MACBETH
Act 1, scene 4 and 5
LESSON OBJECTIVE
At the end of this lesson
we will have studied the
characters of Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth in
more detail.
STARTER
To what extent do you find this statement true or false? Be sure to
explain your response.
ACT 1, SCENE 4
The following roles will need to be read for
this scene:
Duncan
Malcolm
Macbeth
Banquo
QUESTIONS
When Macbeth enters the scene it is immediately after
Duncan expresses his dismay over being betrayed by
the former Thane of Cawdor, saying he was
a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.
QUESTIONS
Macbeth already shows a difference in his outward
speech and inward thought. Consider what he says…
in lines 44 - 47
in lines 49 - 53
How is Macbeth’s outward appearance different from the reality?
Consider what you know
about Tudor society. How
would the typical woman
be expected to act?
ACT 1,
SCENE
5
The introduction
of Lady
Macbeth
ACT 1, SCENE 5
For this scene we will need the
following roles:
Lady Macbeth
Attendant
Macbeth
QUESTIONS
This is Lady Macbeth’s first appearance in the play.
Based on the way Shakespeare has her speak, how do you
visualise her?
(age, costume, phsyical apperance, etc)
QUESTIONS
Lady Macbeth states that she will
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 crowned withal.
What does this tell us about the relationship between Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth?
IMPORTANT QUOTES ACT 1, SCENE 5
“Yet I do fear thy nature / It is too full of the milk of human kindness” –
Lady Macbeth is concerned that Macbeth is not evil or malicious
enough to take action to kill Duncan.
“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” – Laday
Macbeth is going to nag and push Macbeth into doing what he must
to become King. This inverts typical gender roles of the time.
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it” – In this simile
and metaphor Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to act innocently
while planning the evil act in secret.
QUESTIONS
Consider Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy on lines 36 – 52
What can we pull from this
speech that makes it almost
like a witch’s spell?
TRANSLATION
As a group translate Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5 into
modern English. Remember there is a word bank on the opposite page
to help you out!
“Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, […]
To cry, “Hold, hold!””
TRANSLATION
Come, you spirits that help with murderous thoughts, make
me less like a woman and more like a man, and fill me
from head to toe with deadly cruelty! Make my blood
thick and clog up my veins so I can’t feel remorse, so that
no human compassion can stop my evil plan or prevent me
from accomplishing it! Come to my female breast and turn
my mother’s milk into poisonous acid, you murdering
demons, wherever you hide, invisible and waiting to do
evil! Come, thick night, and cover the world in the darkest
smoke of hell, so that my sharp knife can’t see the wound it
cuts open, and so heaven can’t peep through the darkness
and cry, “No! Stop!”
QUESTIONS
Consider how Lady Macbeth’s lines here could have dual
(murderous) meaning….
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.
(lines 64 – 68)
QUESTIONS
What does Lady Macbeth tell her husband he must do, in
order to get what she feels he deserves?
How does Shakespeare show us that Lady Macbeth does
not trust that he husband is man enough to murder
Duncan?
What sort of relationship do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
have?
PLENARY
What have we learnt about Lady Macbeth in this scene?
 What type of woman is she?