Macbeth – Act 1, Scenes 1–4

Plot Summary: Thunder and lightning crash above a Scottish moor. Three haggard old women, the witches, appear out of the storm. In eerie, chanting tones, they make plans to meet again upon the heath, after the battle, to confront Macbeth. As quickly as they arrive, they disappear.

To: Audience(each other) From: First Witch Means: When should the three of us meet again? Will it be in thunder, lightning, or rain?

To: Audience(each other) From: Second Witch Means: We'll meet when the noise of the battle is over, when one side has won and the other side has lost.

To: Audience(each other) From: Third Witch Means: That will happen before sunset.

To: Audience(each other) From: First Witch Means:Where should we meet?

To: Audience(each other) From: Second Witch Means: Let's do it in the open field.

To: Audience(each other) From: Third Witch Means: We'll meet Macbeth there.

To: her cat spirit From: First Witch Means: I'm coming, Graymalkin!

To: Audience(each other) From: Second Witch Means: My toad, Paddock, calls me.

To: her spirit From: Third Witch Means: I'll be right here!

To: Audience(each other) From: Three Witches Means: Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Let's fly away through the fog and filthy air.

Plot Summary: At a military camp near his palace at Forres, King Duncan of Scotland asks a wounded captain for news about the Scots' battle with the Irish invaders, who are led by the rebel Macdonwald. The captain, who was wounded helping Duncan's son Malcolm escape capture by the Irish, replies that the Scottish generals Macbeth and Banquo fought with great courage and violence. The captain then describes for Duncan how Macbeth slew the traitorous Macdonwald. As the captain is carried off to have his wounds attended to, the thane of Ross, a Scottish nobleman, enters and tells the king that the traitorous thane of Cawdor has been defeated and the army of Norway repelled. Duncan decrees that the thane of Cawdor be put to death and that Macbeth, the hero of the victorious army, be given Cawdor's title. Ross leaves to deliver the news to Macbeth.

To: Malcolm From: Duncan Means: Who is this bloody man? Judging from his appearance, I bet he can tell us the latest news about the revolt.

To: Duncan From: Malcolm Means: This is the brave sergeant who fought to keep me from being captured. Hail, brave friend! Tell the king what was happening in the battle when you left it.

To: Duncan From: Captain Means: For a while you couldn't tell who would win. The armies were like two exhausted swimmers clinging to each other and struggling in the water, unable to move. The villainous rebel Macdonwald was supported by foot soldiers and horsemen from Ireland and the Hebrides, and Lady Luck was with him, smiling cruelly at his enemies as if she were his whore. But Luck and Macdonwald together weren't strong enough. Brave Macbeth, laughing at Luck, chopped his way through to Macdonwald, who didn't even have time to say good-bye or shake hands before Macbeth split him open from his navel to his jawbone and stuck his head on our castle walls.

To: Captain From: Duncan Means: My brave relative! What a worthy man!

To: Duncan From: Captain Means: But in the same way that violent storms always come just as spring appears, our success against Macdonwald created new problems for us. Listen to this, King: as soon as we sent those Irish soldiers running for cover, the Norwegian king saw his chance to attack us with fresh troops and shiny weapons.

To: Captain From: Duncan Means: Didn't this frighten our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?

To: Duncan From: Captain Means: The new challenge scared them about as much as sparrows frighten eagles, or rabbits frighten a lion. To tell you the truth, they fought the new enemy with twice as much force as before; they were like cannons loaded with double ammunition. Maybe they wanted to take a bath in their enemies' blood, or make that battlefield as infamous as Golgotha, where Christ was crucified, I don't know. But I feel weak. My wounds must be tended to.

To: Captain From: Duncan Means: Your words, like your wounds, bring you honor. Take him to the surgeons.

To: Malcolm or Who is entering (Ross and Angus) From: Duncan Means: Who is this?

To: Duncan From: Malcolm Means: The worthy Thane of Ross.

