Macbeth Notes – Act I
Page Student Notes
Teacher Notes
Scene i
Summary – In Scotland in the distant past three witches meet on a desolate heath. They discuss committing for an evil deed in ambiguous terms and
plan to meet Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman.
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Graymalkin – a cat; Paddock – a toad
The primary impression one has in this scene is that something dreadful is about to happen as these three unearthly
figures talk about meeting with Macbeth. Even before we first see him, we know there is a collision course between
Macbeth and some supernatural power. Much that the witches say here sounds a lot like the oxymoron. Here we have
phrases like "When the battle's lost and won" [line 4] or at the end of the scene, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" [line 10].
The contradictions are a little different from the oxymoron; they imply deceptiveness, hiding the truth behind an
appearance. Shakespeare calls them "equivocations" at several points throughout the play. The witches equivocate with
Macbeth, telling him one thing while hiding the truth from him. For example, "When the battle's lost and won." Macbeth
has just won a battle, but at the same time the battle for his soul is about to take place and he will lose. Macbeth
discovers that everything seems fair because he is the national hero, but there are foul thoughts and foul deeds taking
shape beneath the reality.
In the English tradition witches were thought to be old, usually women (although there were occasional male witches),
and in league with the devil. The practiced black masses and placed spells on people they disliked. They killed crops and
animals. In Scotland, by contrast, witches were often young and attractive. They were much more powerful and
controlled the winds. The Scottish witch flew invisibly through the air; the only way you could tell she had been around
was that she left a haze in the air, a kind of smog. That, said King James, is why the skies in Scotland are so hazy. Notice
the final line of this scene: "Hover through the fog and filthy air."
The witches were controlled by powerful, dark forces, in particular their own personal demons or devils that took the
form of certain animals in this world. These animal/devils were called the witches' familiars, and they were often black
cats, ravens, owls, even rats, hedgehogs and toads. Often these animal familiars were misshapen or missing body
parts. In this scene two of the witches are called by their familiars: "Graymalkin" is a cat, "Paddock" a toad.
Finally, one of the things that set this scene apart from the non-witch scenes in the play is the rhythmic pattern of the
language. The lines are shorter than the 10 syllable iambic pentameter -- usually seven syllables. Next the meter is the
reverse from the iambic line; here the accent comes on the first and third syllables (trochee), not the second and fourth
(iamb). Third, every two lines are rhymed at the end. The combination of the short lines, trochaic meter and rhymed
couples has the effect of making these lines sound like chants, which is appropriate for witches who chant spells
frequently.
Scene ii
Summary – Duncan, King of Scotland, receives reports about a two-front attack upon his kingdom. A powerful thane, or nobleman, named Macdonwald
has led a rebellion, aided by Irish and Norwegian invaders. This attack has been defeated by Macbeth and Banquo, the foreigners driven off and
Macdonwald killed. Elsewhere in Scotland another traitor, the Thane of Cawdor, has staged an unsuccessful uprising and has been captured. Duncan
orders that Macbeth be given the title and estate of the Thane of Cawdor.
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In this scene we'll find that Duncan, king of Scotland, is besieged by three of his traditional enemies. The Vikings, here
identified as "Norweyans" were usually called the "Danes." The "kerns" and "gallowglasses" were mercenaries from Ireland.
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Finally, traitorous Scottish nobles used these foreign invasions sought to overthrow the king, one Macdonwald and
another, the Thane of Cawdor. Much of the scene is narrated by a wounded soldier who comes in and gives a long report
on the success of the army led by Macbeth fighting Duncan's enemies. What we see in this report are the qualities of
Macbeth that make him a national hero: loyalty, bravery and skill in battle. Shakespeare creates a sharp contrast
between the creepy witches of scene one, hinting darkly at some evil to come, and scene two, where the heroic actions
of patriots are openly displayed.
It's important to remember that there are two distinct actions here. Macbeth is in Western Scotland, fighting against
Macdonwald. The action in the east against Cawdor is totally separate, and Macbeth has no knowledge of it, although it
will lead to his elevation as the new Thane of Cawdor.
The "bloody Captain" who tells the account of Macbeth's victory is very formal in his language and absolutely clear in his
praise of Macbeth's achievement. There is none of the emotional and moral ambiguity which will characterize most of
the play. Here, there are good guys and there are bad guys and the bad guys lose. At line 16, we get a description of
Macbeth as a kind of killing machine. What Macbeth does best is this kind of violent physical action which doesn't require
a lot of thought.
When Macbeth faces the traitor Macdonwald he does not hesitate to act. At line 22 we are told "he unseamed him from
the nave to th' chops/And fixed his head upon our battlements." This description is actually a tribute to Macbeth's
prowess as a warrior. He kills Macdonwald by cutting him open with an upward stroke from his navel to his chin, a real
feat, considering how heavy the swords were which were used. The idea of fixing the head of the defeated leader on the
battlements, a charming custom of the time, will reappear at the end of the play when it happens to Macbeth.
That was battle number one. Battle number two happens immediately after this when the royal army is attacked by new
enemy forces led by a "Norweyan lord" at line 31. Duncan asks the captain if this second battle "dismayed" Macbeth and
Banquo, and the captain replied with very heavy irony at line 34: "Yes,/As sparrow eagle, or the hare the lion." In other
words, the attack didn't bother the heroes at all, who are described at lines 37 -- 40 as if they were cannons loaded with
extra gunpowder slaughtering the enemy in a bloodbath. Finally, after his long-winded report of almost 40 lines, the
bloody captain faints from loss of blood.
Now more messengers arrive, Ross and Angus, and tell the account of battle number three, in eastern Scotland, where
another group of Norweyans, led by the King of Norway himself and in league with the treacherous Thane of Cawdor, have
attacked. Here too the forces loyal to Duncan have succeeded, and the King of Norway has had to pay a ransom to get the
bodies of his dead men returned for burial. The overjoyed Duncan orders that the captured Thane of Cawdor be executed
and his titles and estates given to Macbeth. The scene ends with an each of the line from the first scene: "When the
battle's lost and won." Here Duncan proclaims: "What he [Cawdor] hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won." In this case
there's no suggestion of creepy witchcraft behind Macbeth's reward. Any fair-minded person hearing the account of
Macbeth's heroic actions winning two battles in a single day would agreed he deserves Cawdor's title.
