Before You Read
Macbeth Act I
FOCUS ACTIVITY
How does ambition create conflict?
Freewriting
Take ten minutes to freewrite about the positive and negative aspects of ambition. In
general, do you think ambition creates conflict? If so, can this conflict be applied to high
school students? Explain.
Setting a Purpose
Read to discover the temptations of a brave soldier, Macbeth, who is urged by his wife to
murder his way to the throne of Scotland.
BACKGROUND
Time and Place
It is uncertain exactly when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, but is commonly dated 1606. It
is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy and considered to be one of his darkest and most
powerful works. The play is about ambition, murder, intrigue, manipulation, and betrayal.
Set in Scotland, the play dramatizes the damaging psychological and political effects of
ambition as it takes a dark turn to fulfill the undying need for power.
Did You Know?
Shakespeare's source for the tragedy is the account of King Macbeth of Scotland,
Macduff, and Duncan in Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), a history of England, Scotland,
and Ireland. However, the events in Shakespeare’s play differ extensively from the
history of the real Macbeth. In recent scholarship, the events of the tragedy are usually
associated more closely with the execution of Henry Garnett for complicity in the
Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
chastise – to punish or severely criticize
dwindle – to make or become less until little remains
lavish – extravagant; to give in abundance
prophetic – speaking or predicting as if by divine intervention
surmise – to infer with little evidence; guess
trifle – something of little importance or value
wrought – shaped, created
Name:
Date:
Period:
Responding
Macbeth, Act I
Personal Response
Three witches meet Macbeth and Banquo on the heath as the men return from battle.
They cause Macbeth to consider the extent of his ambition and Banquo to warn that
predictions are often harmful as well as beneficial. If three witches appeared before you,
would you want to know their prophecies for your life? Explain your answer.
Analyzing Literature, Act I, Scene i
Recall and Interpret
1. Shakespeare makes Macbeth literally start with a bang. The Witches enter the scene
with a clap of thunder, which in Shakespeare’s day may have been created backstage by
rolling a cannonball across wooden boards. What mood does Shakespeare establish at the
beginning of the play that permeates the entire play? Explain.
2. Shakespeare gives the Witches a style of speaking all their own, a rhythmic language
of charms and curses, to emphasize the theme of magic and the supernatural in the play.
What do you suppose is suggested by the line, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”? What poetic
device is exemplified in this line?
Analyzing Literature, Act I, Scene ii
Recall and Interpret
3. The Captain’s words are carefully chosen to capture the battle and paint a picture for
the audience. Read lines 16-23. Identify four visual images that help the audience picture
key moments in the battle. For example, you might want to look for images that depict
Macbeth in the fray or when he meets his enemy. In your response, include the line, line
number and a short description for each one describing the impact it has.
Analyzing Literature, Act I, Scene iii
Recall and Interpret
4. What prophecies do the Weird Sisters make regarding Macbeth? How does he react?
5. What do the Weird Sisters see in the future for Banquo?
6. An aside is a dramatic device that gives important insights into a character’s thoughts
and feelings. In lines 126-43, Macbeth processes the news that he is now Thane of
Cawdor and that one of the Witches’ prophecies has come true. What does Macbeth’s
aside reveal about his thinking?
Analyzing Literature, Act I, Scene iv
Recall and Interpret
7. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that the characters in the
play do not. Read lines 12-15. What is ironic about who enters just as Duncan is saying
that he wrongly trusted Cawdor? Explain.
8. Duncan declares his intention to name Malcolm the heir to his throne. In lines 22-7,
Macbeth is publicly loyal to his king. However, in lines 48-53, what does he admit to
himself that he must prevent? What does Macbeth immediately realize may be required
of him in order to fulfill the prophecy and become king? It is important to note that in
Scotland at this time, kingship was not automatically inherited. This explains Macbeth’s
disappointment, especially given the Witches’ prophecy.
Analyzing Literature, Act I, Scene v
Recall and Interpret
9. This is Lady Macbeth’s first appearance. She has been depicted as psychologically
unstable, close to her husband, and ambitious for both herself and Macbeth. Read lines
1-28. What are your immediate thoughts on how Shakespeare presents this important
character?
10. Macbeth’s letter is in prose, but Lady Macbeth speaks in much richer, poetic
language. Once Lady Macbeth hears of the Witches’ prophecy, whose life is doomed?
Explain.
Analyzing Literature, Act I, Scene vi
Recall and Interpret
11. Act I, Scene vi continues to develop the theme of appearance and reality that emerged
at the end of the previous scene. Both Duncan and Banquo speak favorably of Macbeth’s
castle. Look closely at the footnotes and vocabulary for this scene. Explain the dramatic
irony and extended metaphor found in lines 1-10.
Analyzing Literature, Act I, Scene vii
Recall and Interpret
12. Macbeth agonizes over killing Duncan in his soliloquy. What does Macbeth fear
according to lines 1-7? What does this foreshadow? At the end of Macbeth’s soliloquy,
what decision does he make?
13. Lady Macbeth accuses her husband of cowardice and even challenges his manhood.
What decision is made at the end of the act? What do you think is the state of mind of
each character in this section? What is their motivation?
Literature and Writing
Honor and Kingship
Angus tells us that the present Thane of Cawdor is alive, but has committed treason and
sided with the enemy. Use Act I, Scene iii, lines 107-15 to help you write the official
notice that gives reasons for Cawdor’s conviction for treason and announces his
imminent execution. You may find it helpful to start by considering the themes and ideas
of kingship, honor and masculinity that are raised here.
Extending Your Response
Secret Desires
Macbeth and Banquo are comrades in arms, who have fought together and won a great
victory. But how might the Witches’ prophecies affect them and their relationship? With
a partner, discuss the meaning of Banquo’s words in Act I, Scene iii, lines 121-5 in
relation to the theme of appearance versus reality. What do you think counts as reality
here?
Imagine Shakespeare left some space for another aside at the end of this exchange
between Macbeth and Banquo in Act I, Scene iii. What thoughts or feelings would your
character hide from his comrade? From either Macbeth or Banquo’s point of view, write
out your secret thoughts about the Witches and each other. Write these thoughts in blank
verse, modeled on the speeches Shakespeare has given characters in this scene.
Metaphor for Life
The image of a ship tossed by the winds and the waves, struggling to make it to a safe
harbor, has been used as a metaphor for life. Life is seen as a voyage during which we
face conflicts, experience adventures, and make discoveries. Discuss the impact the
Witches have on the ‘voyage’ of the sailor in Act I, Scene iii, lines 1-35. What does this
metaphor reveal about the Witches’ plans to meet with Macbeth?