To: Malcolm or Duncan From: Lennox Means: His eyes seem frantic! He looks like someone with a strange tale to tell.

To: Duncan From: Ross Means: God save the king!

To: Ross From: Duncan Means: Where have you come from, worthy thane?

To: Duncan From: Ross Means: Great king, I've come from Fife, where the Norwegian flag flies, mocking our country and frightening our people. Leading an enormous army and assisted by that disloyal traitor, the thane of Cawdor, the king of Norway began a bloody battle. But outfitted in his battle-weathered armor, Macbeth met the Norwegian attacks shot for shot, as if he were the goddess of war's husband. Finally he broke the enemy's spirit, and we were victorious.

To: Ross From: Duncan Means: Great happiness!

To: Duncan From: Ross Means: So now Sweno, the Norwegian king, wants a treaty. We told him we wouldn't even let him bury his men until he retreated to Saint Colme's Inch and paid us ten thousand dollars.

To: Ross From: Duncan Means: The thane of Cawdor will never again betray me. Go announce that he will be executed, and tell Macbeth that Cawdor's titles will be given to him.

To: Duncan From: Ross Means: I'll get it done right away.

To: Ross From: Duncan Means: The thane of Cawdor has lost what the noble Macbeth has won.

Summary: On the heath near the battlefield, thunder rolls and the three witches appear. One says that she has just come from "[k]illing swine" and another describes the revenge she has planned upon a sailor whose wife refused to share her chestnuts. Suddenly a drum beats, and the third witch cries that Macbeth is coming. Macbeth and Banquo, on their way to the king's court at Forres, come upon the witches and shrink in horror at the sight of the old women. Banquo asks whether they are mortal, noting that they don't seem to be "inhabitants o' th' earth" (1.3.39). He also wonders whether they are really women, since they seem to have beards like men. The witches hail Macbeth as thane of Glamis (his original title) and as thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is baffled by this second title, as he has not yet heard of King Duncan's decision. The witches also declare that Macbeth will be king one day. Stunned and intrigued, Macbeth presses the witches for more information, but they have turned their attention to Banquo, speaking in yet more riddles. They call Banquo "lesser than Macbeth, and greater," and "not so happy, yet much happier"; then they tell him that he will never be king but that his children will sit upon the throne (1.3.63-65). Macbeth implores the witches to explain what they meant by calling him thane of Cawdor, but they vanish into thin air. In disbelief, Macbeth and Banquo discuss the strange encounter. Macbeth fixates on the details of the prophecy. "Your children shall be kings," he says to his friend, to which Banquo responds: "You shall be king" (1.3.84). Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Ross and Angus, who have come to convey them to the king. Ross tells Macbeth that the king has made him thane of Cawdor, as the former thane is to be executed for treason. Macbeth, amazed that the witches' prophecy has come true, asks Banquo if he hopes his children will be kings. Banquo replies that devils often tell half-truths in order to "win us to our harm" (1.3.121). Macbeth ignores his companions and speaks to himself, ruminating upon the possibility that he might one day be king. He wonders whether the reign will simply fall to him or whether he will have to perform a dark deed in order to gain the crown. At last he shakes himself from his reverie and the group departs for Forres. As they leave, Macbeth whispers to Banquo that, at a later time, he would like to speak to him privately about what has transpired.

To: Second and Third Witch From: First Witch Means: Where have you been, sister?

To: First Witch From: Second Witch Means: Killing pigs.

To: Each other From: Third Witch Means: And you, sister?

To: Audience(each other) From: First Witch Means: A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap and munched away at them. "Give me one," I said. "Get away from me, witch!" the fat woman cried. Her husband has sailed off to Aleppo as master of a ship called the Tiger. I'll sail there in a kitchen strainer, turn myself into a tailless rat, and do things to him—

To: Audience(each other) From: Second Witch Means: I'll give you some wind to sail there.

