A closer look at each Act
As you examine each Act identify the ten most important events in each. This will help to increase your
understanding of how the themes are developed throughout the play.
Act I
The main events in Act I are:
1. The witches’ plan to meet Macbeth.
2. Macbeth is introduced as a hero who will become Thane of Cawdor as a reward for his loyalty.
3. The witches prophesise that Macbeth will be king and Banquo will be the father of a line of kings.
4. Duncan orders the execution of the treacherous Thane of Cawdor. He rewards Macbeth but
announces that Malcolm will become heir to the crown.
5. Lady Macbeth learns of the witches’ prophesies through the letter Macbeth has written her.
6. Macbeth arrives and Lady Macbeth tells him to look ‘like the innocent flower but to act like a serpent,’
when Duncan arrives.
7. Duncan is greeted by Lady Macbeth. He does not suspect what fate awaits him.
8. Macbeth is troubled by his conscience and almost talks himself out of killing Duncan.
9. Lady Macbeth torments Macbeth about his promise to kill Duncan, and his lack of manliness. She
convinces him that a real man would keep his word. She gives the impression that she is more of a
man that he is.
10. They then plan the murder together.
It is Banquo’s fear that the witches' words will "enkindle [Macbeth] unto the crown;" that they will stir an
ambition in Macbeth that is already latent within him (Act I Scene 3, line 132). This fear is soon realised as
Macbeth's thoughts quickly turn to murder (Act I Scene 3, line 152). Why does Macbeth rely so heavily on the
predictions of the witches? Does he perceive a connection between these ‘weird sisters’ and the Fates of
Greek myth? The word ‘weird’ comes from an Old English word ‘wyrd’ which means ‘fate.’ Do the witches
perform the function of an oracle, of the kind we associate with Greek Tragedy?
Macbeth and Banquo are presented as characters who appear equal in many respects yet Banquo does not
act on the witches' prediction that he will father kings. How does his refusal to act on the witches’ prediction
reflect on the differences between himself and Macbeth? What images of masculinity do the differences
between Banquo and Macbeth suggest to the audience?
The ambiguity of the language used by the ‘weird sisters’ is compatible with the play’s theme of equivocation.
Banquo recognises the witches as agents of the supernatural, who speak a language that appeals to the inner
desires of the characters.
Banquo:
“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.”
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Why is Macbeth unable to see the double meaning of the language used by the ‘weird sisters’?
In Act 2 Scene 1, Banquo dreams of the three ‘weird sisters.’ Why does Macbeth say, “I think not of
them”?
How does this difference between the way these two characters perceive the split between their inner
and outer worlds reflect on the plays others themes of “fair” being “foul;” and the ideas of loyalty and
ambition? Lady Macbeth also shares Macbeth’s prejudice in appealing to the supernatural. For her, a
prediction becomes a “promise”.
“Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promised; yet I do fear thy nature”
Lady Macbeth (Act I Scene 5)
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How does Macbeth’s written reference, “They met me in the day of success, and I have learned by the
perfectest report they have more in them than mortal knowledge,” strengthen the similarities or
differences between how Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Banquo see the role of the ‘weird sisters’?
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Why does Shakespeare make double use of ideas like this, e.g. we all see things differently? In most of
Shakespeare’s plays, he uses a mirroring of ideas between the characters, which serves to heighten
their differences. Macbeth is no exception.
A major concern of the play is the relationship of the personal inner world of the character and its relationship
to the social and political order of the outer world, and the way characters act or refuse to act on the way they
perceive the world. Macbeth is prepared to engage in deception at Lady Macbeth’s prompt to
"look like th'innocent flower,
But be the serpent under't".
(Act I Scene 5)
Macbeth knows that he must appear to be a loyal Thane, even while he is secretly planning his dark deeds.
Lady Macbeth uses her womanly looks to flatter Duncan’s hopes for loyalty, but has already ‘unsexed’ herself
to commit the bloody deed of killing him. Aspects of the inner world of human psychology are revealed through
the nightmares and guilt-ridden hallucinations that accompany the carrying out of the evil acts. Shakespeare
chose to present the contrast between what someone is and what they appear to be, so as to accentuate the
fundamental meaning of his use of the theme of equivocation, a theme which he also connected to the theme
that appearances can be deceptive.
