
order
Loyalty Betrayal
Disorder
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14 15MACBETH
THE WITCHES
One of the things that Macbeth is famous for (apart from being the very shortest and bloodiest
of Shakespeare’s plays) is the witches. Since the role of the witches in Macbeth is really
important, we thought we’d give you a bit of inside information on them:
The witches represent important ideas
The witches are both super-natural (have super powers) and are
human, so they show us different ideas about whether Macbeth
is a tragic hero because his life is fated to be that way. One of
the questions you’ll probably think about in class is whether or
not Macbeth’s downfall is the result of fate or the result of his
own decisions.
Let’s look at how the witches show us both sides of this issue:
The witches talk in a funny way
The witches know that Macbeth
will be king
The witches know how Macbeth will die
The witches meet with Hecate who
is a goddess
The witches don’t tell Macbeth how he will
become king: he and Lady Macbeth decide
that
The witches don’t interfere with any other
character’s actions
Most of Shakespeare’s dialogue is poetry and it has a poetic rhythm that it follows. Except for the
witches, all the characters in Macbeth speak in iambic pentameter (an iamb is a “da dum” sound;
pentameter means five beats). This sounds impressive and tricky, but all it means is that there are
five da-dum rhythms in each line, like this famous one of Macbeth’s:
“So foul and fair a day I have not seen”
When this line is spoken, the ‘dum’ sounds are emphasised: foul, fair, day, have, and seen. It tells
us important things about what a character is feeling. When characters speak in an iambic pen-
tameter it also shows us they are educated and important.
Since the witches are unnatural, they have a different way of speaking from all of the rest of the
characters. In contrast to the rest of the characters, the witches speak in trochaic tetrameter (a
trochee is a “dum da” sound – the opposite of an iamb; tetrameter means four beats). Let’s have
a look at an example of the witches speaking:
“Double, double, toil and trouble”
The witches are putting their emphasis on the opposite syllables to the rest of the characters,
which highlights just how wrong their world view is: they can’t even speak in the same rhythm as
the rest of the characters.
None of the events of Macbeth would have even
occurred if characters were satisfied or contented
with what they had. Instead, they are driven by an
ambition that leads them to commit heinous acts.
The ambition Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have
means that they are never satisfied or happy in their
own lives, and they want to take their misery out on
other people.
Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare illustrates
that people are at their best when they act on
honourable and noble ideals. When people act
dishonourably, they betray themselves and others
and in turn create disorder.
Key Idea
Key Idea
Honour
Contentment
Dishonour
Ambition
One of Macbeth’s central problems is that he
doesn't know himself very well. He thinks he wants
to be a king, but he has no idea what a king does,
or t he even wants to be a king in the first place.
However, there are many characters who have
a much clearer sense of who they are and what
sort of a position they have in the world. These
characters tend to be happier with their choices.
Key Idea
Clear
identity
Confused
identity
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16 17MACBETH
SYMBOLS AND IMAGERY
Shakespeare’s characters don’t always clearly and directly tell us how they feel. Instead, they
sometimes use words and create pictures that symbolise or describe how they feel or show
us what the world of Macbeth is like. These symbols and images are Shakespearean tools to
explore the themes in the play.
To help you understand where symbols and images are in the play, we’ve put icons through-
out the text. Below is a rundown of the symbols and images and the icons that will be used to
signpost them.
Symbol or
image
Key idea Why it’s important
Baby /
Nurturing
Nurturing babies and young children is normal.
When characters’ thoughts or actions are about
violence or harm to children, it shows they are
unnatural.
Birds /
Natural World
Birds represent how society should be naturally
organised and should behave: 1) Big birds, like
eagles, have more power than smaller birds, like
sparrows; 2) Birds have powerful instincts to
protect themselves and their young. Shakespeare
uses or reverses this image to show us when
people’s behaviour is either natural or unnatural.
Blood
Blood represents the violence of both thought
and actions.
Darkness /
Light
This is an easy one. Dark shows us evil, wicked
behaviour; light is the opposite.
Symbol or
image
Costumes
Shakespeare uses references to costumes
and clothes to show how people take on or
dress themselves in new roles and identities.
Sometimes, like clothes, these roles and
identiﬁes don’t quite ﬁt or suit the person.
Gold
Gold represents golden, honourable, noble
behaviour.
Growing
Shakespeare uses images of seeds or growing
to show how ideas and feelings can grow and
spread and have consequences. This could be evil
thoughts and actions spreading like weeds, or the
goodness of people growing and spreading into
the future through the seeds of their children.
Filth
Filth represents the dirty immorality of people’s
actions and thoughts.
Foreboding
Foreboding is when the atmosphere of a place or
people’s thoughts and actions create a sense that
things will turn out badly.
Hiding
In Macbeth, hiding is like lying – characters do
it to cover up thoughts or actions they know are
wrong.
Madness
Characters who consistently do the wrong thing
become mad because their brain has become
unnatural and evil.
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18 19MACBETH
Symbol or
image
Masculinity
Characters, particularly Macbeth, are concerned
with behaving in a way that is traditionally
masculine – brave and stoic. Shakespeare
uses this image to show us that this sense of
masculinity can often be misguided.
Measuring
Shakespeare uses references to time, size and
number to show the extent and consequences
of people’s morality or immorality, duty or
dishonour, order or disorder.
Sleep
Sleep reveals our true state of mind. Characters
are sleepless and restless if they have done
the wrong thing. On the other hand, noble
characters easily ﬁnd rest.
Storms
Storms represent the turmoil unleashed on the
natural world by unnatural and evil thoughts and
actions.
Supernatural
Supernatural literally means things that are
beyond natural and normal and because of this
they are wrong and unnatural. In Macbeth these
are ghosts, visions, witches and prophecies.
Sickness
Like ﬁlth and madness, sickness represents the
sickening, destructive consequences of unnatural
and immoral actions.
ACT 1H“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”.
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20 21MACBETH
ACT1
Who’s who in Act One
You’ll come across three sets of characters in this Act:
1. The rebels
At the very beginning of this play, there is a war going on in Scotland, where the action of
Macbeth is set. A rebel called Macdonwald has decided to take the kingdom of Scotland from
the current king – an old guy called Duncan. To help him win the war, Macdonwald has paid
mercenaries to fight on his behalf. He’s got these mercenaries from Scotland (where they’re
called “gallowglasses”) and from Ireland (called “kerns”). As if this isn’t bad enough, while all this
fighting is going on, the King of Norway – the awesomely named Sweno – decides that he will
join the fighting and hopefully win a bit of Scotland for himself. Look at the battle map on the
opposite page to see a visual of what’s going on.
2. The current rulers of Scotland
3. Characters of the unnatural world
These are the witches. To know something about them before you read the
Act One, see the notes on the witches in the introduction.
The King
Duncan: The King of Scotland. He’s an old guy, so he’s not personally doing any
fighting, but he has a number of young lords (or thanes) who are on his side.
Sons Thanes
Malcolm and
Donalbain,
his sons
Macbeth,
the best
fighter in
all of
Scotland
Banquo,
Macbeth’s
bestie
and also
a pretty
awesome
fighter
Lennox,
who’s quite
a young
lord, but
is on hand
to smile at
the king
whenever
necessary
Ross, who
knows all
of Duncan’s
men well
and can
report on
them
Angus, a
man of
very few
words, who
is there to
fight when
he’s told
Lady
Macbeth,
wife of
Macbeth
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22
23MACBETH
ACT1
ACT 1.1 The first witch scene
The play begins with witches because they’re awesome (and they didn’t have vampires
or toasters in Shakespeare’s time). Like all awesome witches, these ones are coming
up with a cool plan to do some magic and they’re going through a list of stuff they
need to organise: 1) When to meet? Answer: Later on, when a battle is over and it’s
dark. 2) Where? Answer: Outside in the grass (a heath). 3) Who’s the magic for?
Answer: Macbeth (of course!!!) Then two of the witches get distracted by Graymalkin
and Paddock…their cats.
What the…?
FIRST WITCH: When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
SECOND WITCH: When the hurlyburly's done,
When the battle's lost and won.
THIRD WITCH: That will be ere the set of sun.
FIRST WITCH: Where the place?
SECOND WITCH: Upon the heath.
THIRD WITCH: There to meet with Macbeth.
FIRST WITCH: I come, Graymalkin!
SECOND WITCH: Paddock calls.
THIRD WITCH: Anon.
ALL: Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.
