Macbeth
Act One
Act One
Scene One
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Setting: Deserted Heath
Three witches—Thunder and lightening
foreshadow possibility of evil to come
Planning to meet again
Meet Macbeth—after the battle is lost and
won
Paradox—FAIR IS FOUL AND FOUL IS FAIR—
#20Paradox lit terms booklet: A statement
that while apparently self-contradictory is
nonetheless essentially true.
Scene Two
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A Camp Near Forres: King Duncan asks
who the “bloody man”
Sergeant fought to free Malcolm
Sergeant tells his story:
Macbeth saves the day!! He fights
valiantly, kills Macdonwald
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“As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion”
Simile: comparing sparrows to Macbeth
and eagle to Norwegians Banquo to the
hare, lion Norwegians
Macbeth and Banquo essentially win the
war for King Duncan and Scotland
Macbeth is going to get the title of THANE
OF CAWDOR (he doesn’t yet know this)
Key themes: Fair is Foul
Nature and the supernatural
Scene Three
The witches meet Macbeth
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The witches spend their time killing pigs and
killing the husbands of chestnut eating women
Chops off a sailor’s thumb and carries it around
in her pocket
HEAR A DRUM (WAR, END OF WAR, MARCHING,
VICTORY, ROYALTY)—Macbeth enters at this
point
Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches—WEIRD
SISTERS=FATE
The Predictions
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The witches give Macbeth and Banquo
three predictions each:
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Macbeth’s predictions:
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Thane of Glamis (already that)
Thane of Cawdor
King of Scotland
Banquo’s predictions (riddle)
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Lesser than Macbeth but greater
Not so happy yet much happier
Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none
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Ross tells Macbeth that he is now Thane
of Cawdor
Macbeth makes his first soliloquy of the
play
SOLILOQUY (lit terms booklet) #34
A monologue or speech that reveals the
innermost thoughts, feelings, and plans
of the speaker. It is meant to be
overheard by the audience only.
-Aside (only the audience hears)
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#20 PARADOX: A statement that, while
apparently contradictory, actually holds
profound truth.
Line 131-142—Macbeth reflects on the
situation “Cannot be ill, cannot be
good…..”Line 143 “If chance will have me
king, why chance may crown me”
It is key that Macbeth is NOT going to
take action to become king—he’s worried,
though, that such a prediction came from
supernatural beings.
Macbeth Act One Scene 4
 -Duncan’s castle
 -Malcolm, Duncan’s son tells Duncan that
the Thane of Cawdor has been killed
 -Macbeth, Ross, Banquo and Angus enter
 -Duncan thanks the men graciously for
winning the battle
 -Macbeth responds by saying that service
and loyalty are payment enough
 -metaphor—King Duncan regards his
subjects as plants that he nourishes (line
27-33)
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-Malcolm is named heir to the throne
(named Prince of Cumberland)
-IMAGERY: associating Malcolm, Duncan,
Banquo with stars and light (goodness)
-In this play, light and dark will be KEY
images
-Line 48-53 * Macbeth asks that his
desires be hidden from others because
they are black and evil
(personification/metaphor)
-AMBITION (Macbeth’s ambition—not yet
acting upon it)
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Scene 5
-Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth—tells
what has happened and about the witches (predictions
about being king/Cawdor)
-L Macbeth says that Macbeth is “too full of the milk of
human kindness” line 15-16 * metaphor
-L. Macbeth (controlling) wants to influence Macbeth so
that he becomes king
-L. Macbeth learns that Duncan is coming
-L. Macbeth “unsex me here!!!!!” * line 40—associates
the masculine with power and control
-“Make thick my blood” = give me courage ling 42*
-Macbeth enters—L.Macbeth tells him to stop wearing
his thoughts on his face *line 60-69* “Look like the
innocent flower, but be the serpent under it” Be twofaced—evil inside, good outside. SIMILE
Scene Six
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-Duncan arrives at Inverness
-L.Macbeth greets him, but Macbeth is
absent
Scene Seven:
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-Macbeth’s soliloquy line 1-27*
-Thinking about his options for becoming king
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WHAT TO DO????
-Decides not to murder Duncan…until L. Macbeth starts
talking to him…
-Macbeth acknowledges that King Duncan stays at his
castle with DOUBLE TRUST (Duncan is a relation and
Macbeth is his subject—plus Duncan is his guest)
- Decides not to murder Duncan
-L.Macbeth says that she would kill her own baby if
Macbeth asked her to
—L. Macbeth manipulates Macbeth into killing Duncan
—they will frame Duncan’s own guards by killing the
guards, using the guards swords to kill Duncan, then
plant the swords back on the guards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC9G_CZVAL8&feature=related