Shakespeare uses the theme that appearances are deceptive to present Macbeth as a character who is
outwardly brave but inwardly indecisive. To this he adds the idea that Macbeth’s character contains a fatal
flaw. He knows what is right and what is wrong and yet lacks the moral fortitude to act correctly preferring
instead to allow himself to be deceived by vague notions about what a real man would do in the
circumstances. Psychologically Macbeth is emotionally tormented. His eloquent soliloquies are full of pathos
and audiences cannot help but sympathise with his distress.
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Why does Shakespeare’s depiction of Macbeth evoke such sympathy?
Contrast and compare this view of Macbeth with his depiction of Lady Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth is presented as a ruthless character driven by a desire for greatness and status. However, her
desire for power represents a masculine trait that requires her to shed her feminine qualities. In her “unsex me
here” speech, she identifies the feminine virtues of keeping the peace and feeling remorse as barriers to
achieving her great purpose. Lady Macbeth’s rejection of motherhood arouses ‘shock horror’ emotions from
the audience.
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What image of feminine power is Shakespeare presenting through his depiction of Lady Macbeth?
How does this depiction of an essentially uncaring, evil woman increase the sympathy the audience
feels for Macbeth?
Can you think of any modern examples of this stereotypically evil woman?
Act II
All the scenes in Act II are set in or near Macbeth’s castle at Inverness. The Act begins with a discussion
between Macbeth and Banquo. It is after midnight. Banquo wants to discuss the witches, but Macbeth tells him
they will discuss them some other time, and bids him goodnight. He then delivers an important soliloquy
beginning with the words, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?”
In this act, you need to pay close attention to Macbeth’s state of mind. Does he really see a dagger or is it just
a vision, a dagger of the mind? The inner world of Macbeth’s psyche seems to spill over into the physical
world, as he carries, to conclusion, his plan to kill Duncan.
After killing Duncan Macbeth hears a voice saying, “Glamis hath murdered sleep and therefore Cawdor shall
sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more.”
Earlier, Macbeth sees the dagger leading him to the murder scene. The ‘instrument’ he refers to in this speech
recalls the influence of the witches referred to earlier by Banquo as the ‘instruments of darkness.’ The other
references to ‘wicked dreams’ and ‘witchcraft’ support the idea that Macbeth is either possessed by the
witches, or obsessed with the idea of killing Duncan to fulfill the witches’ prediction. You will need to decide to
what extent Macbeth is provoked by either the witches or his own ‘heat-oppressed brain’ into committing the
act of killing Duncan.
Sleep is important, as an extended metaphor, that signifies or represents Macbeth’s troubled existence, and
the troubled state of the country. No one can sleep because Macbeth’s ambition to become king plunges the
country into a darkness that seems to mirror his psychological state. Images of natural disorder abound in this
act, an owl eats a falcon and two noble horses eat each other.
The symbolism of the act is centered on the images of birds at war with each other, and every scene in the act
contains a least one reference to birds. It has been suggested that the references to the owl in this act
represent a metaphor for Macbeth. Macbeth is like an owl, which sleeps by day and hunts by night.
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Compare this idea to the Elizabethan world order, which places the eagle or falcon at the top of the
order of the bird kingdom. What are the implications for the order of the world?
There are also several references to hell in this scene. The porter imagines that he is guarding the gate
to hell. Explore the irony of these references.
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What other biblical references can you find in Act II? What does Banquo’s declaration,
“In the great hand of God I stand and thence against the undivulged pretense I fight”
suggest about the differences between him and Macbeth (Act II Scene 3)?
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What is the dramatic function of the Old Man’s single appearance in the play? Whose point of view
does he represent? How do his lines reinforce the themes of the play?
Act III
Act III opens shortly after Macbeth has been crowned King. Macbeth’s succession has not brought peace, and
the implications, in the text, reveal that he has to employ spies in each of the most important households to
inform him of any move against him. The voice of conscience speaks loudly to Macbeth in this scene soon
after he has Banquo murdered.