Exeunt
Really, really, big important questions
“When shall
we three meet
again?”
Do the witches
start things or
simply respond
to them?
The first line of the play is a question about
how to proceed with a plan. Does this
planning or scheming mean the witches are
behind the bad stuff that happens later in
the play or that they simply know what is
destined to happen?
“That will be ere
the set of sun.”
Why do things
happen when it’s
dark?
The witches plan is to meet when it’s
dark. There’s going to be a truckload of
actual darkness in this play and people
behaving in a ‘dark’ way. You’ll need to
consider throughout the play: What makes
behaviour ‘dark’ or wrong?
“Fair is foul, and
foul is fair.”
Why are things
disordered?
What will happen
because of the
disorder?
The last line of this passage is perhaps the
most famous line in the play: “Fair is foul,
and foul is fair”. With this line, we’re being
prompted to ask the question: Why are
things topsy-turvy? Why is good bad, and
bad good?
The play starts with a question that creates a sense of foreboding and
signals to the audience that Shakespeare wants us to ask some really
important questions about the nature of the witches and the setting
they inhabit.
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ACT1
24 25MACBETH
What the…?
In this scene, Duncan, the king, is hanging out with his two sons (Malcolm and
Donalbain), and one of his lords (Lennox). They are at war with a Scottish lord
(Macdonwald), who is paying Irish and Scottish mercenaries (“kerns and gallow-
glasses”). Duncan’s not sure how the war is going, since they don’t have Twitter
updates, so he decides to ask a random guy walking towards them. In fact, this guy is a
sergeant who has rescued Malcolm from being captured by the baddies. The sergeant
tells them that they’re winning, but only because Macbeth is basically Superman.
ACT 1.2 Battle reports
DUNCAN: What bloody man is that? He can report,
As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt
The newest state.
MALCOLM: This is the sergeant
Who like a good and hardy soldier fought
'Gainst my captivity. Hail, brave friend!
Say to the king the knowledge of the broil
As thou didst leave it.
SERGEANT: Doubtful it stood;
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald–
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him–from the western isles
Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;
And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,
Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak:
For brave Macbeth–well he deserves that name–
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell
to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.
The first time we meet King Duncan, he’s wondering who can tell him
what’s going on with the war. There are two interesting things about
this:
Duncan is not actually participating in the war that is being
fought on his behalf, which is weird because part of the role of
a king in medieval times is to be a war leader.
Duncan doesn’t even recognise one of the sergeants who is
fighting for him.
So, as an audience, we have to ask ourselves, what kind of a king is Duncan?
We also see Malcolm, Duncan’s oldest son, who knows the sergeant and greets him as
a “brave friend”. So at least the king’s son recognises some of their men, but Malcolm
also reveals that he was nearly captured by the enemies.
So, while Duncan’s kingdom is threatened, he waits for news. In contrast to this inac-
tivity is the story of what Macbeth is up to – his sword is smoking as he bravely carves
up enemies.
Bonus point!
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27MACBETH
What the…?
Duncan, who doesn’t give a stuff that that the man before him is clearly about to pass
out from his wounds, keeps pumping the Sergeant for information about what’s going
on. This is what the Sergeant says: Having chased the filthy Irish scum (“kerns”) off
the battlefield, Macbeth and Banquo have to face a whole new enemy – a “Norweyan
lord”. Rather than making them feel dismayed, this gives them a Red Bull adrenalin
rush and they go even more psycho in battle and beat everyone.
DUNCAN: O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!
SERGEANT: As whence the sun 'gins his reflection
Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break,
So from that spring whence comfort seem'd
to come
Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, mark:
No sooner justice had with valour arm'd
Compell'd these skipping kerns to trust their heels,
But the Norweyan lord surveying vantage,
With furbish'd arms and new supplies of men
Began a fresh assault.
DUNCAN: Dismay’d not this
Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?
SERGEANT: Yes;
As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.
If I say sooth, I must report they were
As cannons overcharged with double cracks,
so they
Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe:
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,
Or memorise another Golgotha,
I cannot tell.
But I am faint, my gashes cry for help.
DUNCAN: So well thy words become thee as thy wounds;
They smack of honour both. Go get him surgeons.
In Hollywood action films, you’ll often hear about the action hero
before you meet them, which is a way of creating an image of them
in our heads. Since Shakespeare is basically a Hollywood script writer,
he uses this technique at the start of Macbeth. In this passage, we get
a number of good quotes about what Macbeth and Banquo are like in
battle.
Look at the quotes below and then choose the best word to describe
what violence does for Macbeth:
Quotes This means…
DUNCAN: Dismay’d not this
Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?
SERGEANT: Yes;
As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.
Duncan: Didn’t this make
Macbeth and Banquo
upset?
Sergeant: Yes (Not!!!) –
they were about as upset
as eagles seeing a sparrow
or a lion seeing a hare.
…they were
As cannons overcharged with double cracks
They became like cannons
stuffed with twice the
amount of gunpowder.
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds Their goal became to cut
up the enemy so much
they would be taking a
blood bath.
Which is the best word to describe what violence does to Macbeth?
causes: makes him do something
excites: makes him energised about doing something
inspires: makes him feel hopeful about doing something
challenges: makes him feel like overcoming something
allows: lets him do something
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28 29MACBETH
Throughout the play, Lennox and Ross will pop up again and again. They’re super-important lords
in Scotland at the moment and chief adv¬isors to the king. They don’t really have much to say in
any scene, but they are important in letting us, the audience, know what is happening and how we
should think. Here, Lennox is only saying that Ross is hurrying to meet the king, so he’s not really
important. But Ross gives us some more important information about Macbeth.
How Ross describes Macbeth
Each of the statements below is a modern translation of something Ross says. Read through each
statement and then place its number next to the original text it translates.
1. I’ve come from Fife, which is full of Norwegian flags.
2. The Norwegian king had loads of soldiers to help
out Macdonwald.
3. Then Macbeth, who’s such a great fighter he’s practically
married to the goddess of war, turned up andstarted to
fight Sweno.
4. Macbeth was covered in blood.
5. Macbeth tried to fight fair by holding himself back,
but he stilltotally beat everyone.
What’s also worth noting is that Ross makes Sweno, the king of Norway, pay a fine of ten
thousand dollars for fighting against Duncan. That’s a truck-load of money now, but back then it
was truly a fortune. But how does Duncan reward Ross for getting all this money? Does Duncan
say anything nice to Ross?
What the…?
Someone’s coming, and once again Duncan has no idea who it is. Malcolm tells
him that it’s Lord (“thane”) Ross, come to deliver the awesome news that they’ve
won the war. Macdonwald (“the thane of Cawdor”) has been defeated by Macbeth
(“Belladonna’s bridegroom”), which is pretty impressive considering that during the
battle ANOTHER army turned up (led by the King of Norway) which Macbeth also
beat. Total Chuck Norris. Duncan’s pretty happy with this outcome and decides to
reward Macbeth by giving him Macdonwald’s land and title. Sweet.
DUNCAN: Who comes here?
MALCOLM: The worthy thane of Ross.
LENNOX: What a haste looks through his eyes!
So should he look
That seems to speak things strange.
ROSS: God save the king!
DUNCAN: Whence camest thou, worthy thane?
ROSS: From Fife, great king;
Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky
And fan our people cold. Norway himself,
With terrible numbers,
Assisted by that most disloyal traitor
The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict;
Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof,
Confronted him with self-comparisons,
Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm.
Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude,
The victory fell on us.
DUNCAN: Great happiness!
ROSS: That now
Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition:
Nor would we deign him burial of his men
Till he disbursed at Saint Colme's inch
Ten thousand dollars to our general use.
DUNCAN: No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive
Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death,
And with his former title greet Macbeth.
ROSS: I’ll see it done.
DUNCAN: What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won.
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31MACBETH30
Writing about this scene
In your essays, you’ll need to write about how Macbeth and his world are characterised in the
opening scenes of the play.
Writing about Macbeth:
When you write about Macbeth, you can use quotes and your own descriptions to analyse one way
he is presented at the start of the play:
At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare represents Macbeth as a character who is “brave”
and loyal to his king.
Now it’s your turn. Use these sentence starters to write about Macbeth as a brave character at the
start of the play.
• From the outset of the play, we are introduced to Macbeth as a character
who is…and…
• Shakespeare characterises Macbeth in the opening of the play as…and…
You can use the quotes and words in the table below to help you.