In the next scene, however, Macbeth jumps to the conclusion that the witches and their occult power have given him the
title.
Scene iii
Summary – The witches gather and wait for Macbeth. They discuss putting an evil spell on a woman who insulted one of them. The woman's husband is
a ship captain, and the witches will use their magic power over the winds to make his homeward voyage as difficult as possible. The witches sense the
approach of Macbeth and cast a magic spell. Macbeth and his friend Banquo traveling across the heath are met by the witches. One greets Macbeth by
his title, Thane of Glamis; another calls him Thane of Cawdor and the third announces that he will be the king in the future. Macbeth is startled to be
addressed by the title of another nobleman. Banquo asks the witches to foretell his future, and they tell him in ambiguous terms that he will be lesser
than Macbeth will but greater, not so happy as Macbeth but happier and that he will not be king but will be the father of kings. Macbeth is agitated by
this exchange, but when he tries to question the witches further, they vanish. Macbeth and Banquo discuss the prophecies and seem inclined to dismiss
them, until messengers from the king enter and greet Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor. Banquo warns Macbeth not to allow the witches' message to
spur him to commit a sin, but in a soliloquy Macbeth tells us that he feels compelled to do all he can to make the prophecy about becoming king come
true. Although he recognizes the dangers to his soul, he believes that some supernatural power means for him to seize the throne. The four men leave
to meet the king.
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[Lines 1-37] In this scene we return to the world of the witches and watch as they prepare for their fateful meeting with
Macbeth. Read this opening section carefully and see if you can find the description of the limitation of the witches'
power. In some productions of this play, the witches are played as all-powerful creatures that not only know the future
but also control all of Macbeth's actions. The text makes clear that they have their limitations.
Right at the beginning we're told the Second Witch has been off killing swine, a typical activity of the English village
witch. Then the First Witch narrates the story of the "sailor's wife" who refused to share her chestnuts, thereby not
showing the witch the proper respect. This unfortunate woman, called a "rump-fed ronyon" at line 6, is not punished
directly, but her husband, the captain of a ship called the Tiger, is made to suffer. The reason the ship and its port of
call are specifically named may have been because the English had just recently established trade with that part of the
Eastern Mediterranean, now part of Syria, which at this time was part of the Ottoman Empire.
Part of the magic of being a witch is being able to do things that seem impossible to mere mortals. "Like a rat without a
tail,/I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do" at lines 9 -- 10 is a sinister, albeit nonspecific threat, in addition to being a reminder about
witches' association with misshapen or incomplete animals through their familiars. The witches then collect the winds
until they have a complete domination of the means by which ships moved across the oceans, or as First Witch says, "All
the quarters that they know/In the shipman's card" [lines 16 --17]. What she's referring to is the primitive navigational
chart which showed the direction of the prevailing winds in an area. Remember, Scottish witches controlled the winds.
The First Witch describes the revenge to be visited upon the poor Captain of the Tiger: his ship will be tossed about in
constant storms; the winds will blow against him; "Sleep shall neither nor day/Hang upon his penthouse lid" [lines 19 -20]. It will take him a long time to get home: "Weary sev'nights nine times nine/ Shall he dwindle, peak and pine" [line 22
-- 23]. If you follow her mathematical formula here, he will be 81 weeks (a "sev'night" being a week) on the return
voyage. Even in the days of unreliable sailing conditions, this seems like an exaggeration. But what it does show us is the
importance of magical numbers, especially to English witches. They dealt with odd numbers only, and judging by these
girls' favorite numbers, three and multiples of three are the operative ones: three times three = nine; nine times nine =
eighty-one, undoubtedly a very witchy number with powerful ramifications.
We see at this point, lines 24 -- 25, the limitation on the witches' power: "Though his bark cannot be lost/ Yet it shall be
tempest-tossed." The witches are not as powerful as the Fates of Greek mythology. They cannot determine how long a
man may live. They can make life rough for the clueless captain, but they cannot kill him. In the same way, they can
tempt Macbeth with predictions about his future, but they cannot make him choose evil. That one exception is what
makes this play a story of one man's free will, his decision to opt for evil over good.
The witches refer to themselves at line 31 of being "the weird sisters." The word refers to an old Germanic concept of
fate, not necessarily controlling fate but foreknowing it. They call themselves "posters of the sea and land," with the
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idea of "posting," meaning speeding a message. (Believe or not, the origin for the post office.) Post horses were then
seen as the fastest way to deliver information. Finally, just before Macbeth enters, at line 35, they play their magical
number game again: "Thrice to thine and thrice to mine,/ And thrice again to make up nine./ Peace! The charm's wound
up." They are ready to greet Macbeth.
Macbeth's physical reaction to the witches' greeting is found at line 51. His best friend Banquo tells us, "Good sir, why do
you start and seem to fear/ Things that do sound so fair." First, we get that echo of "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" from the
first scene. Next we get Shakespeare making sure that everyone in the theater knows what Macbeth's reaction is; he
doesn't rely upon the actor to convey that emotion. What the witches tell Macbeth initially shocks and frightens him. He
says nothing for over 20 lines, and Banquo says at line 57 that he is "rapt withal," entranced by what they have said. It is
unusual for Shakespeare to have a character's expression described for us as he does here. Whenever he does this verbal
reinforcement of the actor's reaction, it is always to heighten the effect. Shakespeare wants everyone to know, no
matter where they are in the theater, that Macbeth is frightened, shocked and then rendered speechless by what the
witches say.
At the beginning of the scene Macbeth enters saying, "So fair and foul a day I have not seen." What he means is, of
course, that they have achieved a great victory, which made it a fair day; at the same time the weather is lousy, making
it a "foul" day. We see the verbal connection with the witches' equivocation in the first scene, suggesting strongly that
there's some kind of supernatural connection that's been established. Banquo gives us a description of the witches at line
40: "So withered and so wild in their attire,/ That look not like th' inhabitants o' th' earth,/And yet are on it," and he goes
on to say these women have beards, a kind of physical equivocation at line 45, being both male and female. English
witches were often described as being old crones with facial hair.