The theme to focus on in Act III is what does it mean to be a man? Earlier in the play Lady Macbeth defines
masculinity as the ability to ruthlessly achieve a desired goal. In Act I Scene 2, Duncan applauds Macbeth’s
ruthless killing of “the merciless Macdonald” who Macbeth “unseamed” from “the nave to th’ chaps.” Duncan
exclaims, “O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman.”
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Identify as many versions of masculinity and femininity as you can as you read the play.
The idea of what it means to be a real man is a question that can be looked at from several different
viewpoints. Try comparing the views of several different characters with each other. Then consider the way
that the idea of what it means to be a man means to each of them. Consider how these ideas about
masculinity move the action of the play forward. For example, Duncan rewards masculine valour with titles,
this brings him closer to his own demise. Macbeth kills in order to gain power and honour from the king and his
fellow thanes. He then kills the king to prove he is a man of destiny. Macduff defends his masculinity by killing
Macbeth out of revenge for the killing of his wife and children.
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Examine the role that masculinity plays in motivating each of the characters to carry out their plans.
In Act III Scene 1, Macbeth’s discussion with the murderers about how a man is meant to behave mirrors the
words used by Lady Macbeth in Act 1. Macbeth taunts the murderers with references to their rank, station and
file (Act III Scene 1, lines 90-105).
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Reflect on the relationship Macbeth has with the murderers and how closely it mirrors the methods he
and Lady Macbeth used to kill Duncan. What does this suggest about all murderers? Especially note
the references to stains and blood in committing the act of murder which are meant to signify guilt.
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Why does Macbeth refer to the blood on the murderer’s face? Is this real or imagined blood? How does
this link with the themes of appearances and disturbance of the natural order? How does this
foreshadow the blood Lady Macbeth tries to wash from her hands in Act V?
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When Macbeth see Banquo’s ghost he is ‘unmanned’. Could it be that Macbeth’s feminine side is
asserting itself through his guilt? Compare this view of masculinity to Lady Macbeth’s “unsex me here”
speech.
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How do some of the supernatural elements of the play undermine notions of masculinity and
femininity? What message is being directed to the audience about the roles men and women are
meant to play?
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How does witchcraft undermine the established order? Relate this to the idea of cleanliness; what is
being implied? Are all witches capable of murder?
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Lady Macbeth is not involved in the plan to kill Banquo and her role in the play is diminished after Act
III. Think carefully about the way Shakespeare uses this mirroring technique. Lady Macbeth’s character
is not as fully developed as Macbeth’s because, unlike Macbeth, she doesn’t consciously weigh the
consequences of her actions. Her realisations are depicted as unconscious responses performed in
sleep, whereas Macbeth thoughts are consciously and eloquently articulated to the audience.
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Is Lady Macbeth a foil for Macbeth, whose function is designed to move the audience toward a deeper
understanding of the tragic nature of the play’s bloody events?
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Think of Macbeth’s speech on “vaulting ambition” as you reflect on how each of these two characters
influence each other, before you decide what her dramatic function is.
The idea of cleanliness permeates this act, and the theme of removing stains and washing runs throughout the
whole play. In Act II Scene 2, Lady Macbeth instructs Macbeth to wash the blood from his hands after
murdering Duncan. She says, “a little water clears us of this deed,” but it doesn’t.
After the murder of Banquo, Macbeth is haunted and tormented by the sight of Banquo’s ghostly appearance
at the banquet. The idea of being unable to cleanse the mind and the spirit is closely tied to the play’s themes
of order and disorder and light and dark. The killing of Duncan has upset the spiritual order of the world and
the ability to distinguish between what is real and what is imagined. This confusion is mirrored in the character
of Macbeth who, quite literally, has replaced order with disorder on every level, including the spiritual order.
This mirroring reinforces the themes of appearances not being what they seem, but also foreshadows the
madness and suicide of Lady Macbeth, which is bound to flow from such an unnatural state of affairs.