Quotes Words
brave Macbeth–well he deserves that name
Disdaining fortune
As cannons overcharged with double cracks
Except they meant to bathe in reeking
wounds
loyal
violent
regardless of consequences
energised by
instinctively violent
But the opening of the play isn’t all about Macbeth being brave. It introduces us to some potential
flaws in his character as well:
At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare represents Macbeth as a character who is “brave”
but also “disdaining” of “fortune” or what will be the consequences of his actions.
Now it’s your turn. Using the thinking you did for the first sentence writing activity, use these
sentence starters to analyse Macbeth in a more complex way:
• On the one hand, Shakespeare emphasises at the start of the play that Macbeth is…However,
on the other hand, we also see early on that Macbeth is…
• From the outset of the play, we are introduced to Macbeth as a character who is both…and…
• Scene Two introduces us to a Macbeth who is both…and…
Writing about disorder:
At its heart, the play Macbeth is about what happens when there is a collision between order and
disorder. You’ll certainly need to write about this in your essays with sentences such as:
The opening of the play introduces us a to a world of disorder, where people expected to be
loyal are “disloyal”.
Disorder is emphasised in the first two scenes with these quotes:
• Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
• So from that spring whence comfort seem'd to come
Discomfort swells.
• Assisted by that most disloyal traitor
The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict;
Now it’s your turn. Write one sentence about disorder in the opening scenes by using a quote
along with a sentence opener and disorder word from the table below:
In the opening scenes of Macbeth, Shakespeare characterises
the world of the play as one of…where…
From the beginning of the play…reigns as…
Macbeth’s world is one of…from the very beginning as…
confusion
disorder
mayhem
turmoil
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33MACBETH
What the…?
Meanwhile, the witches have their own stories. Witch Two has been a pig hit-man,
which is pretty weird, but it’s Witch One who’s really got a story. She saw a sailor’s
wife eating chestnuts and asked for a few, but the sailor’s wife made a noise like a pig
and said no. So now, Witch One is going to sail away to ﬁnd the sailor, get him hope-
lessly lost, drain his blood, and make him an insomniac and very sick. And Witches Two
and Three will give her some wind to help out the mission. Best planning session ever.
ACT 1.3 Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches
FIRST WITCH: Where hast thou been, sister?
SECOND WITCH: Killing swine.
THIRD WITCH: Sister, where thou?
FIRST WITCH: A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap,
And munch'd, and munch'd, and munch'd:–
'Give me,' quoth I:
'Aroint thee, witch!' the rump-fed ronyon cries.
Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' the Tiger:
But in a sieve I'll thither sail,
And, like a rat without a tail,
I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do.
SECOND WITCH: I’ll give thee a wind.
FIRST WITCH: Thou’rt kind.
THIRD WITCH: And I another.
FIRST WITCH: I myself have all the other,
And the very ports they blow,
All the quarters that they know
I' the shipman's card.
I will drain him dry as hay:
Sleep shall neither night nor day
Hang upon his pent-house lid;
He shall live a man forbid:
Weary se'nnights nine times nine
Shall he dwindle, peak and pine:
Though his bark cannot be lost,
Yet it shall be tempest-tost.
THIRD WITCH: A drum, a drum!
Macbeth doth come.
ALL: The weird sisters, hand in hand,
Posters of the sea and land,
Thus do go about, about:
Thrice to thine and thrice to mine
And thrice again, to make up nine.
Peace! the charm's wound up.
In this scene, we’re having a closer look at what kind of characters The
Witches are. The Second Witch has been “killing swine” for no apparent
reason, but it’s the First Witch who really shows her true colours. She
has asked a complete stranger to share some nuts with her and, when
the stranger refuses, the First Witch comes up with an incredible plan
to get revenge – by harassing and nearly killing the stranger’s husband.
Look at the list below and tick off which of the witch’s revenge strate-
gies you think are TR (totally reasonable) and which are OTT (over the
top):
TR OTT
“I will drain him dry as hay”
I will say, ‘why, thou art being greedy, girlfriend’
I shall “forbid” a man any sleep for “nine times nine” weeks
I shall turn my back and refuseth to speak to him
I will curse him so he will “dwindle, peak and pine” through lack of sleep
I will curse him to my friends so they will knoweth his wife doesn’t
share snacks
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35MACBETH
What the…?
Finally, we meet Macbeth, who enters while saying that the day is both awesome and
rotten. Banquo, who’s obviously not a great listener, has spotted the witches and is
distracted by their beards. Because they’re women. With beards. Macbeth orders the
witches to speak and they do, calling Macbeth “thane of Glamis” (which he is), “thane
of Cawdor” (we know Duncan is going to give him this) and “king” (which is a huge
surprise to everyone). Banquo is super-impressed by this, and wants them to tell his
fortune too. Especially if it’s good.
MACBETH: So foul and fair a day I have not seen.
BANQUO: How far is't call'd to Forres? What are these
So wither'd and so wild in their attire,
That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth,
And yet are on't? Live you? or are you aught
That man may question? You seem to understand me,
By each at once her chappy finger laying
Upon her skinny lips: you should be women,
And yet your beards forbid me to interpret
That you are so.
MACBETH: Speak, if you can: what are you?
FIRST WITCH: All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!
SECOND WITCH: All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!
THIRD WITCH: All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!
BANQUO: Good sir, why do you start; and seem to fear
Things that do sound so fair? I' the name of truth,
Are ye fantastical, or that indeed
Which outwardly ye show? My noble partner
You greet with present grace and great prediction
Of noble having and of royal hope,
That he seems rapt withal: to me you speak not.
If you can look into the seeds of time,
And say which grain will grow and which will not,
Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear
Your favours nor your hate.
The first words of Macbeth are fairly famous: “So foul and fair a day
I have not seen”, and they echo the words of the three witches who
said, in the opening scene “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”. In this way,
Shakespeare connects Macbeth to the witches, making it appear as
though the witches may be influencing Macbeth – perhaps even putting
words and thoughts into his mouth. However, as an audience, we can’t
be sure of exactly what he is talking about. Look in the table below and
choose the option for ‘foul’ and ‘fair’ you think he is most likely refer-
ring to when he makes this statement.
Foul things Fair things
war is terrible fighting is a lot of fun
a foggy, overcast day a sunny, beautiful day
lots of my friends have died I killed lots of traitors
the people fighting against Duncan
are awful
winning a battle is awesome
Another thing that is interesting about this scene is that Banquo is doing
most of the talking. He notices the witches (when Macbeth seems not
to) and, after they provide Macbeth with his prophecy, it is Banquo
who tells us how Macbeth is reacting – that he seems “rapt”. Banquo
is also far more impressed by the witches as supernatural beings: he
describes them as looking “not like the inhabitants o’ the earth” but
“fantastical” and asks them nicely if they will tell his fortune. This is in stark contrast to Macbeth,
who merely orders the witches to “Speak”. Look at the spectrum below and make two marks –
one to indicate how superstitious you think Banquo is and one to indicate how superstitious you
think Macbeth is.
Is sceptical of
supernatural
things
Believes
in fate and
supernatural
things
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37MACBETH
What the…?
Now the witches give Banquo his prediction: he’s going to have sons who are kings,
but won’t be anything special himself. Macbeth interrupts with a series of questions:
Isn’t the thane of Cawdor still alive? How do you know all of this? What will happen
next on that TV show I really like? While Banquo’s mind is so blown by all this he
thinks he must have been taking Shakespearean drugs (“eaten on the insane root”),
Macbeth instantly wants to go over again what the witches said…probably so he can
tweet about it later on.
FIRST WITCH: Hail!
SECOND WITCH: Hail!
THIRD WITCH: Hail!
FIRST WITCH: Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.
SECOND WITCH: Not so happy, yet much happier.
THIRD WITCH: Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none:
So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!
FIRST WITCH: Banquo and Macbeth, all hail!
MACBETH: Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more:
By Sinel's death I know I am thane of Glamis;
But how of Cawdor? the thane of Cawdor lives,
A prosperous gentleman; and to be king
Stands not within the prospect of belief,
No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence
You owe this strange intelligence? or why
Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
With such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you.
Witches vanish
BANQUO: The earth hath bubbles, as the water has,
And these are of them. Whither are they vanish'd?
MACBETH: Into the air; and what seem'd corporal melted
As breath into the wind. Would they had stay'd!
BANQUO: Were such things here as we do speak about?