The witches hail Macbeth, first as the "Thane of Glamis," the title he inherited from his father, then "Thane of Cawdor,"
which he says is just impossible, and finally as "King hereafter," which is what knocks his socks off. I had asked before
what directions the witches give Macbeth about what to do in light of these prophecies, and the answer is absolutely
nothing. Any action is left entirely up to Macbeth; the consequences of the witches' statements all flow from him. And
the first consequence is that reaction of fear and shock: "Why do you start and seem to fear/ Things that do sound so
fair?"
When Banquo confronts the witches, he takes a different approach. He steps up and asks at line 58, since you're giving
out predictions, what about me? He is not afraid or undone by them, unlike Macbeth.
The witches' statements to Macbeth were straightforward: you're Cawdor and you'll be king. With Banquo, the witches
speak in equivocations: "Lesser than Macbeth, but greater./ Not so happy, yet much happier./ Thou shalt get kings,
though thou be none" [lines 65 -- 67]. Banquo is lesser than Macbeth in that he is not as heroic nor is he rewarded with a
new title as Macbeth is; however, he is "greater" in the sense that he behaves more morally than his friend. Banquo is
"not so happy" in the sense that he does not live as long as Macbeth, but in terms of the pain suffered, Banquo is "much
happier" and his soul does not burn in hell as Macbeth does after death. Then from the point of view of King James, the
most important prediction is that Banquo's descendants will take the throne, although Banquo is not a king.
Finally Macbeth comes out of his state of shock and demands that the witches tell him more. He knows that he is the
Thane of Glamis through his father, Sinel. But he cannot believe he would be the Thane of Cawdor, and he describes that
nobleman as he was before at line 73, "A prosperous gentleman." He has no more hope of being king than he has of
becoming the Thane of Cawdor. Notice how Macbeth has made this situation conditional in his statement. If you think
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about his statement at line 73 -- 75, he's saying in effect, "If I were to become Cawdor, I could well become king."
The witches vanish. On Shakespeare's stage this was probably accomplished by using a smoke machine to temporarily
cover the actors playing the witches dropping through the trap door in the floor of the stage. Modern film uses creative
techniques and devices to make this exit magical.
Banquo and Macbeth are inclined not to believe what just happened. Banquo suggests at line 84 that they may have
"eaten on the insane root/ That takes the reason prisoner." (The reference to "insane root" is provocative and reminds us
that the use of
hallucinogenic substances is not new.) When Macbeth says that he will be Thane of Cawdor and King, he somewhat
sarcastically asks Banquo at line 87, "Went it not so?" to which Banquo in disbelief answers, "To the selfsame tune and
words," as if this were a musical joke.
With the entrance of Ross and Angus the situation changes. Now we have the public level awareness represented by the
newly arrived nobles. Macbeth and Banquo share a secret and have their own private level of awareness. And then there
is a third level, Macbeth's introspective examination of his options, which he shares only with us, the audience.
Throughout the rest of the scene Macbeth operates on all three levels of awareness at different times. Just reading the
language on the page, it can be difficult to figure out which level Macbeth is on at any given time. But in performance
you understand exactly where he is. What you don't realize as easily is that Shakespeare has made the audience
Macbeth's co-conspirators.
Angus and Ross praise Macbeth's heroic action in flowery language and at line 105 give Macbeth the big news: because of
his heroic actions in the "kingdom's great defense," he is now the Thane of Cawdor. Now this is a big deal, because it
means Macbeth has two titles and estates and incomes. He's worth probably double what he was before. Yet notice that
Banquo's immediate reaction is, "What, can the devil speak true?" [line 107], suggesting, of course, that the motive
behind this reward is some force for evil rather than Macbeth's heroic actions. Macbeth's reaction at line 108 is "why do
you dress me/In borrowed robes?" You're putting fine clothes on me that don't belong to me, he's saying. This introduces
a motif or pattern of repeated images that are found throughout the play in about half-a-dozen places -- the idea that
Macbeth is wearing clothes that do not fit, pretending to be something he is not. Angus explains that the old thane is still
alive but will soon die for treason, laboring in his "country's wrack," or ruin at line 114. Ironically, this is what the new
Thane of Cawdor will also do, labor in his "country's wrack."
Macbeth's reactions after this become more complex. At the public level we have the straightforward interaction with
Ross and Angus. Banquo's reaction at line 107, "What, can the devil speak true?" is a private communication just with
Macbeth. It would make no sense were Angus and Ross to hear it; in fact, it would imply an insult to the king. At line 116
we get the first ultra-secret statement, or aside, which Macbeth shares just with the audience: "Glamis, and Thane of
Cawdor/ The greatest is behind." Macbeth reveals that he really has been affected by the witches' greeting. The line
shows a rather curious concept of time, something described by the ancient Greeks. It is as if you were on a small island
in the middle of a raging river, situated in such a way that you can only see what is downstream from you, what has
flowed past. Time is the river, and the future in effect is upstream, what will flow down and present itself to your view.
Hence, becoming king will be in the future.
Having shared this secret ambition with us, Macbeth immediately looks for validation from Banquo and asks him privately
at line 118: "Do you not hope your children shall be kings,/ When those that gave the Thane of Cawdor to me/ Promised
no less to them?" Both Macbeth and Banquo assume that what Macbeth just received was a gift, not of a grateful king but
of a satanic power. Banquo warns Macbeth from line 120 on that this is a very dangerous assumption to make. Banquo
fears that Macbeth may act upon the promise of being king, may be "enkindled," caught up in a fiery passion as if lighting
a fuse. He warns there is danger here, that evil may tells us minor truths to make us do something seriously wrong "In
deepest consequence." And, of course, that's exactly what Macbeth does. Banquo may not entirely trust the witches, but
Macbeth does.
"Two truths are told/ As happy prologues to the swelling act/ Of the imperial theme" [lines 127 -- 129]. Two of the three
prophecies are true, and he eagerly looks forward to the "swelling act" of becoming king, in a memorable phrase. He
briefly steps back into his public self to thank Angus and Ross and returns to his introspective musings. Here Macbeth
reveals one of the qualities that make him an admirable character: he faces the consequences of his actions directly. At
line 130 he begins by saying what the witches invite him -- "solicit" him -- to do cannot be bad or ill and then immediately
adds, "cannot be good." If it is ill, "Why hath it given me earnest of success," [line 132] or proof of its truth? On the other
hand, if it is a good thing “why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / And make my
seated heart knock at my ribs, / Against the use of nature?” [lines 134 – 137].
