Act I
“When shall we three meet again?
When the hurley burley’s done,
When the battle’s lost and won…
“There to meet with MACBETH…
Fair is foul and foul is fair,
Hover through the fog and filthy air.”
The Norwegians invade
Scotland , 11 th century
•Battles would be with swords
and shields, some armor
•Macbeth kills the 1 st traitor
Macdonwald and places his
head on the battlements.
TO MACBETH the witches say- “Hail to thee, Thane of
Glamis. Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor. Hail to thee
that shalt be king.”
TO BANQUO the witches say- “Thou shalt get kings,
though thou be none.” (You will be father to a line of
kings, but you won’t be one.)
Glamis Castle Scotland
Macbeth says, “By Sinel’s death, I
know I am the Thane of Glamis.”
Ross tells Macbeth, he is the new
Thane of Cawdor.
King Duncan thanks Macbeth for
saving his country.
King Duncan announces he is naming
Malcolm official heir to the throne.
The title is Prince of Cumberland.
Macbeth is jealous
of Malcolm who
couldn’t fight his
own battle.
Macbeth feels he
would be a better
king.
King Duncan says
everyone will ride
to Inverness,
Macbeth’s castle.
(They need to stop
overnight on their
way to Scone.)
The play does not
explain why they
need to stop at
Macbeth’s castle.
The audience
would have known
that Scone is where
they go to hold
ceremonies like
officially naming
an heir.
Lady Macbeth reads a
letter from her husband
explaining the witches’
predictions. If he becomes
king, she would be his
“partner in greatness.”
Lady Macbeth convinces
Macbeth that they could
get away with the
assassination of the king
and have Macbeth named
king.
Lady Macbeth and
Macbeth devise their
murder plan to blame
Duncan’s two guards
(chamberlains).
Act II
Banquo and son Fleance
walk late in Macbeth’s
castle. Banquo has had
thoughts of Macbeth
killing the king.
Macbeth hallucinates
from the stress and sees a
dagger.
Macbeth“I have done the
deed.”
Macbeth“Will all great
Neptune’s ocean
wash this blood from
my hands?”
Someone comes
knocking at the
castle gate. The
drunken porter
opens the gate for
Macduff and Lennox
Lennox says, “The
night has been unruly
with wind and
earthquakes.
Macbeth responds,
“ ‘Twas a rough night.”
(Verbal irony)
Oh, Horror!
King Duncan is found
dead.
Macduff asks
Macbeth why he
killed the guards.
Malcolm and Donalbain
decide they might be the
murderer’s next targets, so
they f lee.
Noblemen meet to
decide who killed
Duncan & why.
Act III to be
continued