Or have we eaten on the insane root
That takes the reason prisoner?
MACBETH: Your children shall be kings.
BANQUO: You shall be king.
MACBETH: And thane of Cawdor too: went it not so?
BANQUO: To the selfsame tune and words. Who's here?
This is Macbeth’s first long speech and he starts with another order
to the witches, but after this, he asks a series of questions. The first
question he asks is about Cawdor, which is interesting because almost
anyone else would be more interested in being a king. The other hing
we learn is that Macbeth doesn't seem to understand that Cawdor is
one of the people he has been fighting.
On the left side of the table below are some quotes about what Macbeth knows and thinks about
his current situation. Draw a line from each of these quotes to an interpretation on the right
hand side that explains what the quote reveals to us about Macbeth.
Clues about Macbeth Sentences to describe Macbeth’s reaction
“By Sinel’s death I know I am thane of
Glamis”
Macbeth is a logical thinker who wants to get his
facts straight.
Macbeth believes that the witches are ordinary
people with ordinary abilities.
Although Macbeth might be a formidable warrior,
he doesn’t really understand the politics of what is
happening behind the scenes of battle.
Macbeth knows that the only title he ever
received was after someone died.
Macbeth is not particularly ambitious.
Macbeth has never really thought about getting
a promotion before.
Macbeth is not very superstitious.
“the thane of Cawdor lives,/ a
prosperous gentleman”
“to be king/ Stands not within the
prospect of belief”
“Say from whence/ you owe this
strange intelligence?”
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39MACBETH
What the…?
And now Ross and Angus rock up to tell Macbeth that King Duncan is all over Facebook
about how sweet Macbeth’s ninja fighting skills are. Angus points out that they can’t
give Macbeth the cash right now, but Ross chips in to say…wait for it…Macbeth is to
be thane of Cawdor. Who would have seen that coming? Macbeth still has an absolute
knot in his knickers about how he can be thane of Cawdor when the bloke is still alive,
so Angus fills him in with the goss that Cawdor was a filthy traitor.
ROSS: The king hath happily received, Macbeth,
The news of thy success; and when he reads
Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight,
His wonders and his praises do contend
Which should be thine or his: silenced with that,
In viewing o'er the rest o' the selfsame day,
He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks,
Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make,
Strange images of death. As thick as hail
Came post with post; and every one did bear
Thy praises in his kingdom's great defence,
And pour'd them down before him.
ANGUS: We are sent
To give thee from our royal master thanks;
Only to herald thee into his sight,
Not pay thee.
ROSS: And, for an earnest of a greater honour,
He bade me, from him, call thee thane of Cawdor:
In which addition, hail, most worthy thane!
For it is thine.
BANQUO: What, can the devil speak true?
MACBETH: The thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me
In borrow'd robes?
ANGUS: Who was the thane lives yet;
But under heavy judgment bears that life
Which he deserves to lose.
By sending Ross and Angus out to give the good news, Duncan provides
us with some interesting insights into the kind of leader that he is.
Rather than hogging all of the good news to himself, Duncan has let
Ross and Angus give Macbeth his reward.
1. Look at the character description chart below. Circle all of the
phrases that you think apply to Duncan in this scene.
brave and
adventurous
thoughtful about
giving people good
jobs
too lazy to speak to
his own men
recognises the
talent of others
rewards talent does important
jobs himself
humble enough
to see others as
important
interested in the
careers of others
allows others to
be leaders when
necessary
too self-important
to deliver news
himself
co-operates with
all of his people
approves of the
work of others
delegates
important tasks
takes personal risks generous towards
his people
considers every
outcome
2. Now, read back through the passage and think about Macbeth’s own behaviour, as
described by Ross. Circle the phrases (in a different colour) that describe Macbeth
in the above character description chart.
3. Based upon the phrases you circled for Macbeth or Duncan, who do you think makes
a better leader and king?
Whether he was combined
With those of Norway, or did line the rebel
With hidden help and vantage, or that with both
He labour'd in his country's wreck, I know not;
But treasons capital, confess'd and proved,
Have overthrown him.
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ACT1
40 41MACBETH
Like those crazy people you sometimes sit next to on the train, Macbeth talks to
himself a lot in this bit. First he says (to himself) that the prediction about being
than of Cawdor has come true and that it is the “greatest”. Then he asks Banquo if
thinks the rest of the predictions will come true. Banquo doesn’t trust the old ladies.
He reckons they may be telling them a few small things that are true, in order to con
them into doing or believing big evils. Macbeth doesn’t really listen to this, but starts
talking to himself again – this time about how the thought of being king is good on
one hand, but on the other hand makes him feel kinda weird and strange inside. Like
when you watch those scary shows on Netflix.
What the…?
MACBETH: [To himself] Glamis, and thane of Cawdor!
The greatest is behind.
[To ROSS and ANGUS] Thanks for your pains.
[To BANQUO]
Do you not hope your children shall be kings,
When those that gave the thane of Cawdor to me
Promised no less to them?
BANQUO: That trusted home
Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,
Besides the thane of Cawdor. But 'tis strange:
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's
In deepest consequence.
Cousins, a word, I pray you.
MACBETH: [To himself] Two truths are told,
As happy prologues to the swelling act
Of the imperial theme.—
[To ROSS and ANGUS] I thank you, gentlemen.
[To himself] Cannot be ill, cannot be good: if ill,
Why hath it given me earnest of success,
Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor:
If good, why do I yield to that suggestion
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,
Against the use of nature? Present fears
Talking to yourself is never a good sign in Shakespeare-land. You
become secretive about your thoughts when you want to hide them
from others. In other words – you know your thoughts are the wrong
kind and shouldn’t be shared. Macbeth’s thoughts definitely aren’t good
– he’s gone to a very dark place very quickly. By the end of this scene
he’s imagining the “murder” of Duncan in order to become king. But
does this make him evil or merely human?
Look through the responses Macbeth has had so far and discuss which thing most likely
motivates each response:
Response This could mean… or…
Macbeth wants to talk to
the witches, Banquo, and
then Ross and Angus about
Cawdor – he ignores the
prophecy about being king.
Macbeth is a small picture
thinker. He understands
being a thane, so this is
what he talks about.
Focusing on becoming
thane of Cawdor allows
Macbeth to ignore the
thing he actually (and
guiltily) desires: to become
king.
Macbeth begins to talk to
himself about being king.
Macbeth needs time and
privacy to process some
startling news. Talking to
himself is the basic way he
tries to make sense of the
prophecy.
Macbeth talks to himself
rather than others because
he actually wants to be
king and he knows this
thought should be kept
private.
Macbeth imagines
murdering Duncan.
Macbeth is the product of
a violent culture. Imagining
the murder of Duncan
doesn’t mean he wants to
do it, merely that it’s the
most likely way that the
prophecy could come true.
Macbeth’s heart knocks at
his ribs as he imagines the
murder of Duncan because
he knows it’s something
very wrong that he truly
wants.
Are less than horrible imaginings:
My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man that function
Is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is
But what is not.
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43MACBETH
Macbeth is staring off into space mumbling to himself and everyone else (Banquo,
Angus and Ross – yes, they’re all still there) are awkwardly standing around wanting
to know what he’s doing. Macbeth is actually trying to pull himself out of the dark
thoughts of the previous passage by telling himself that he could become king by
“chance” (i.e. without having to murder anyone). He realises everyone is watching
him, apologises, suggests they go on a horsey ride to the king, and that they should
all talk about this weirdness later on.
What the…?
BANQUO: Look, how our partner's rapt.
MACBETH: [To himself] If chance will have me king, why,
chance may crown me,
Without my stir.
BANQUO: New honours come upon him,
Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould
But with the aid of use.
MACBETH: [To himself] Come what come may,
Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.
BANQUO: Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your leisure.
MACBETH: Give me your favour: my dull brain was wrought
With things forgotten. Kind gentlemen, your pains
Are register'd where every day I turn
The leaf to read them. Let us toward the king.
Think upon what hath chanced, and, at more time,
The interim having weigh'd it, let us speak
Our free hearts each to other.
BANQUO: Very gladly.
MACBETH: Till then, enough. Come, friends.
If Scene Two introduces us to Macbeth the courageous and loyal soldier,
Scene Three introduces us to Macbeth the thinker, feeler and leader.
Let’s look at two quotes about Macbeth as a leader. Both of these
quotes suggest that when you become a leader, you put on leadership
“clothes” – that is, you wear a new identity.