As a tragic hero Macbeth wrestles with moral choices. The witches have not told him he must do anything, and yet here
he contemplates an act which makes his hair stand on end and causes his heart to beat in an unnatural manner. What is
the "horrid thing" that Macbeth imagines he must do? We don't know for sure, but we can guess from the rest of the
description Macbeth provides us at lines 137 – 142.What is in his mind is more horrible than any fears he may feel at this
moment. What is in his mind, "my thought," involves murder, a murder as yet "fantastical" or imaginary. Nevertheless,
just the idea of this murder shakes him so seriously that he cannot function; he is paralyzed with the thoughts of "what
if…" or surmise. Nothing exists in this ambivalent state but what is not, and yet its shakes him to the core.
Banquo comments on his friend's appearance at line 142, that he is "rapt" or in deep thought. Macbeth has assumed up to
the point that the witches' greeting means that he must commit a murder, undoubtedly the current king. Now, at line
143, he finally considers the alternative: "If chance [Fate] will have me King, why chance may crown me/ Without my
stir." Maybe he doesn't have to do a thing, just wait. That's what Banquo does.
Banquo describes his physical reaction at line 145: "New honors come upon him,/ Like our strange [new] garments, cleave
not to their mold/ But with the aid of use." It's that motif about ill-fitting clothes being used to describe Macbeth's
obvious discomfort in this situation.
What is the answer to Macbeth's complex dilemma? Should he act? What should he do? In his final aside Macbeth reverts
to what he knows best, being a soldier, a man of action: "Come what come may,/ Time and the hour run through the
roughest day" [line 146 -- 147]. It seems to me this is his philosophy as a military man. You contemplate your choices and
then you just do it -- act without necessarily having all the answers. When he unseamed the traitor Macdonwald, he
didn't agonize over it; he just hit him with the sword and figured it out later.
As they leave, everything is joyous at the public level, and they go to meet the king. However, at line 153 he invites
Banquo to meet with him privately and discuss the implications of the witches' prophecies. They obviously both have a lot
to consider.
Scene iv
Summary – King Duncan receives the news that the former Thane of Cawdor has been executed. When Macbeth and Banquo enter, Duncan greets them
with gratitude for their military success and calls Macbeth by his new title. The king plans to spend the night at Macbeth's castle at Inverness. He then
announces that he will name his eldest son, Malcolm, the heir to the Scottish throne. As he rides off to make preparation for the royal visit, Macbeth
realizes that the naming of Malcolm as the next king poses a serious obstacle to his hopes.
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When in the final line of the scene Duncan refers to Macbeth as "cousin," it's a reminder that the two are related, a family
loyalty, in addition to the bonds of allegiance and shared humanity which Macbeth will violate in murdering the king.
Macbeth and the former Thane of Cawdor successfully hide their villainy and both betray their monarchs. At line 7 we're
told: "nothing in his life/ Became him like the leaving it." He made have been a rotten traitor, but he died well. In
Shakespeare's time, as in ours, that counted for something, and it will something we can say of Macbeth at the end of the
play. Cawdor is describes as dying, "As one that had been studied in his death,/ To throw away the dearest thing he
owed/ As 'twere a careless trifle" [lines 9 -- 11]. The people in Shakespeare's audience associated this kind of attitude
with the heroic figures of ancient Rome and called it stoicism, the equanimity of the human spirit in the face of failure or
death. We see this stoic attitude in a number of Shakespeare tragedies.
Poor King Duncan is astounded by Cawdor's betrayal: "He was a gentleman on whom I built/ An absolute trust" [lines 13 -14]. He wishes there were some way to tell a person's thoughts by looking in his face. Ironically the very next person he
sees, at line 14, is Macbeth, with whom he will make the same mistake again. The king is overwhelmed with gratitude for
Macbeth's actions, as well as Banquo's. In rather flowery speech from lines 15 to 21 Duncan wishes that Macbeth had
somehow deserved less so that he could pay him properly. As it is, "More is thy due than more than all can pay" [line 21].
Macbeth's response at line 22 states the proper relationship between the subject and the monarch, but at the same time
is ironic since we know he is contemplating killing his lord and master. What Macbeth is implying here is that his duty
toward Duncan is that of a child toward his father, which will make the murder all the more heinous.
The king's response from line 27 -- 32 is liken his rewarding of Macbeth to the idea of cultivation: "I have begun to plant
thee, and will labor/ To make thee full of growing." Duncan thanks Banquo too, who responds in the farming imagery:
"There if I grow,/ The harvest is your own" [lines 32 --33]. The sense of gratitude Duncan feels to both men causes him to
weep at line 34. The next thing he does is to announce publicly that his eldest son Malcolm will be his heir to the throne
of Scotland. This has a rather curious historical significance, besides being a key point in the plot development. At the
beginning of these remarks I spoke of how many kings of Scotland had died unnatural deaths. In large part this was due
to the way succession for the crown in Scotland was handled. When the old king died, every male relative in the
extended royal family was technically eligible to ascend the throne. It was a lot like handing everyone a sword and
letting them whale away on each other to see who was left standing. It also meant that any of these potential rulers who
didn't like the way the present king was running things felt free to try and take over. What Duncan does here is to try and
stop the old manner of succession, called the law of tannistry, and replace it with the principle that only the eldest son
was eligible to be king, the law of primogeniture, which was how they did things in civilized England. Furthermore, in a
parallel with the English crown prince being named "Prince of Wales," Duncan names Malcolm "Prince of Cumberland" at
line 39. This establishes a process of succession by law rather than by sword.
In a couple of productions of the play, when Duncan says he will establish his estate, name his heir, the soldiers and other
thanes turn immediately to Macbeth, as the most worthy to be the next king. So it comes as a real shock to Macbeth
when Malcolm is named next in line.
Duncan announces that he will now travel to Inverness, site of Macbeth's home castle, so he can "bind us [the royal "we']
further to you" [line 43]. When the king came to visit you, it was a sign of high honor. So Duncan thinks he is doing a good
thing when he signs his own death warrant.