To: Audience(each other) From: First Witch Means: How nice of you!

To: Audience(each other) From: Third Witch Means: And I will give you some more.

To: Audience(each other) From: First Witch Means: I already have control of all the other winds, along with the ports from which they blow and every direction on the sailor's compass in which they can go. I'll drain the life out of him. He won't catch a wink of sleep, either at night or during the day. He will live as a cursed man. For eighty-one weeks he will waste away in agony. Although I can't make his ship disappear, I can still make his journey miserable. Look what I have here.

To: Audience(each other) From: Second Witch Means: Show me, show me.

To: Audience(each other) From: First Witch Means: Here I have the thumb of a pilot who was drowned while trying to return home.

To: Audience(each other) From: Third Witch Means: A drum, a drum! Macbeth has come.

To: Audience(each other) From: Three Witches Means: We weird sisters, hand in hand, swift travelers over the sea and land, dance around and around like so. Three times to yours, and three times to mine, and three times again, to add up to nine. Enough! The charm is ready.

To: Banquo From: Macbeth Means: I have never seen a day that was so good and bad at the same time.

To: Macbeth and witches From: Banquo Means: How far is it supposed to be to Forres? (he sees the WITCHES) What are these creatures? They're so withered-looking and crazily dressed. They don't look like they belong on this planet, but I see them standing here on Earth. (to the WITCHES) Are you alive? Can you answer questions? You seem to understand me, because each of you has put a gruesome finger to her skinny lips. You look like women, but your beards keep me from believing that you really are.

To: Three Witches From: Macbeth Means: Speak, if you can. What kind of creatures are you?

To: Macbeth From: First Witch Means: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Glamis!

To: Macbeth From: Second Witch Means: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Cawdor!

To: Macbeth From: Third Witch Means: All hail, Macbeth, the future king!

To: Macbeth and Witches From: Banquo Means: My dear Macbeth, why do you look so startled and afraid of these nice things they're saying? (to the WITCHES) Tell me honestly, are you illusions, or are you really what you seem to be? You've greeted my noble friend with honors and talk of a future so glorious that you've made him speechless. But you don't say anything to me. If you can see the future and say how things will turn out, tell me. I don't want your favors and I'm not afraid of your hatred.

To: Macbeth and Banquo From: First Witch Means: Hail!

To: Macbeth and Banquo From: Second Witch Means: Hail!

To: Macbeth and Banquo From: Third Witch Means: Hail!

To: Banquo From: First Witch Means: You are lesser than Macbeth but also greater.

To: Banquo From: Second Witch Means: You are not as happy as Macbeth, yet much happier.

To: Banquo(mainly) and Macbeth From: Third Witch Means: Your descendants will be kings, even though you will not be one. So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!

To: Banquo and Macbeth From: First Witch Means: Banquo and Macbeth, all hail!

To: The Witches From: Macbeth Means: Wait! You only told me part of what I want to know. Stay and tell me more. I already know I am the thane of Glamis because I inherited the position when my father, Sinel, died. But how can you call me the thane of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor is alive, and he's a rich and powerful man. And for me to be the king is completely impossible, just as it's impossible for me to be thane of Cawdor. Tell me where you learned these strange things, and why you stop us at this desolate place with this prophetic greeting? Speak, I command you.

To: Macbeth From: Banquo Means: The earth has bubbles, just like the water, and these creatures must have come from a bubble in the earth. Where did they disappear to?

To: Banquo From: Macbeth Means: Into thin air. Their bodies melted like breath in the wind. I wish they had stayed!

To: Macbeth From: Banquo Means: Were these things we're talking about really here? Or are we both on drugs?

To: Banquo From: Macbeth Means: Your children will be kings.

To: Macbeth From: Banquo Means: You will be the king.

To: Banquo From: Macbeth Means: And thane of Cawdor too. Isn't that what they said?

To: Macbeth From: Banquo Means: That's exactly what they said. Who's this?