Consider Lady Macbeth’s pathos, reflected in her sleep-walking speeches, “out, damned spot”. Here,
‘damnation’ accompanies the stain that corrupts the spiritual order of the world. Macbeth’s realisation that,“ all
great Neptune’s oceans” cannot wash the blood from his hands mirrors Lady Macbeth’s words, “All the
perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” Both characters are damned, reinforcing the idea that they
have brought hell to earth with their deeds.
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The identity of the third murderer is a question that is also worth considering in Act III. Some critics
have suggested that it is Macbeth himself. What are the implications regarding the events that follow if
this is true?
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Think about Macbeth and Banquo in terms of the act’s references to light and dark that they are
associated with. How do the images of light and darkness tie in with the theme of good versus evil?
How does the contrast between light and dark accentuate the essential nature of each of these two
characters?
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What is happening to the light as Banquo is murdered? Find other references to the sun/son in the
play. What are the implications? What do these references symbolise?
Act IV
Act IV begins with the witches’ reminder of the “double, double” nature of their predictions. The apparitions that
the witches summon give a double message to Macbeth and he, typically, believes what he wants to believe.
The apparitions warn him to fear no man born of woman, and that he need only fear when Birnam Wood
comes to Dunsinane.
The doubling or mirroring idea continues as the witches summon the "show of kings." Each king who appears
looks "too like the spirit of Banquo," which is deeply disturbing to Macbeth. They remind him of the ghost of
Banquo of the previous scene.
The line of kings seems to go on forever and Macbeth notes that he sees some carry "twofold balls and treble
scepters" (Act IV Scene 1). It is believed that these lines were written to flatter King James 1 who was one of
Shakespeare’s patrons. James would have been very pleased with the thought that his ancestry would last “till
the crack of doom.” There is also irony in the scene when Macbeth curses the witches “eternally,” as they
deliver their own eternal prophesy of Banquo’s progeny. And, at the end of this “show of eight kings”, the
eighth king holds a mirror in his hand. This king, an eighth-generation descendant of Banquo, is James I
himself.
The extension of the play’s themes carries a greater degree of mirroring than even the audience could have
guessed at, as suddenly, the play's James is doubled in the real James, who was also part of the audience.
Once again, Shakespeare has blurred the boundary between imagination and reality to emphasise the idea
that confusion is magnified by dabbling with the supernatural.
Think here about the importance of the coin with the flower and serpent on it. By reflecting on the nature of
reality, as to whether the world of the play or the world of the audience is reality, Shakespeare warns the
audience of the dangers of double dealing. Confusion, truly has made its masterpiece. The dramatic effect of
the scene foreshadows the need to restore order in the world, a message that will not be lost on the audience
as the grizzly events of Act IV unfold.
Shakespeare’s use of doubling is extended to the characters in the play, but it is his use of opposites that
gives the play its dramatic impact. The scene in which Lady Macduff is killed continues the bird symbolism that
began in Act I. Lady Macduff complains to Ross about her husband's abandoning them. She uses a bird
metaphor to explain her feelings,
"the poor wren,
The most diminutive of birds, will fight,
Her young ones in her nest, against the owl"
(Act IV Scene 2, lines 11-14).
Her son also helps to extend the metaphor by reassuring her that he will have to live "as birds do". This
metaphor becomes more powerful because the audience knows that Macduff’s castle is about to be attacked
by Macbeth's men.
Macbeth, as suggested, is identified with the owl, and Lady Macduff, trying to protect her son, becomes the
wren in a self-realisation of her own words. There are similarities here between Lady Macbeth’s haughty
declaration that she would rather ‘smash out’ her baby’s brain than fail to keep a promise, such as Macbeth
had made, and Macbeth’s own actions in ordering the deaths of Lady Macduff and her children. But it is the
differences between the two views of mothering that creates the most dramatic impact for the audience.
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Reflect on the ideas of feminine values each of the play’s two women represent.
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Why does Shakespeare use two very different examples of womankind? How do these examples of
mothering contrast with the images of fatherhood represented by Duncan, who, like a father, would
like his subjects to “grow” according to their position and their worth.
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Why does Macduff leave his wife and children?