Circle some words in each quote that show us how comfortable or
uncomfortable Macbeth might be in the new leadership role of thane of Cawdor:
BANQUO: New honours come upon him,
Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould
But with the aid of use.
MACBETH: The thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me
In borrow'd robes?
In many ways, this scene is a bit of a turning point for Macbeth, although
he doesn’t know it yet.
He says:
If chance will have me king, why
chance may crown me
Without my stir
So here, Macbeth has the opportunityto be content with how things are and to see what “chance”
brings about on its own or to be ambitious and interfere with events.
Which way do you think Macbeth is leaning at the moment?
Content to leave things
as they are
Ambitious to change them
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ACT1
45MACBETH44
When you write your essays about Macbeth, you’ll need to discuss the role of the witches as well as
to analyse how Shakespeare presents them in the play. Here is an example sentence:
The witches are characterised as unpredictable and malevolent forces who will “drain” a person
as revenge for trivial crimes.
Now it’s your turn. To write a sentence like this, you’ll need to do two things:
1. Identify some quotes that demonstrate what the witches are like. Look back at the first passage
of this scene and identify at least two threats the first witch makes.
2. Write a sentence using a sentence starter and some words from the grid below with your
quote. Then try writing another sentence with a different quote.
The witches are characterised as…
Shakespeare depicts the witches as…
Before they give Macbeth his prophecy,
we see the witches as…
vengeful
unstable
extreme
supernatural
malicious
figures
beings
creatures
who will…
who want…
who can…
Exploring the complexity of Macbeth’s character:
Scene Three also introduces us to a basic complexity in Macbeth’s character: he is conflicted
between being content with what he has (being thane of Glamis and Cawdor) and acting on the
witches’ prediction and having more (being king). Writing about this conflict might look like this:
In his first scene, we witness Macbeth being torn between a prediction that could be “good”
for him but also makes his “heart knock”, revealing a crisis of conscience.
Now it’s your turn. To write a sentence like the one above you can combine phrases from the
grid below. Have a go writing two sentences. In at least one of the sentences, use a quote from
one of the previous two passages.
From the start of
the play,…
From the outset
of Macbeth,
Shakespeare
demonstrates…
At his first meeting
with the witches…
we see Macbeth
as…
Macbeth is
presented as…
Shakespeare
demonstrates
Macbeth to be…
Shakespeare
depicts Macbeth
as…
Macbeth struggles
with…
conflicted
between…and…
his desire to be
both…and…
his horror of…but
ambition to…
a sense that the
witches’ prediction
could be…or…
revealing a man
who cannot…
revealing a
conscience that
cannot…
illustrating that he
is…
demonstrating that
he…
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ACT1
46
47MACBETH
On the next page, Macbeth will enter. As an audience, we now know that he’s already thinking
like the original Cawdor: that is, he wants to betray Duncan. To make Macbeth’s entrance more
dramatic, Shakespeare emphasises two things about Cawdor in this passage that are also true of
Macbeth.
Look at the quotes about Cawdor in the first column and make some notes about how this is also
true of Macbeth in the second column:
What Duncan says about Cawdor How is this also true of Macbeth?
There’s no art
To find the mind's construction in the face:
(i.e. it’s impossible to see people’s true
thoughts on their face)
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.
Cawdor’s betrayal foreshadows that of Macbeth’s. But there’s some-
thing else Cawdor does that will also foreshadow Macbeth’s actions
later in the play – he dies as if he doesn’t care:
"he died" he died
"As one that had been studied in his death" like he had practised dying
"To throw away the dearest thing he owed" and was throwing away the most valuable
thing he owned
"As 'twere a careless trifle." as if it was worth nothing
In this scene, Duncan is checking off his to-do list. He wants to know if he can put a
tick next to the original Cawdor being executed (and go and pick up some milk, which
is his next job). Malcolm reports that Cawdor said he was really sorry (like that will do
him much good) and then died as if he wasn’t scared and couldn’t care less. Duncan’s
response to all this is that you can’t tell a person’s true mind from what is on their
face, and that he really had “absolute trust” in Cawdor. Oops.
What the…?
ACT 1.4 Duncan rewards Macbeth
DUNCAN: Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not
Those in commission yet return'd?
MALCOLM: My liege,
They are not yet come back. But I have spoke
With one that saw him die: who did report
That very frankly he confess'd his treasons,
Implored your highness' pardon and set forth
A deep repentance: nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it; he died
As one that had been studied in his death
To throw away the dearest thing he owed,
As 'twere a careless trifle.
DUNCAN: There’s no art
To find the mind's construction in the face:
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.
If someone had trusted you completely and you’d betrayed them,
why might you no longer care about your life? How might you have lost
something important to your sense of self when you betray someone?
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49MACBETH
This passage also introduces an important type of imagery that will recur
throughout the play: seed and growing imagery. This imagery can be both
positive and negative:
While the first passage of this scene introduced us to betrayal, this
passage explores loyalty. Having just survived the betrayal of someone
he trusted completely, Duncan is now very keen to make sure he can
actually trust the people around him by valuing and rewarding their
efforts. Macbeth, who is thinking of knifing Duncan in the back, feels a
little bit awkward about this. In response to Duncan’s flattery, Macbeth
rolls out a little speech about what the relationship between King and
subject should be (i.e. the natural order of things).
Look at Macbeth’s speech and then annotate the diagram below with what a subject should do
and what the king should do:
Macbeth strides in and Duncan is down on the ground kissing his butt straight away.
He goes on about how he hasn’t been grateful enough, how Macbeth is too fast to
catch up with, and how there’s not enough stuff in the world to give Macbeth to thank
him for his ninja skills. Macbeth plays it pretty cool in response, saying: that’s how it’s
meant to be, you have to be loyal to the king. Duncan remembers then that Banquo
also had ninja skills in the big battle and so he deserves a big hug. Lucky Banquo. Then
Duncan breaks down crying because he’s so happy everyone was so loyal.
What the…?
DUNCAN: O worthiest cousin!
The sin of my ingratitude even now
Was heavy on me: thou art so far before
That swiftest wing of recompense is slow
To overtake thee. Would thou hadst less deserved,
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine! only I have left to say,
More is thy due than more than all can pay.
MACBETH: The service and the loyalty I owe,
In doing it, pays itself. Your highness' part
Is to receive our duties; and our duties
Are to your throne and state children and servants,
Which do but what they should, by doing every thing
Safe toward your love and honour.
DUNCAN: Welcome hither:
I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing. Noble Banquo,
That hast no less deserved, nor must be known
No less to have done so, let me enfold thee
And hold thee to my heart.
BANQUO: There if I grow,
The harvest is your own.
DUNCAN: My plenteous joys,
Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves
In drops of sorrow.
As your king, I will…
As your thane, I will…
Seeds can grow, become strong,
and symbolise good, healthy life.
Seeds can grow into weeds, spread
like disease and represent evil.
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ACT1
50
51MACBETH
Having sucked up to Macbeth and Banquo, Duncan now drops a bombshell: he’s
going to name his eldest son, Malcolm, as the person who’ll become king when he
dies (see notes on the next page about why this is a big deal) and everyone else will
shine around him like “stars”, making him look awesome. To cement the deal, Duncan
says they’ll all go to Macbeth’s place (Inverness) and party. Macbeth then goes off to
write to his wife to fill her in on all the news and, as he does so, he broods about the
fact that Malcolm being nominated as next king has really screwed up his own plan.
What the…?
DUNCAN: Sons, kinsmen, thanes,
And you whose places are the nearest, know
We will establish our estate upon
Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter
The Prince of Cumberland; which honour must
Not unaccompanied invest him only,
But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
On all deservers. From hence to Inverness,
And bind us further to you.
MACBETH: The rest is labour, which is not used for you:
I'll be myself the harbinger and make joyful
The hearing of my wife with your approach;
So humbly take my leave.
DUNCAN: My worthy Cawdor!
MACBETH: [Aside] The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires:
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.
Exit
DUNCAN: True, worthy Banquo; he is full so valiant,
And in his commendations I am fed;
It is a banquet to me. Let's after him,
Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome:
It is a peerless kinsman.
Why is it such earth-shattering news that Malcolm is being named the
next king? The eldest son always becomes the next king, doesn’t he?
That’s how things happen now, but it wasn’t the case in Macbeth’s time.
Anyone related or connected to the king could become the next king.
