Macbeth
Act I Key Quotes and Notes
Macbeth is a tragedy play. What does this
mean?
• The protagonist (pivotal character/s) experiences their
death/demise/downfall
• This occurs (at least partly) as a result of one or more of their own
character flaws
• The play often evokes sadness and sympathy for the protagonist,
whose character flaw we as the audience can possibly also relate to in
some degree
• Tragedy plays usually have a moral message for the audience
Macbeth is a tragedy play. What is Macbeth’s
fatal character flaw?
• AMBITION
• As a result, over the course of the play we see the progressive
corruption/decay of his moral character.
• This has catastrophic results for Macbeth and his wife, as well as the rest of
Scotland.
• Does Macbeth have any other character flaws?
Act 1, Scenes 1-3 Key Focus
• Sets the scene/setting
• Establishes “mood” of the whole play and the key theme of “fair and
foul”
• Introduces Macbeth as a great man, noble character, etc.
• Introduces the witches as manipulative, petty characters
• Introduces the theme of the supernatural/fate/prophecy
• Presents Banquo as a foil for Macbeth
Scene 1: The witches
• This quote introduced a key theme/motif in the play – that
appearances can be deceiving and also that things can be perceived
differently depending on how you look at them.
• Fair = good, pleasant.
• Foul = unpleasant, evil, bad.
Scene 2: Macbeth’s character, early on
What impression do we get of Macbeth?
Scene 3: The witches’ character
• The witches are presented here as malicious, petty, manipulative and
nasty creatures.
Scene 3: Macbeth – foul and fair quote
Macbeth reflects on the weather being foul, but it’s a good day because they won the
battle. This shows that the same circumstances can be perceived very differently depending
on perception. It links back to the witches’ quote from scene 1, a major theme of the play.
Scene 3: Macbeth’s prophecies
Scene 3: Banquo’s prophecies…
These prophecies appear to be paradoxes, or
to not make sense.
Can you find a way to interpret each one that
does make sense?
Scene 3: Banquo and Macbeth’s responses to
his prophecy…
Shows how Banquo and Macbeth react
different:
Macbeth starts and seems “to fear things that
do sound so fair”
Banquo says he “neither beg nor fear your
favours nor your hate”.
What do beg and fear mean here? Favours and
hate?
Banquo as a ‘foil’ for Macbeth
• A ‘foil’ is a metalanguage term used for a character who is very similar
in many ways to another, but with several key differences also
• e.g. Banquo is a foil for Macbeth, used by Shakespeare to highlight the
contrasts in each and how they react to the witches’ prophecies
Macbeth
Banquo
Skilful soldier and swordsman
Skilful soldier and swordsman
Loyal to the king
Loyal to the king
Brave and courageous
Brave and courageous
Lavished with praises by the king
Lavished with praises by the king
Receives three prophecies
Receives three prophecies
Get excited, believes them, becomes
fixated on them as a result
Is more suspicious and cautious of
witches’ intent; not too fussed with the
prophecies
Scene 3: Surprise and amazement as the
second prophecy comes true…
Shakespeare uses an ‘off-hand’ remark by Banquo to
associate the witches with “the devil” to encourage the
audience to perceive them as evil.
Scene 3: Banquo’s warning
Banquo cautions
Macbeth that
sometimes evil
creatures/beings may
lure us in with truths
about trivial things
(“honest trifles”) to
the point where we
give them our entire
trust; then they will
“betray us in deepest
consequence”.
Scene 3: Macbeth’s first soliloquy
A soliloquy is a monologue which is intended to reveal a character’s
inner thoughts and feelings. It is not part of dialogue with another
character, but is simply a character expressing to the audience their
motivations, etc.
Always pay special attention to a soliloquy, because it is where you
learn most about characters!
Scene 3: Macbeth’s first soliloquy
The witches’ prophecy, and the first two being now true,
cause Macbeth to enter into a temporary stupor where
all he can do is imagine the murder of Duncan and
himself as king – the real world fades into insignificance
as he imagines these images.
However he is completely unnerved by these ideas and
no doubt feels guilty about imaging them.
Is he imagining himself murdering Duncan here, or does
that come later?
Scene 3: Macbeth’s second thought on the
prophecies…
Macbeth concludes that if it’s a real prophecy then surely it will all happen without any
action on his part. He won’t have to murder his king (e.g. maybe Duncan will fall off his
horse tomorrow…).
Macbeth is comforted by the idea that he won’t have to do anything, or even imagine
anything, horrible and terrible like his previous thoughts.