To: Macbeth From: Ross Means: The king was happy to hear of your success, Macbeth. Whenever he hears the story of your exploits in the fight against the rebels, he becomes so amazed it makes him speechless. He was also shocked to learn that on the same day you fought the rebels you also fought against the army of Norway, and that you weren't the least bit afraid of death, even as you killed everyone around you. Messenger after messenger delivered news of your bravery to the king with praise for how you defended his country.

To: Macbeth From: Angus Means: The king sent us to give you his thanks and to bring you to him. Your real reward won't come from us.

To: Macbeth From: Ross Means: And to give you a taste of what's in store for you, he told me to call you the thane of Cawdor. So hail, thane of Cawdor! That title belongs to you now.

To: Angus, Ross From: Banquo Means: Can the devil tell the truth?

To: Angus and Ross From: Macbeth Means: The thane of Cawdor is still alive. Why are you giving me his title?

To: Macbeth From: Angus Means: The man who was the thane of Cawdor is still alive, but he's been sentenced to death, and he deserves to die. I don't know whether he fought on Norway's side, or if he secretly aided the rebels, or if he fought with both of our enemies. But his treason, which has been proven, and to which he's confessed, means he's finished.

To: Himself From: Macbeth Means: It's just like they said—now I'm the thane of Glamis and the thane of Cawdor. And the best part of what they predicted is still to come.

To: Ross and Angus From: Macbeth Means: Thank you for the news.

To: Banquo From: Macbeth Means: Aren't you beginning to hope your children will be kings? After all, the witches who said I was thane of Cawdor promised them nothing less.

To: Macbeth, Angus, and Ross From: Banquo Means: If you trust what they say, you might be on your way to becoming king, as well as thane of Cawdor. But this whole thing is strange. The agents of evil often tell us part of the truth in order to lead us to our destruction. They earn our trust by telling us the truth about little things, but then they betray us when it will damage us the most. (to ROSS and ANGUS) Gentlemen, I'd like to have a word with you, please.

To: Himself From: Macbeth Means: So far the witches have told me two things that came true, so it seems like this will culminate in my becoming king. (to ROSS and ANGUS) Thank you, gentlemen. (to himself) This supernatural temptation doesn't seem like it can be a bad thing, but it can't be good either. If it's a bad thing, why was I promised a promotion that turned out to be true? Now I'm the thane of Cawdor, just like they said I would be. But if this is a good thing, why do I find myself thinking about murdering King Duncan, a thought so horrifying that it makes my hair stand on end and my heart pound inside my chest? The dangers that actually threaten me here and now frighten me less than the horrible things I'm imagining. Even though it's just a fantasy so far, the mere thought of committing murder shakes me up so much that I hardly know who I am anymore. My ability to act is stifled by my thoughts and speculations, and the only things that matter to me are things that don't really exist.

To: Ross and Angus From: Banquo Means: Look at Macbeth—he's in a daze.

To: Himself From: Macbeth Means: If fate wants me to be king, perhaps fate will just make it happen and I won't have to do anything.

To: Ross and Angus From: Banquo Means: Macbeth is not used to his new titles. They're like new clothes: they don't fit until you break them in over time.

To: Himself From: Macbeth Means: One way or another, what's going to happen is going to happen.

To: Macbeth From: Banquo Means: Good Macbeth, we're ready when you are.

To: Banquo From: Macbeth Means: I beg your pardon; I was distracted. Kind gentlemen, I won't forget the trouble you've taken for me whenever I think of this day. Let's go to the king. (speaking so that only BANQUO can hear) Think about what happened today, and when we've both had time to consider things, let's talk.

To: Macbeth From: Banquo Means: Absolutely.

To: Banquo and Ross and Angus From: Macbeth Means: Until then, we've said enough. (to ROSS and ANGUS) Let's go, my friends.