Macbeth excuses himself to leave and go prepare his wife for the royal visit. But he tells us at line 48 that circumstances
have now changed: "The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/ On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,/ For in my
way it lies." All that Macbeth heard in this scene is the announcement of Malcolm's elevation. He ignores the praise he
received and the promise of future reward. One option for Macbeth becoming king might have been just to wait for
Duncan's death, since he is an old man, and assume power then as the mightiest thane of Scotland. Now he feels he is
forced to act to forestall Malcolm's succession. And in order to act he evokes the spirit of the night at line 50.
Macbeth envisions committing the murder at night, obviously, because it will be easier to hide his actions. But here he
emphasizes that the dark will allow him to act, without having to see the consequences of his action. His hand can
commit the murder without his eye having to witness it. Somehow this will make the guilt less. It is a curious form of
denial which we'll see several times in the play. Notice the sharp contrast between Macbeth's aside, where he chooses
evil, and Duncan's final lines, where he repeats his gratitude for Macbeth's actions, using that same imagery of growth and
food: "in his commendations I am fed/ It is a banquet to me" [lines 55 -- 56]. Duncan ends with the unwittingly ironic
observation: "It is a peerless kinsman" [line 58].
Scene v
Summary – At the castle Lady Macbeth reads a letter from her husband telling her about the witches' prophecy. Lady Macbeth sees immediately that her
husband will have to seize the crown, but she worries that he lacks the cold-blooded ambition he requires. She vows to do whatever is necessary to
force her husband to act decisively. When a messenger arrives with word that the king will arrive soon and spend the night Lady Macbeth is shocked and
sees in this a golden opportunity to take the crown. When her husband arrives he is noncommittal while she assures him she will see to it Duncan dies.
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The opening scenes in this play are among the most intense in all Shakespeare's works. Certainly this scene heightens the
tension. We meet Macbeth's helpmate, Lady Macbeth, a person I like to call the perfect corporate wife helping her
husband up the ladder of success. She receives a letter from her husband telling her all about the witches' prophecies.
Then she gets word of the pending arrival of the king at her home. Why does Macbeth write a letter to his wife about the
witches? The answer is not as obvious as it may at first appear. Then ask yourself what does she propose to do about the
content of the letter.
Macbeth's letter is interesting because he tells her certain things about the encounter with the witches and in a particular
way, but other things, such as his speculation about killing Duncan, he omits. He trusts the witches' message (at line 2 -"perfect'st report") and emphasizes their supernatural power by describing how they vanished ("they made themselves air"
at line 5). Then he tells how Ross and Angus arrived and greeted him with the news of his new title, which he attributes
entirely to the "weird sisters," as he calls them. He gives a reason from line 10 -- 14 for having written to his wife, "his
dearest partner in greatness' [line 11]: so she would know what greatness is promised her as queen. But I'd like to you
look at the psychological interaction going on with this letter. I suggest that he writes the letter because he knows how
she will react and this is exactly what he wants her to do.
She no sooner finishes the letter than she starts to find potential problems. At line 17 she worries: "I do fear thy nature;/
It is too full of the milk of human kindness/ To catch the nearest way." The image of "milk" will appear several times in
the next few scenes with the suggestion of the warmth and affection of the nursing mother. She's afraid he doesn't have
the guts to do what he has to do "to catch the nearest way" [line 19]. In the following lines she gives us an insightful
description of her husband and his moral ambivalence. I find for my own understanding of this passage that it makes
sense to drop the "-est" endings from the words. See if this isn't a little clearer than the text [line15-22]:
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Shakespeare often revealed this same idea in writing about his royal figures in his history plays. Successful rulers had to
have a touch of larceny to succeed, to bend the rules a little to get what they wanted. Kings who were absolutely good
and saintly almost always end up badly. Lady Macbeth sees her husband's moral ambiguity and fear as the obstacles to
accomplishing what they both want. So at line 27 she prays that he will come home quickly. Here Lady Macbeth reveals
what she does best in the relationship. She accurately describes her husband's limitations, has no qualms about what has
to be done, and provides the necessary incentive for her husband to do what he must do. And Macbeth writes the letter
because he knows exactly how she will react and he wants her to do exactly what she does to motivate him.
A messenger now brings the news that King Duncan is on his way to spend the night. For Lady Macbeth this is a shock,
almost as if some supernatural force had been reading her mind. Here she has been agonizing over how to get her
husband to commit the evil necessary to take the crown, and suddenly the target makes himself available right in her own
house. Her experience here parallels her husband’s when the witches greeted him with "who shalt be king hereafter."
For both a shocking message makes them believe that the occult world is on their side. Lady Macbeth's shock expresses
itself when she tells the messenger at line 32, "Thou'rt mad to say it!" She quickly recovers and tries to hide her revealing
outburst by explaining, "Is not thy master with him, who, were 't so,/ Would have informed for preparations?" But we
know the news shook her, and now we learn how it energized her.
She now revels in the news at line 39: "The raven himself is hoarse/ That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan/ Under my
battlements." If a raven was sitting on top of your house, squawking, it was a sign that someone was going to die, often
of bubonic plague. Lady Macbeth's imaginary raven has croaked so hard, it's lost its voice. Remember also that the raven
was one of the witch-familiar animals, so her choice of birds is appropriate. Notice the pronoun, "my battlements." She
was talking before about psyching her husband up to do the deed. Now she has assumed control.
Lady Macbeth now makes an unusual request beginning at line 41, one which has prompted spirited commentary over the
centuries. The phrase "spirits that tend on mortal thoughts" seems to refer to the impulses that have to be kept in check
by remembrances of our own mortality and the concern we have for our souls. She now wants those spirits of evil to
come out of hiding and "unsex me here." She wants to repress those feelings of compassion and pity which were
associated in Shakespeare's time with being a woman. Rather than being sensitive to morality, she wants to become an
unthinking, unfeeling killing machine like her husband, filled "top-full of direst cruelty." In a memorable production I saw
once at this point Lady Macbeth began to do her own incantation, much like the witches, throwing things into a pot over a
small fire, obviously evoking Hecate and Satan to help make her stronger to accomplish the evil she needed to do. At line
44 asks, "Make thick my blood,/ Stop up the access and passage to remorse." She wants no weakness or feelings of pity or
attacks of conscience to hinder her actions. At line 46 she continues, "[So] that no compunctious visitings of nature/
Shake my fell [evil] purpose, nor keep peace between/ The effects and it!" To act as a killing machine she will need, in
her mind, to become unnatural. Women were not supposed to harbor feelings of cruelty nor to act upon such feelings.
