Macbeth
Act 1
Scene 1
The witches want to meet with Macbeth
Heath: wide open hill
Graymalkin – 1st witch helper – gray cat
Paddock – 2nd witch helper – toad
Killed Macdonwald by slicing him in half
Scene 2
Thane: Scottish title of nobility
Duncan wants to make Macbeth the new Thane of
Cawdor
Scene 3
Witches talking about things they have done
Themes in the play: murder, sleeplessness, supernatural
Witches look like men
3 predictions: 1. Thane of Glamis 2. Thane of Cawdor
(Macbeth is unaware of the previous Thane’s death) 3.
Macbeth will be king
Banquo wants to know his predictions. Will not be king but
lead a happier life. His children will be kings.
Banquo thinks they must have hallucinated
Ross tells Macbeth that he is the new Thane
Scene 4
Aside: character speaking to the audience
Macbeth shares that he has thought about murdering
Duncan, hopes fate will make him king.
Scene 5
Macbeth’s castle: Inverness
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth – mutual respect, open with each other,
she is also ambitious
Lady’s reaction to the letter 1. thinks Macbeth is to kind 2. he is not
as ambitious as her.
“Yet I do fear thy nature: it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness
to catch the nearest way.”
Also has murderous thoughts
She is going to tell Macbeth what to do
“unsex me here…” lose feminine characteristics gentleness/kindness
(men have an easier time being cruel)
Lady Macbeth wants to kill Duncan tonight but Macbeth is unsure
Scene 6
King Duncan comments on the castle’s beauty
Ironic because he will die there
Scene 7
Macbeth’s soliloquy: should I kill him or not?
Reasons why he shouldn’t 1. great king 2. loyal subject 3.
worries about being caught 4. he is the host and supposed to
protect him (these reasons convince him not to kill him)
Lady Macbeth calls him a coward attacking his manhood
“Then you were a man you said you would do it. You
promised me. You are not a man.”
Devise a plan to get the guards drunk and then kill Duncan
so that the guards will be blamed
Macbeth is dreading the crime “terrible feat”