Student Generated Act Note
PLOT
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Witches give Macbeth and Banquo
a prophecy; Macbeth is promised to
be Thane of Cawdor and King.
Banquo is told that his sons will be
kings (1.3)
Macbeth is named Thane of
Cawdor (1.3)
Macbeth debates whether or not to
accept the prophecies. Ultimately,
he decides to believe (1.3)
Macbeth becomes Thane of
Cawdor and starts to believe that
the witches’ prophecy might be true
(1.4)
Lady Macbeth reads the letter from
Macbeth and is overcome with her
desire for Macbeth to become
powerful (1.5)
King Duncan comes to Macbeth’s
castle and meets with Lady
Macbeth (1.6)
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth plan to
murder Duncan (1.7)
CHARACTER
Witches (1.3)
 disgusting, manly
Lady Macbeth
 1.5
 Acts happy around Duncan but is
secretly plotting his death (1.6/1.7)
 Asks the evil forces to make her
cruel enough to kill Duncan
(1.6/1.7)
Macbeth
 Trusting, indecisive, easily
persuaded (1.3)
 1.5
THEME
Appearance versus Reality
 Evil witches bearing good news
(1.3)
 1.4.4 (Malcolm)
 Lady Macbeth’s plan to murder
Duncan(1.5)
 1.6/1.7
Fate versus Free Will
 Macbeth considers how the
prophecies will come true (self
determination or destiny) (1.3)
Betrayal
Macbeth plans to kill Duncan and become
King (1.4)
Blind ambition (1.6/1.7)
SETTING
Heath (1.3)
 nighttime
 eerie and suspicious, like the
witches’ prophecies
Inverness (1.4)
 Macbeth’s castle
King Duncan’s headquarters (1.5)
 King’s castle
Inverness
 daytime
 Duncan and Banquo arrive to
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Hesitant/unsure about killing the
king due to his royalty (1.6/1.7)
Easily manipulated (Lady Macbeth
encourages him to kill Duncan and
blame the murder on guards)
(1.6/1.7)
Banquo
 skeptical (1.3)
Duncan
 1.5
 Trustworthy (1.6/1.7)
 Oblivious to what is going to
happen to him (death) (1.6/1.7)
OTHER
Dramatic Irony
 Lady Macbeth acts kind and
innocent, saying that it is an honor
to have the king come to her home
but she secretly wants to kill him
(1.6/1.7)
Foreshadowing
 Witches’ prophecies start to come
true (1.3)
Paradox
 “Cannot be ill, cannot be good …”
(1.3)
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Macbeth’s castle
the castle looks like heaven on the
outside but is hell on the inside
(dramatic irony or appearance vs.
reality)