Lady Macbeth makes a choice for evil, just as her husband had done earlier. In our experience of crime it is unusual for
people to make a conscious choice to commit evil. They normally feel superior and resentful or justified in their acts but
seldom evil. In Shakespeare's plays we often find characters who knowingly choose to do bad things. This action allows
the audience to examine the moral effects of such a choice.
[Line 48] Lady Macbeth had earlier spoken of "the milk of human kindness" in her husband. So for Lady Macbeth the "milk"
will become "gall," bitter and hardly nourishing. These "ministers" are "sightless" in the sense we cannot see them with
mortal eyes, and they "wait on nature's mischief" in the sense of that they serve some evil force in nature. (Both Macbeth
and his wife identify the evil they commit with something malevolent in nature.) At line 51 she concludes by evoking the
spirit of the night. Much as her husband at line 50 of scene 4, when he urged, "Stars, hide your fires;/ Let not light see my
deep and dark desires," so Lady Macbeth has this curious reaction that if she cannot see the evil act she commits because
it is done in the dark, it will be more tolerable. The night is described as "thick," as if we could feel it. To make the
darkness even more impenetrable, she asks that it be "palled," or wrapped in the shroud of a dead person, in the form of
the "dunnest [dark and thick] smoke of hell," a place we already associate with smoke and fire. This absolute darkness
will keep heaven from warning the victim by crying "hold" or "stop."
When Macbeth enters at line 55 there is a great deal of excitement, with the witches' prophecies foremost in both their
minds. In many modern productions there is also a lot of sexual tension. Macbeth has been away at battle for an
indeterminate length of time; Lady Macbeth is very excited by the prospect of becoming queen. In the Roman Polanski
film version Macbeth picks up his wife to carry her upstairs to make love at the end of this scene. That sexuality, I think,
is an integral part of the relationship between these two. Lady Macbeth certainly uses it to manipulate her husband in
two scenes.
From line 55 to 75 notice for a moment just what Macbeth says and doesn't say. At line 58 he tells her what we already
know: "My dearest love,/ Duncan comes here tonight." Notice that he makes no assumption nor does he give any
indication of what he was planning the last time we saw him, namely to kill Duncan. When his wife asks pointedly, "Yes,
but when does he plan to leave?" Macbeth simply says, "Tomorrow, as he purposes." There's no wink or nudge or ironic
laugh. He leaves it up to his wife to say sinisterly what's on both their minds, "O, never/ Shall sun that morrow see" [lines
61 -- 62]. The only other thing he says a rather non-committal remark at 71, "We shall speak further." Given Macbeth's
earlier passionate commitment to murder, this exchange seems strangely quiet. Why did he write the letter? Why
doesn't he say anything more here?
Now look at Lady Macbeth's side of the conversation at line 55: "Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor!/ Greater than both by the
all-hail hereafter!" This last greeting obviously refers to becoming king in the future when everyone will "all-hail" him.
For her Macbeth's letter served the same function that the witches' first greeting had for her husband. It "transported"
her beyond the present when she had no idea what was in store for them and revealed the future "in the instant," or right
now.
When she asks when Duncan plans on leaving their castle at line 60, she wants to see what Macbeth has resolved to do.
She wants to hear her husband say, "He's never going to leave here alive." Instead he says, "Tomorrow" and the qualifies
it with "as he purposes." It's up to Lady Macbeth to articulate the hidden agenda of this little exchange: "O, never/ Shall
the sun that morrow see!" She then gives the first of her many instructions to her husband, telling him to cover up the
feelings he reveals in his face. At this point all she is asking him to do is to hide his feelings, to practice the deception he
has already started to do in his earlier scenes with Banquo and Duncan.
Both Macbeth and his wife do not want to see the evil act they plan to commit. That's why they keep talking about the
night and their eye not seeing the knife as it cuts into the flesh of their victim. They don't even want to say the words
that denote their action. They use all kinds of euphemisms, as here at line 67: "He that's coming/ Must be provided for."
Gee, I wonder what Lady Macbeth has in mind here? This is a form of denial, as if not using the word "murder" makes it
less horrible. The same kind of strange language avoidance was found it the great movie Pritzi's Honor where both Jack
Nicholson and Kathleen Turner played professional killers. But they never used the word "kill" or "murder." It was always
a euphemism, like "do the job," "rub 'em out," or "waste 'em."
More to the point notice the pronoun Lady Macbeth uses at line 68: "you shall put/ This night's great business into my
dispatch." That's right, she'd going to do! All he has to do not reveal his emotions, as she reminds him in the final lines of
the scene. She assures him again, "Leave all the rest to me" [line 74]. You can see how throughout this entire scene, just
by looking at the pronouns, how Lady Macbeth takes on herself the entire enterprise. She "unsexes" herself to become
the stone-cold killer that she feared her husband was incapable of being.
Scene vi
Summary – Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle and finds it very attractive. Lady Macbeth greets the king and offers the hospitality of their home.
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This is a short scene of about 30 lines to cover Duncan's arrival at the castle. It is designed to establish the tension
between the outer appearance of civility and generosity and the inner deception and evil -- the same old "fair is foul"
theme again. Macbeth's castle is very pleasant. Duncan is especially pleased to see the nests of the swallows built on the
upper walls of the castle, which he believes symbolize the domesticity of the place. Lady Macbeth plays the perfect
hostess, welcoming the king and assuring him that his visit is no trouble: "We love having you stay with us." The king does
ask where Macbeth is and jokes that he's sure Macbeth's love for his wife lent him speed in getting there first. As she
conducts him into the castle to meet Macbeth, once again the king mentions possible rewards: "we love him highly,/ And
shall continue our graces toward him" [lines 29 -- 30].
Scene vii
Summary – That night, after dinner, Macbeth shares another soliloquy with the audience. Although the idea of killing Duncan would enable him to seize
power, he also recognizes that such a mortal sin will surely destroy him in the long run. He feels he does not have enough ambition to overcome his
own reluctance. At that moment his wife enters and berates him for changing his mind about killing Duncan. She urges him to prove his love by acting
and assures him they can succeed. In conclusion she tells her husband that if she had sworn to act as he had done, she would have gladly have killed
her own child rather than break her promise. Her husband resolves to carry out the murder.