Especially if they were good at battles, because one of the key jobs of
being a king back then was to win wars and protect your land. What
Scotland had then was called an elective monarchy – meaning the person thought best to be
the next king was elected to be king. So, when Macbeth first heard the witch’s prophecy about
becoming king, he thought there was a ‘chance’ he could be elected king if Duncan died. But now
he’s heard the news about Malcolm, he’s thinking this:
3. If Duncan dies, I’ll be
elected as king If Malcolm’s
out of the way and Duncan
dies, I’ll be elected king.
Ambition is beginning to
take hold of Macbeth. He’s
no longer talking about
murdering Duncan as
something he could do, but
as something he will do.
Thoughts from the pen of Macbeth
1. The witches have said
I’ll become king
2. I’ve performed amazingheroics on the battlefield:everyone probably thinksI’d make a good king
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ACT1
53MACBETH52
In the previous scene, Duncan spoke a great deal about both loyalty and betrayal. These ideas are
important themes to discuss when writing an essay about Macbeth, so you’ll want to do a good job
of it. Here’s an example of two sentences that analyse these ideas:
While Macbeth publicly states that he owes duties to Duncan’s “throne and state children
and servants”, he quietly plots Duncan’s downfall, demonstrating his deceitful nature.
While Macbeth publicly states that he owes duties to Duncan, he quietly plots Duncan’s downfall
with “horrible imaginings”, demonstrating his deceitful nature.
In the above sentences, the writer is pointing out the difference between Macbeth’s public
behaviour and the private speeches that we, as an audience hear.
It’s time for you to have a go. Find quotes demonstrating Macbeth’s public loyalty or private
betrayal (hint: use the loyalty icons to help you identify these) and use the sentence stems below
to help you put these quotes into an analytic sentence.
While Macbeth publicly
states…
Although Macbeth
loudly declares…
To others, Macbeth
says…
When in the presence
of others, Macbeth
assures…
he quietly plots…
he secretly plans…
he privately
schemes…
he discreetly
decides…
demonstrating…
illustrating…
showing…
revealing…
his deceitful nature.
how duplicitous
he is.
his natural cunning.
he is essentially
untrustworthy.
However, you don’t always want to use Macbeth as an example for every idea. Sometimes it's a
good idea to analyse what the more minor characters have to say, like in this sentence below.
As king, Duncan places “absolute trust” in his men, because he believes that loyalty to each
other is a vital part of the relationship a king has with his subjects.
Now it’s time for you to have a go. Use the quotes below, along with the sentence starters that
follow, to write a sentence or two discussing Duncan’s ideas about loyalty.
Quotes demonstrating Duncan’s attitude to loyalty:
“signs of nobleness, like stars shall shine / On all deservers”
“The sin of my ingratitude…was heavy on me”
“My worthy Cawdor!”
“will labour /To make thee full of growing”
As king, Duncan places…
As a leader, Duncan trusts…
Duncan holds…
In his role as king, Duncan
believes…
because he believes that…
since he has faith in…
due to the value he puts
on…
because he relies upon…
loyalty to each other…
their shared allegiance…
the integrity of the
relationship…
the ﬁdelity between…
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ACT1
54 55MACBETH
Macbeth’s phone has no reception, so he sends Lady Macbeth an old-school letter
instead, telling her all about his day (you know, how he met three witches who told
him he’d become thane of Cawdor and then king). He calls Lady Macbeth his “dearest
partner”, which is pretty ace. Lady Macbeth thinks the news is all cool but there’s
one problem. She thinks that Macbeth has too much “kindness” to kill the king.
Her solution: she’s going to use the strength (“valour”) of her tongue to convince
Macbeth to go through with the murder. That’s one hell of a tongue.
What the…?
LADY MACBETH: 'They met me in the day of success: and I have l
earned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal
knowledge. When I burned in desire to question them further, they
made themselves air, into which they vanished. Whiles I stood rapt
in the wonder of it, came missives from the king, who all-hailed
me 'Thane of Cawdor;' by which title, before, these weird sisters
saluted me, and referred me to the coming on of time, with 'Hail,
king that shalt be!' This have I thought good to deliver thee, my
dearest partner of greatness, that thou mightst not lose the dues
of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee.
Lay it to thy heart, and farewell.’
Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be
What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great;
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it: what thou wouldst highly,
That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldst wrongly win: thou'ldst have,
great Glamis,
That which cries 'Thus thou must do, if thou have it;
And that which rather thou dost fear to do
Than wishest should be undone.' Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear;
And chastise with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round,
Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
To have thee crown'd withal.
This is the ﬁrst time we meet one of the most iconic characters in liter-
ature: Lady Macbeth. What we learn from this passage is that Macbeth
highly values the partnership with his wife who he says is his “partner in
greatness”. It’s clear that they each bring something to the relationship
to make it a highly effective one. He brings the physical courage (we’ve
heard lots of reports about that), she brings the intellectual bravery in
the form of the “valour” (courage) of her “tongue”. In other words, he’s
the muscle and she’s the brains. In this passage Lady Macbeth’s worried that her husband doesn’t
have the strength of character to murder Duncan because he’s so used to behaving “holily”. She
says that in having “ambition” you also need to be able to put up with the “illness” (i.e. the sick
feeling of doing the wrong thing) that goes with it. However, Lady Macbeth thinks that she has
the strength of character to put up with this “illness” of ambition and to convince Macbeth to do
likewise. Is she right?
Lady Macbeth’s belief in what she can do prompts three questions that you’ll need to
consider over the next few Acts. What do you think at this point?
1. Does Lady Macbeth accurately understand Macbeth’s character,
but not her own?
Unsure at the moment It looks that way It doesn’t look that way
2. Does Lady Macbeth accurately understand how the situation requires
characters to repress their morals?
3. Is Lady Macbeth focusing on Macbeth’s weakness because she’s actually
anxious about her own strength?
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ACT1
56 57MACBETH
Interrupting her plans for world domination, a messenger comes to see Lady
Macbeth, telling her that the king is about to arrive at the Macbeth homestead.
This is a bit of a shock to Lady M, because she’s just read a letter from her husband
(who has been hanging out with the king) and he didn’t mention a word about it.
However, she recovers quickly and realises that she’s going to need to get tough with
herself so they can work out how to knife the king. To be tough enough, she will need
to be ‘toe top-full/ Of direst cruelty’. And that’s pretty full of cruelty.
What the…?
LADY MACBETH: What is your tidings?
MESSENGER: The king comes here to-night.
LADY MACBETH: Thou’rt mad to say it:
Is not thy master with him? who, were't so,
Would have inform'd for preparation.
MESSENGER: So please you, it is true: our thane is coming:
One of my fellows had the speed of him,
Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more
Than would make up his message.
LADY MACBETH: Give him tending;
He brings great news.
Exit Messenger
The raven himself is hoarse
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And ﬁll me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood;
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry 'Hold, hold!’
When Lady Macbeth hears that the king is arriving, she is pretty sur-
prised. This tells us one thing: Lady M expects her husband to let her
know things and be considerate of her, which is unusual for a medieval
Scottish wife. And it also gives us some insight into Macbeth’s planning
skills.
Look at the statements below and choose the option that you think
best encapsulates Macbeth’s ability to plan:
Macbeth has no idea of how much preparation his wife will need to make for the king’s
visit, indicating that he expects her to do her job without interference from him.
Macbeth doesn’t give his wife the information she needs, demonstrating how distracted he is
by the thought of becoming king.
Macbeth doesn’t worry about giving her notice that the king is about to arrive, showing how
competent he thinks his wife is.
The fact that Macbeth focuses upon himself shows us that he does not have the planning
capability needed to be king.