Scenes 4-7 Key Focus
• Macbeth’s psychological angst, confusion and internal conflict:
• He wants to be king, but doesn’t want to be a bad person or do anything bad
to achieve it.
• He wavers between going ahead with Duncan’s murder and calling it off.
• Introduces Lady Macbeth and we learn about her character.
• Relationship between Macbeth and his wife.
• Duncan continues to be presented as a good, generous king (to
contrast with Macbeth later, and make his murder even more
horrible)
• The theme of deceit/equivocation is continued, as is the theme of the
supernatural
Scene 4: Duncan’s character
• Duncan reflects on how he
was deceived by the
former Thane of Cawdor,
who became a traitor. This
leads Duncan to conclude
that it is impossible to
determine a person’s
inner thoughts from
reading their face.
• What do the last two lines
suggest about Duncan’s
character?
Scene 4: Praise and promises for Macbeth
and Banquo
• What is the meaning of
Duncan’s metaphorical
words to Macbeth?
• Duncan’s words establish
Macbeth and Banquo as
equals (furthering the
presentation of Banquo as
a foil for Macbeth)
Scene 4: An extra hurdle to Macbeth’s
ambitions
• Duncan bestows the title of
Prince of Cumberland on his
son, Malcolm. While the next
king will be selected by all
the thanes, whoever has the
title Prince of Cumberland
carries with it the king’s vote
of who he wishes to be the
next king. It is very likely,
though not certain, that
Malcolm would become the
next king as a result.
Scene 4: Macbeth’s response
• How does Macbeth react to news
of Malcolm’s new title? What
does this show about him?
• How has this development
changed Macbeth’s perspective
since the end of the last scene?
• Do you think Macbeth will still
wait and see if ‘fate’ will unfold
by itself?
Scene 4: Further praise of Macbeth
• Duncan describes Macbeth as a
“peerless kinsman”, or in other
words he praises him as a man
without equal.
Scene 5: Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy
Lady Macbeth is determined to help her husband
become king. Yet she fears he is too good and kind, and
his nature won’t enable him to commit the immoral act
necessary. Macbeth wants to be king, but he wants to
also keep his soul/character clean from sin or
wrongdoing.
Lady Macbeth awaits Macbeth’s presence so she can
persuade and encourage him in the murder of Duncan.
Scene 5: Lady Macbeth calls for aid from evil
spirits
• Lady Macbeth calls on spirits to
“unsex” her (ie. Take away all
her womanly frailty and
gentleness) and instead fill her
“top-full of direst cruelty”. She
asks the spirits to silence her
conscience or any sort of
hesitation and to make her cruel
and hard.
• Does Shakespeare intend the
audience to think spirits
answered her?
Scene 5: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
• Lady Macbeth reveals more
about Macbeth’s character – he
is easy to ‘read’ by his facial
expression. She counsels him
to try harder to act innocent
and be the perfect guest to
Duncan, while secretly plotting
his death.
Scene 6: Duncan is greeted by Lady Macbeth
• Duncan reinforces his
appreciation of Macbeth and his
intention to continue to be
generous to him.
• This makes the murder of
Duncan even worse, because
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are
already doing very well as it is,
and Duncan has been so
generous to them.
Scene 7: Macbeth’s second soliloquy – he has
second thoughts about the murder…
What are his reasons for not killing Duncan?
Scene 7: Macbeth announces that the murder
is off.
Scene 7: Lady Macbeth persuades him to go
ahead with it…
Lady Macbeth shames her husband, but
questioning his manhood, his courage and
his honour.
She says he should not have said anything
about the prophecies and his ambitions if
he had on intention of acting on them.
She shames him by saying she would
always stay true to her word and her
promises, even if it hurt her to do so.
What impression do we get of Lady
Macbeth here?
Scene 7: Macbeth’s main concern?
• Despite all his previously mentioned
reasons, Macbeth seems to be easily
convinced to go head with the murder
once he is assured they will succeed
and realizes Lady Macbeth has a plan.
• What does this suggest about his other
reasons?
• Macbeth comments on Lady
Macbeth’s ‘masculine’ and coldblooded approach to the murder. Has
her ‘prayer’ to evil spirits been
answered or is this just her usual
character?
Scene 7: Macbeth is fully convinced…
• The scene, and the Act, ends with
both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
agreed and intent on murdering
Duncan.
• The line “False face must hide what
the false heart doth know”
continues the theme of
appearances being deceiving and
reveals Macbeth’s awareness that
he has already crossed a moral line
– his heart is now “false”.