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Here we begin with Macbeth contemplating the effects of the murder. This is a curious development since we just heard
Lady Macbeth assure him, "Leave all the rest to me." Examine this first sequence and see if you can determine whom he
envisions committing the murder. What are the consequences of this act? [I, 7, lines 1 -- 28]
What we have here is the portrait of a man who is conflicted, to put it mildly. Something has changed for Macbeth. In
the opening sentence, "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well/ It were done quickly," we see that same
reluctance to name the event; the murder here is simply "it." Do it quickly, don't think about it. At line 2, there is once
again we get a substitute for the actual killing. Here it is "assassination" and even more vaguely, "surcease." "It isn't
murder, it's just 'surcease.'" Your notes explain that "trammel up" is a reference to catching something in a net, here the
nasty "consequences." The image of the net also connects with the "bank and shoal" where one might "trammel up" some
fish. With the phrase "with his surcease, success," we get one of those Shakespearean plays on words, a kind of serious
pun. If we could catch the consequences of our actions, so that what we did was the "be-all and end-all" -- what we did
was all there was to it -- we would "jump the life to come." We would ignore our after-life, the "life to come," where we
must normally pay for what we have done. We would act right "here, but here" without hesitation.
You'll notice that the first two sentences have both started with the word "if." These are subjunctive statements of what
might be, and if this were Lady Macbeth, that's as far as the examination would go. But Macbeth has this powerful
imagination, and he cannot let it end here, and he envisions the rest of what will happen. At line 7 he continues the
scenario. If he thought for a moment that he could "trammel up the consequences," he reminds himself of what really
happens: what I invent or teach will be returned upon me. The next image captures this idea even more powerfully at
line 10: "this even-handed justice/Commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice/To our own lips." If I kill Duncan,
whether by poison or stabbing or explosion, then I bring down the same destruction on my own head.
Now at line 12 he begins to enumerate the reasons not to kill Duncan: "He's here in double trust:/First as I am his kinsman
and his subject,/Strong both against the deed." Macbeth is related by blood to Duncan, and he has sworn allegiance to
Duncan as his monarch; both are powerful arguments against the murder. Then at line 14 an equally strong reason not to
kill him: "then, as his host,/Who should against his murderer shut the door,/Not bear the knife myself." In Shakespeare's
time the concept of hospitality was almost sacred. Travel was difficult and you had to rely upon strangers to provide for
and protect you. Martha Stewart would never allow the murder of guests. But Macbeth pushes further in his imagination
about the consequences at line 16.
Duncan is portrayed as this saintly king who has governed well. As a consequence his virtues, like angels, would loudly
proclaim against the awful murder, which would, of course, be a "deep damnation." So much for jumping the life to
come! In fact it would be as if the forces of heaven, the angels with loud speakers, would let everybody know what was
going on and who was responsible. (By the way, notice still one more euphemism for murder: "taking-off.") This image of
heavenly revelation and retribution continues at line 21. The images get very dense and complex here, but the general
idea is clear: everyone would know who was responsible. "A naked newborn babe" -- what a perfect image to represent
pity! The idea here is that pity itself would respond to the murder. At line 22 we can imagine the baby astride the wind as
if it were a horse, or once again we can see here with "blast" and with "blow" at line 24 those images of the Gunpowder
explosion. Shakespeare really gets carried away with the description, and he moves from the baby to the cherubim or
angels riding upon the "sightless couriers," (wind shown metaphorically as horses, without eyes but still delivering the
message of the murder as couriers). These angels, earlier described as "trumpet-tongued," would blow the "horrid deed"
in every eye. When you are out in a strong cold wind, your eyes water, but with this heavenly onslaught, your tears
would "drown the wind."
Perhaps Macbeth has moved beyond his wife's assurance, "Leave all the rest to me," and is now contemplating doing the
murder himself. Or maybe all this agonizing about consequences is about his standing by while his wife commits the
murder. His intention is not clear from the passage here. As Macbeth looks at the situation, he realizes he does not have
sufficient motivation to do the act. At line 25 he envisions himself riding a horse, much like the "sightless couriers" above
and preparing to jump over some kind of obstacle, as in a steeplechase race.
He needs something to force the horse into this jump, and the only spur he has his own ambition, which leaps too soon
and too weakly, and fails to clear the obstacle and falls on the other side. (Remember that earlier image of jumping the
life to come? Here's what really happens!) But before Macbeth can finish his idea of failing in the jump, in comes Lady
Macbeth, who is exactly the spur he needed.
[lines 28 -- 82] One of the reasons I like this scene so much is that it shows us how couples who have been together for a
long time understand how he other work and can assume certain psychological roles with each other. If Macbeth lacked
some motivation to get past all of objections he just raised to the murder, here she is. Lady Macbeth is entirely focused
on the task, what has to be done, and she's concerned because Macbeth left the dinner table. Worried about the
propriety of the occasion, Macbeth demands to know if Duncan asked for him, and Lady Macbeth snaps, "Of course he
has." Then taking a big breath Macbeth tells her his decision at line 31. The reference in the last two lines is probably to
wearing new clothes, or possibly fashion accessories. Once again we see Macbeth refer to his situation in terms of
wearing something new and not his usual clothing.
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Lady Macbeth's reaction is immediate and visceral; she's really upset by this turn of events. At line 35 she rages. Lady
Macbeth doesn't want to hear this Macbeth; this is the "milk-of-human-kindness" Macbeth. Let's go back and find that
Macbeth who had the sudden upsurge of excitement when the witches greeted him as "king hereafter." At line 36 we get
the continuation of that clothing motif; Macbeth has changed because he's not in the same garment psychologically, the
one that brought them both hope. In the next line she changes metaphors and asks if that elation he felt had fallen asleep
and now awakened feeling "green," or sickly, and "pale" at the idea he had earlier contemplated. And for the first time
she attacks his manhood: whatever caused this change in you, that’s what I will consider your love, or probably more
specifically your ability to love me. She equates his love for her with his willingness to do the act. She continues this
equation at line 39: "Art thou afeard/ To be the same in thine own act and valor/ As thou art in desire?" "When you want
to make love, nothing stops you. Why don't you act in the same way to get the crown?" Finally she mocks his sudden
change of heart at line 41. You really want that "ornament of life," the crown, yet you, a big, brave military hero, behave
like a "coward in thy own esteem," or opinion. You allow your fear to dominate your desire that the cat that wanted to
spilled milk but was afraid of getting its paws wet.