However, what is perhaps more interesting about this particular passage is the contrast it offers
to the previous page, when Lady Macbeth was discussing her husband. Let’s have a look at what
she is saying in this passage, and compare it to what she says about her husband:
Previous page
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear;
/ And chastise with the valour of my
tongue
That is: Macbeth needs my spirit to be
brave enough
thy nature; / It is too full o' the milk of
human kindness / To catch the nearest way
That is: Macbeth is too kind to be
ruthless
wouldst not play false, / And yet
wouldst wrongly win:
That is: Macbeth is not a traitor
This page
Come, you spirits… ﬁll me from the
crown to the toe top-full / Of direst
cruelty
That is: I need help from spirits to be
brave or cruel enough
Come to my woman's breasts, / And
take my milk for gall,
That is: because I’m a woman, I’m also
full of the milk of kindness
Come, thick night, / And pall thee in
thedunnest smoke of hell, / That my
keen knife see not the wound it makes,
That is: I need it to be dark, so I can’t see
when I wound the king
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ACT1
58
59MACBETH
Macbeth turns up and his wife pumps up his ego by calling him “Great Glamis” blah-
de-blah. She’s pretty excited about the whole becoming-king thing and even more
so when Macbeth says that Duncan is coming for a sleepover. Lady Macbeth instantly
declares that there’s no way Duncan is leaving alive. She says that Macbeth needs to
play “innocent” but actually be a “serpent”. While he’s doing his best Brad Pitt acting,
she’ll be working out the details ("put / this night’s great business into my dispatch”),
so he shouldn’t worry his muscly little head about it.
What the…?
LADY MACBETH: Great Glamis! worthy Cawdor!
Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter!
Thy letters have transported me beyond
This ignorant present, and I feel now
The future in the instant.
MACBETH: My dearest love,
Duncan comes here to-night.
LADY MACBETH: And when goes hence?
MACBETH: To-morrow, as he purposes.
LADY MACBETH: O, never
Shall sun that morrow see!
Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,
Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent ﬂower,
But be the serpent under't. He that's coming
Must be provided for: and you shall put
This night's great business into my dispatch;
Which shall to all our nights and days to come
Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.
MACBETH: We will speak further.
LADY MACBETH: Only look up clear;
To alter favour ever is to fear:
Leave all the rest to me.
Exeunt
Have you ever made a hasty decision (when you didn’t need to) that turned out badly, like buying
something on impulse that you later regretted? In Shakespeare’s tragedies, he’ll often put char-
acters in positions where they feel they need to do things quickly. This pressure leads them to act
on impulses that ultimately won’t provide them with happiness or contentment. In other words,
they are acting in ways they think they should (like being ambitious), rather than stopping and
considering what will actually make them happy.
In the table below, write notes about how Shakespeare has put Macbeth in a situation where he
acts on impulse, not reason:
How does this make Macbeth feel pressured?
Meeting the witches
Macbeth returning to his
castle
Lady Macbeth planning
Duncan’s murder
Repeatedly throughout Macbeth, characters are blind to things or keep
their plans secret from others. When this happens, Shakespeare often
uses imagery of hiding and darkness to show us two things:
1. characters are doing something they know is wrong and that needs
to be secret
2. characters don’t always ‘see’ the truth about themselves
Look back through this passage and the previous one and identify (using the icons) images of
darkness and hiding. Consider what is being said and annotate these icons using the following
sentence starters:
This shows us that [character name] wants to hide…
This shows us that[character name’s] doesn’t know…
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ACT1
61MACBETH60
By now, you have had some practice writing about characters and also writing about a theme but,
to write a truly awesome essay about a Shakespearean play, you will need to have something to say
about the imagery and language he uses. Let’s have a look at an example:
To highlight the fact that Lady Macbeth is planning something unnatural, Shakespeare uses
language that plays upon the stereotypes of women. In this scene, Lady Macbeth asks that her
breasts be ﬁlled with ‘gall’ rather than ‘milk’, so that she becomes more masculine, rather than
being the traditional nurturing mother.
In the ﬁrst sentence, the writer is outlining how Shakespeare plays with language.
Using the table below, have a go at writing a similar sort of sentence:
To highlight the fact… is planning some-
thing unnatural…
Shakespeare
uses language
that plays…
(idea phrase)
To underscore the
idea…
To epitomise the
actions…
To emphasise the
notion…
To accentuate the
idea…
has a perverse
plan…
has schemes that
are deviant as well
as devious…
is undertaking
something
unnatural…
Shakespeare’s
language
represents…
Shakespeare’s
imagery evokes…
Shakespeare’s
language
characterises…
the immoral nature
of…
the disruption of…
the idea that…
her as…
her not
stereotypically as…
but as…
In the second sentence, the writer is introducing the example/s that illustrate the point made in
the previous sentence.
Using the quotes below, as well as the table underneath, have a go at writing a similar sort of
sentence:
Lady Macbeth’s quotes about disrupting the natural order of things:
“unsex [her] here”
“fear thy nature”
“may pour [her] spirits in thine ear”
“Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark”
Lady Macbeth asks.. so that she becomes… rather than…
Lady Macbeth calls upon…
Lady Macbeth invokes…
Lady Macbeth cries for…
Lady Macbeth hopes that…
to help her achieve…
to aid her husband…
to create an environment…
so that she can prevent…
in order to stop…
instead of being…
in contrast to…
which is the antithesis of…
as a counter to…
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ACT1
62 63MACBETH
Duncan is parking his horse out front and takes a few minutes to admire how nice
Macbeth’s place looks. As he’s admiring the scenery, Lady M turns up and Duncan
thanks her for showing “love” when hosting a king can be a lot of “trouble”. Lady M
gushes that nothing is too much trouble for Duncan since he’s been heaps nice to
Macbeth. Duncan asks where hubby is and Lady M doesn’t answer the question, but
she says she’s a servant to Duncan and everything she has is “in compt” (a payment
from) the king, so he should be able to use it when he comes to stay. Even the WiFi
password.
What the…?
ACT 1.6 Duncan outside Macbeth’s castle
DUNCAN: This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air
Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself
Unto our gentle senses.
See, see, our honour'd hostess!
The love that follows us sometime is our trouble,
Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you
How you shall bid God yield us for your pains,
And thank us for your trouble.
LADY MACBETH: All our service
In every point twice done and then done double
Were poor and single business to contend
Against those honours deep and broad wherewith
Your majesty loads our house: for those of old,
And the late dignities heap'd up to them,
We rest your hermits.
DUNCAN: Where’s the thane of Cawdor?
We coursed him at the heels, and had a purpose
To be his purveyor: but he rides well;
And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp him
To his home before us. Fair and noble hostess,
We are your guest to-night.
LADY MACBETH: Your servants ever
Have theirs, themselves and what is theirs, in compt,
To make their audit at your highness' pleasure,
Still to return your own.
DUNCAN: Give me your hand;
Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly,
And shall continue our graces towards him.
By your leave, hostess.
Throughout Act One, Shakespeare is emphasising the responsibilities
that good kings have to their subjects and the loyalty that subjects owe
to kings in return. Back in Scene Four, Duncan was a good and responsi-
ble king by rewarding and praising Macbeth for his efforts and Macbeth
responded that his job is to be loyal by doing “every thing / Safe toward
your love and honour”. Here, Duncan is again being a good king by
praising and thanking someone (Lady Macbeth) and Lady Macbeth acknowledges the role of
subjects: that everything they own is because of the generosity of the king and should therefore
be made available for the king.
The reason Shakespeare emphasises this is to show that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth planning
to murder Duncan isn’t just bad because it’s murder, but that it’s really, really bad because it’s a
dramatic violation of the relationship between loyal subjects and responsible kings. Duncan has
held up his part of the deal by being a top bloke, but the Macbeths are deﬁnitely going rogue on
their part in the relationship.
Have a go writing your own sentence about how the Macbeths’ actions will be wrong on two
levels:
The Macbeths’ plan
to murder Duncan
is not just a…
• murder
• homicide
• physical crime
but also a… • breach of (to break
something)
• transgression
against (to go
against a duty)
• contravention of
(to go against an
accepted rule or
way of behaving)
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ACT1
64 65MACBETH
Macbeth’s making a bit of a pros and cons list about killing Duncan. First he thinks
that if it’s going to happen, it should be done fast, so that Duncan’s “surcease” (death)
is the end of the whole business. But then Macbeth worries that in killing Duncan he
could “teach” other people to behave in the same way (i.e. people will kill Macbeth
if he becomes king). This makes him think of a bunch of other reasons he shouldn’t
kill Duncan: Duncan’s a great guy; Duncan has an awesome rep; Macbeth’s related to
Duncan; Duncan makes great porridge (joke: there’s no such thing as great porridge!)
What the…?
ACT 1.7 Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to go through
with the murder
MACBETH: If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly: if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'ld jump the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice
Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust;
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking-off;
And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.
Enter LADY MACBETH
How now! what news?
What reasoning does Macbeth provide for why he shouldn’t kill Duncan?
Draw a line from each plain English translation on the left to a matching
quote from Macbeth’s speech on the right.