Act V
Act V begins with Lady Macbeth’s guilty, but unconscious, revelations about the murders. The audience now
sees the weak side of Lady Macbeth, which presents a shocking visual contrast with the Lady Macbeth of
previous acts. The washing theme is continued as the sleep-walking, sleep-talking Lady Macbeth, in vain, tries
to scrub the stains of the murders from her hands. The blood represents guilt, but as guilt is associated with
sin, the stain reminds the audience of the biblical reference to the sin in the book of Genesis, when Cain killed
Abel and God placed a mark upon Cain.
During the period of James’ 1 reign, as many as 8000 people were tried and found guilty of witchcraft and
were burned at the stake. Some were accused of being witches because they were said to have ‘the mark’ of
the devil on them, which in reality, was often a mole or birth-mark. God placed ‘the mark’ on Cain to protect
him, but it is clear that Lady Macbeth’s mark does not protect her because others have identified her guilt
which identifies her with the devil.
This scene would remind the audience of the witchcraft trials that were going on all over the country. The
doctor and nurse who attend Lady Macbeth are witnesses to her guilt. The doctor later tells Macbeth that he
cannot cure an ‘infected mind’ and that Lady Macbeth has more need of a priest than a doctor.
This reinforces the play’s underlying theme of good versus evil. You can contrast this need for healing with the
healing powers that are associated with the good King Edward who could heal his subjects with a touch of his
hand.
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Turn to the description of the ‘miraculous’ healing powers of King Edward in Act IV Scene 3, lines 149161. What powers are associated with the reign of a good and virtuous king? How does Shakespeare’s
use of biblical imagery support the contrast he creates between Macbeth’s reign and that of King
Edward’s?
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Using two columns, headed good and evil, list some of their individual characteristics.
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Lady Macbeth’s “Out, damned spot, out, I say!” speech employs a choppier form of language that we
associate more with the witches rather than with her use of the complex rhythm of her earlier
speeches.
What theme is Shakespeare accentuating through this use of language? What does this use of
language suggest about Lady Macbeth’s status and her state of mind?
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Compare the Act V examples of her speech with the language she uses to greet Duncan in Act I. What
do you notice about the length of the sentences and the kind of words she uses?
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Does Shakespeare use this language to foreshadow Lady Macbeth’s death?
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The way a person uses language indicates their status in Shakespeare’s plays. The nobility use a
poetic language to indicate their rank. Read the Language features section for a more detailed
understanding of the way Shakespeare uses language.
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Just as clearly as Lady Macbeth’s shriveling is made visible to the audience, Macbeth’s own demise
appears to be written and foreshadowed in his use of language.
Compare the language used by both characters. What differences do you notice? Is Macbeth ever
robbed of his status by the words he uses?
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Even in defeat, Macbeth’s refusal to yield to Malcolm is amplified by the fact that he chooses to hold on
to the nobility that is expressed through his use of poetic language. Does this different use of language
shift the guilt of the deed of murdering Duncan more towards Lady Macbeth? Explain your view, and
show how the language used influences the themes already discussed.
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How does Macbeth’s use of language ‘mark’ him as the tragic hero in the play? Has Macbeth been too
trusting in listening to the witches, and his wife?
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Reflect on Macbeth’s speech that life is a ‘tale told by a fool’ in Act V.
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How does this linking of ‘life’ with the lowest in rank, ‘the fool,’ reveal the moral of the play? What are
the implications regarding connecting one’s fate too closely to the double-talk and predictions of
others?
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What does this positioning of Shakespeare’s male and female characters reveal about the traditional
roles that men and women are expected to play? How is a violent woman depicted in comparison to a
violent man? How is masculinity related to violence?
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It is useful, in this last Act, to think of both the Macbeths as puppets of the devil, and it is interesting
that Macbeth’s only remaining servant in Act V is Seyton. Given the double play that Shakespeare
uses, who then is the real master and who is the real servant within the economy of this mirror play?
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The role of the mirror (in a dramatic sense) in this play, is one that is barely mentioned by most
scholars, yet it joins together most of the themes used by the playwright.