Macbeth reacts to his wife's nagging by trying to shut her up at line 45: "Prithee, peace!/ I dare do all that may become a
man,/ Who dares do more is none." "Prithee" is a contraction of "I pray from thee." This is undoubtedly not the first time
in their marriage he has asked her for silence or peace. He reminds her that he is a hero; he's been out killing Norwegians
and other thanes. He is the epitome of a man of action. She can't find a man more willing to act -- anyone who dares do
more isn't really a man but a beast. Now Lady Macbeth hits him with a bombshell at line 47. We are back to the letter he
sent. In effect she demands, "If you call yourself a man now, then what beast was it that wrote the letter? Why did you
tell me if you weren't going to do anything about it?" She understands that her husband told her everything because he
wanted her to push him into action. She then switches to a different approach: "When you were willing to do it, then you
were a man. And now if you carry it [the murder] out, you will be even more of a man. " What husband doesn't want his
wife to see him as "so much more the man"?
Lady Macbeth points out the common experience they have had at line 51 -- he with the greeting of the witches, she with
the news of Duncan's arrival. “Nor time nor place / Did then adhere, and yet you would make both. / They have made
themselves, and that their fitness now / Does unmake you.” You were gun-ho to act when you first heard the witches but
had neither the time nor place to carry it out. Now, through some powerful force, Duncan puts himself in our hands, and
the fact that he has made it easy to do the murder has made you suddenly incapable of acting. Everything is conspiring
to make Macbeth do it. Just an observation: Macbeth has no problem killing many men during a battle; committing one
immoral murder in peacetime to advance himself unnerves him. That's not so unusual. After all the vast majority of
combat veterans do not return home and continue killing.
Macbeth's wife now closes with the most devastating argument of all. What can she find as an equivalent for herself to
show her husband, who after all goes around unseaming enemies of the state, what she would be willing to do? We know
from other places in the play that the Macbeths have no children and are eager to have them. In a memorable production
in Ashland some years ago the actor and actress playing the Macbeths suggested by expressions and gestures that they had
had a child who had recently died, so there was a gaping wound in their lives and having a child was a real issue with
them. At line 54 she lets him have it. This is cold! Even as she celebrates the idea of motherhood and babies and
nourishment (notice the "milk of human kindness" makes one more appearance), she couples it with cold-blooded
destruction with the most graphic act of violence. Notice that the baby is a male (especially important for a macho guy
like Macbeth) but that the violence is compounded by the way she describes "the brains," as an impersonal mess on the
wall. We now understand why she had to call upon the spirits to "unsex" her. If she would be willing to do all of this,
how can Macbeth balk at one measly little murder?
Macbeth now shows the first sign of weakening. At line 59 he asks, "If we should fail?" When people have been using
declarative sentences in their arguments and then switch to the "subjunctive voice," the "what if" constructions, then you
know they are weakening. Now the way Lady Macbeth answers him can vary, depending on where you place the
emphasis. With the punctuation here, when she says, "We fail?" it is as if she's saying, "You've got to be kidding. There's
no way we will fail." In a production once I heard it read without the question mark. He asks for some kind of
reassurance, and she declares, "We fail!" That's the bottom line; we risk everything and we may have to pay the price, but
isn't it worth it? Another way to read it is to put the emphasis on "we," as in "We, the two of us working together against
the suckers of the world, fail? It's not going to happen."
Lady Macbeth now envisions how it will happen. Duncan, an old man, will be worn out after his horseback ride and the
big feast, and he will fall asleep quickly and soundly. She'll make a special effort to get his bodyguards -- his two
chamberlains -- good and drunk with wine so their brains will be no better than a "limbeck," a bottle of liquor. At line 67
she concludes that they will have a perfect opportunity to kill Duncan and will have scapegoats handy to blame. You
notice the pronoun has changed. It's no longer "Leave all the rest to me." Now it's "What cannot you and I…." It's become
a joint enterprise: "our great quell."
Macbeth is convinced in a flash. This is what he wanted his wife to do for him from the beginning, figure out a plan and
give him some reassurance about its success. He indicates his acceptance by praising her and at line 72 saying, "Bring
forth men-children only;/ For thy undaunted mettle should compose/ Nothing but males." Here Macbeth revisits that
awful idea of his wife dashing out the brains of his hypothetical son. He asks that she give birth to boys only since her
"mettle" or inner qualities are best suited for males. Apparently Lady Macbeth's "unsexing" operation succeeded in getting
rid of her feminine qualities. We know that Macbeth's is converted because he immediately picks up on the plan she has
outlined and begins embellishing -- they will use the guards' knives to kill Duncan and will rub blood on them as evidence
of their guilt. Lady Macbeth agrees and encourages him, saying the two of them will play the grief-stricken subjects as
well as anybody. Now it is Macbeth who takes control. Earlier she had warned him to hide his feelings; now he tells her
at line 81: "Away, and mock the time with fairest show./ False heart must hide what the false heart doth know." The two
of them must play-act and hide their real feelings, something that's a new experience for Macbeth. (The last two lines
here form a rhymed couplet, remember, to signal that the next scene is in a different place.) Macbeth has taken
ownership of the plot. The pronouns have shifted from Lady Macbeth's "I" to now "we" for the two of them. One last
observation about the final line in which Macbeth, newly turned villain, now admits that he has a "false heart," the
admission that he is a villain. Elsewhere in these lectures I have talked about the "Snively Whiplash" effect, named for
the bad guy in the old Rocky and Bullwinkle Show on television, who was about as subtle in his evil as bulldozer. You
knew Snively was the villain because he twisted his moustache and cackled fiendishly. Shakespeare makes sure that even
the most stupid person in the audience gets the idea that Macbeth is a bad man, "false heart," no matter how hard he
pretends to be a good guy.