I shouldn’t kill Duncan because he has
such a good reputation as a leader,
everyone will see his murder as an awful
crime and people will feel a lot of grief
at his death.
I shouldn’t kill Duncan because I have
no real reason for wanting to be king
except it sounds pretty cool.
I shouldn’t kill Duncan because, in
killing him, I could show other people
that they could do the same to me
when I’m king.
I shouldn’t kill Duncan because he’s
been a fair, gentle and effective ruler.
I shouldn’t kill Duncan because I
should be protecting him from murder
while he’s in my house, not actually
murdering him.
I shouldn’t kill Duncan, who is here
because he trusts me, for two reasons:
I’m his subject and also his relative.
this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek,
hath been
So clear in his great office
we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being
taught, return
his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-
tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking-
off; tears shall drown the wind
as his host,
Who should against his murderer
shut the door,
I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent,
but only Vaulting ambition, which
o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.
He's here in double trust;
First, as I am his kinsman and his
subject
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ACT1
66 67MACBETH
When Lady M stops by to check in on her hubby, she ﬁnds out he’s decided not
to kill the king after all, and that annoys her so much she calls him a scaredy cat,
which is pretty harsh. Macbeth just says he wants to be a man and be on beer ads
and stuff like that and Lady M tells him that the real men on beer ads would stick
to their decisions. And she tells him that if she’d made a promise to him, even if it was
a terrible promise like killing her own baby, she’d rather have “dash’d the brains” out
of the rugrat than break that promise. Mother of the Year.
What the…?
with the murder
LADY MACBETH: He has almost supp'd: why have you left the chamber?
MACBETH: Hath he ask'd for me?
LADY MACBETH: Know you not he has?
MACBETH: We will proceed no further in this business:
He hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon.
LADY MACBETH: Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since?
And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valour
As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,'
Like the poor cat i' the adage?
MACBETH: Prithee, peace:
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more is none.
LADY MACBETH: What beast was't, then,
That made you break this enterprise to me?
When you durst do it, then you were a man;
And, to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man. Nor time nor place
Did then adhere, and yet you would make both:
They have made themselves, and that their ﬁtness now
Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this.
This is one of the very few scenes in the play where Macbeth
expresses contentment with what he has. And he has two
reasons for feeling this satisfaction:
He doesn’t “dare” do more than any other man should.
People have expressed “golden opinions” of Macbeth, so his
head is nicely swollen.
So, it’s interesting that Lady Macbeth doesn’t just accept that her husband has found content-
ment, but reminds him of his earlier ambitions. It’s also interesting that she reminds him of the
child they once had, perhaps suggesting that some of their ambitions for having a family have
already evaporated.
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ACT1
68 69MACBETH
with the murder
Evidence that Macbeth made the plan Evidence that Lady Macbeth made the
plan
In Scene 3, Macbeth says: “My thought,
whose murder is yet fantastical”
In Scene 5, Lady Macbeth says: “O never
/ Shall sun that morrow see!”
In this scene, Lady Macbeth says: “When
you durst do it…Nor time nor place did
then adhere” (Which means that Macbeth
said he was going to do it, he just didn’t
know when or where)
In Scene 5, Lady Macbeth says: “you shall
put / This night’s great business into my
dispatch” (Which means Macbeth should
leave the planning to her)
In this scene, Lady Macbeth says that Macbeth broke “this enterprise” with her, meaning he
planned to kill the king but has now gone back on that plan. Yet, so far in the play it seems
like Lady Macbeth is the one who suggested the plan, so you have to ask yourself: Who
made the plan to kill Duncan? Look at the evidence in the table below:
Thinking about all of this evidence, which of the following statements is the
most likely to be true:
Macbeth made the plan to kill Duncan and Lady Macbeth was just helping with this
plan.
Both Macbeth and his Lady came up with the plan together.
Macbeth made the plan, but Lady Macbeth thought out all the details.
Macbeth wanted to become king and Lady Macbeth made a plan that would help
him do it.
My plans for Macbeth-like world domination:
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ACT1
70 71MACBETH
Macbeth’s a bit worried that it might be tricky to kill a king and get away with it,
which makes Lady M LOL all over the place. She’s planning on visiting Duncan in his
rooms for a late night party so she can get him and his servants drunker than Year 12
students at Schoolies Week. Then, when they all pass out, the Macbeths can kill “The
unguarded Duncan” and blame it all on his servants. Macbeth is so impressed with the
evil genius of this plan that he tells his wife she should only have sons, because she’s
so manly. Which is the kind of compliment every woman wants.
What the…?
with the murder
MACBETH: If we should fail?
LADY MACBETH: We fail!
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep–
Whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey
Soundly invite him–his two chamberlains
Will I with wine and wassail so convince
That memory, the warder of the brain,
Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason
A limbeck only: when in swinish sleep
Their drenched natures lie as in a death,
What cannot you and I perform upon
The unguarded Duncan? what not put upon
His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt
Of our great quell?
MACBETH: Bring forth men-children only;
For thy undaunted mettle should compose
Nothing but males. Will it not be received,
When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two
Of his own chamber and used their very daggers,
That they have done't?
LADY MACBETH: Who dares receive it other,
As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar
Upon his death?
MACBETH: I am settled, and bend up
Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.
Away, and mock the time with fairest show:
False face must hide what the false heart doth know.
In this passage, Shakespeareis highlighting just howdishonourable theMacbeths’ plan really is.
Macbeth has already killed
many, many people on the
battleﬁeld and has been
rewarded for it, but this is a
different kind of killing. It’s
both “swinish” and “false”.
Lady Macbeth is proposing to
turn Duncan (who most people
agree is a virtuous king) into
someone who will fall into
“swinish sleep” and then be
slaughtered, much like the
unhappy pig in this picture.
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73MACBETH72
In any truly awesome essay on Macbeth, you’ll want to compare the two Macbeths to each other,
demonstrating that you understand why they are in the Serial Killer Couples Hall of Fame (it’s not
a club most people want to be part of). In your essay, you’ll need to analyse and explain how their
lives are influenced by the decisions they make and, to do that well, you’ll need to understand and
evaluate their personalities. You’ll want to be able to discuss what they have in common (apart from
planning murders) and what sets them apart from each other, such as in this sentence below:
While the Macbeths’ shared ambition unites them, their very different personalities create vastly
different fates for them.
Let’s look at the first half of this sentence. Using the phrases in the table below, write a similar first
half of a sentence:
Linking phrase Attribute Linking words
While the Macbeths’ shared
Although the Macbeths similar
Even though some things about the
Macbeths, such as their
Although one of the Macbeths’ common
attributes, such as
ambition
energy
callousness
passion
savagery
aspiration/s
ruthlessness
unites them,
links them,
connects them,
leagues them with each
other,
unifies them as a couple,
Now, let’s look at the second half of the sentence. Using the phrases in the table below, finish the
sentence you have already begun:
Separate attribute phrase Verb Consequence phrase
their very different personalities
the fundamental contrasts between them
the more important disparities between
them
the opposing nature of their
personalities*
*if you use this phrase, you will need to add an
s to the verb in the next column
create
manifest
result in
generate
initiate
vastly different fates
for them.
contrasting destinies for
each.
quite separate deaths
for each.
their own particular
punishment.
with the murder
ACT 2H
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74 75MACBETH
Who’s who in Act Two
You’ll come across three sets of characters in this Act:
1. The current rulers of Scotland
2. Ordinary people
There are a few ordinary people in this scene. The things they say show us what life is like for the
people who don’t rule. The interactions they have with the lords also show us that the lives of
ordinary people and those in charge interconnect.
Porter: His one job is to guard the gate of Macbeth’s castle.
Old man: His job is to be, well, an old man.
Death toll
The King
Duncan
The King of Scotland. About to be killed.
Sons Thanes
Malcolm and
Donalbain, who
will ﬂee the
country when the
old man is killed
Macbeth,
the thane of
Cawdor and
soon to be
king
Banquo,
Macbeth’s
friend who
becomes
suspicious
of his
actions
Lennox, a
young lord
who will be
freaked out
by events in
this Act.
Ross, a lord
who will
talk to the
ordinary
folk to
get their
perspective
about
events
Macduff,
one of
Duncan’s
most
trusted and
loyal lords
Lady
Macbeth,
chief
strategist in
the plan to
kill Duncan
Fleance,
Banquo’s
son
ACT2
Thane of Cawdor
Executed for treason
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Macbeth Acts 1-5 Preview

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