Summary: At the king's palace, Duncan hears reports of Cawdor's execution from his son Malcolm, who says that Cawdor died nobly, confessing freely and repenting of his crimes. Macbeth and Banquo enter with Ross and Angus. Duncan thanks the two generals profusely for their heroism in the battle, and they profess their loyalty and gratitude toward Duncan. Duncan announces his intention to name Malcolm the heir to his throne. Macbeth declares his joy but notes to himself that Malcolm now stands between him and the crown. Plans are made for Duncan to dine at Macbeth's castle that evening, and Macbeth goes on ahead of the royal party to inform his wife of the king's impending arrival. Analysis: Act 1, scenes 1-4These scenes establish the play's dramatic premise—the witches' awakening of Macbeth's ambition—and present the main characters and their relationships. At the same time, the first three scenes establish a dark mood that permeates the entire play. The stage directions indicate that the play begins with a storm, and malignant supernatural forces immediately appear in the form of the three witches. From there, the action quickly shifts to a battlefield that is dominated by a sense of the grisliness and cruelty of war. In his description of Macbeth and Banquo's heroics, the captain dwells specifically on images of carnage: "he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops," he says, describing Macbeth's slaying of Macdonwald (1.2.22). The bloody murders that fill the play are foreshadowed by the bloody victory that the Scots win over their enemies. Our initial impression of Macbeth, based on the captain's report of his valor and prowess in battle, is immediately complicated by Macbeth's obvious fixation upon the witches' prophecy. Macbeth is a noble and courageous warrior but his reaction to the witches' pronouncements emphasizes his great desire for power and prestige. Macbeth immediately realizes that the fulfillment of the prophecy may require conspiracy and murder on his part. He clearly allows himself to consider taking such actions, although he is by no means resolved to do so. His reaction to the prophecy displays a fundamental confusion and inactivity: instead of resolving to act on the witches' claims, or simply dismissing them, Macbeth talks himself into a kind of thoughtful stupor as he tries to work out the situation for himself. In the following scene, Lady Macbeth will emerge and drive the hesitant Macbeth to act; she is the will propelling his achievements. Once Lady Macbeth hears of the witches' prophecy, Duncan's life is doomed. Macbeth contains some of Shakespeare's most vivid female characters. Lady Macbeth and the three witches are extremely wicked, but they are also stronger and more imposing than the men around them. The sinister witches cast the mood for the entire play. Their rhyming incantations stand out eerily amid the blank verse spoken by the other characters, and their grotesque figures of speech establish a lingering aura. Whenever they appear, the stage directions deliberately link them to unease and lurking chaos in the natural world by insisting on "Thunder" or "Thunder and lightning." Shakespeare has the witches speak in language of contradiction. Their famous line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" is a prominent example (1.1.10), but there are many others, such as their characterization of Banquo as "lesser than Macbeth, and greater" (1.3.63). Such speech adds to the play's sense of moral confusion by implying that nothing is quite what it seems. Interestingly, Macbeth's first line in the play is "So foul and fair a day I have not seen" (1.3.36). This line echoes the witches' words and establishes a connection between them and Macbeth. It also suggests that Macbeth is the focus of the drama's moral confusion.

To: Malcolm From: Duncan Means: Has the former thane of Cawdor been executed yet? Haven't the people in charge of that come back?

To: Duncan From: Malcolm Means: My king, they haven't come back yet. But I spoke with someone who saw Cawdor die, and he said that Cawdor openly confessed his treasons, begged your highness's forgiveness, and repented deeply. He never did anything in his whole life that looked as good as the way he died. He died like someone who had practiced how to toss away his most cherished possession as if it were a worthless a piece of garbage.

To: Malcolm From: Duncan Means: There's no way to read a man's mind by looking at his face. I trusted Cawdor completely.

To: Macbeth From: Duncan Means: My worthiest kinsman! Just this moment I was feeling guilty for not having thanked you enough. You have done so much for me so fast that it has been impossible to reward you properly. If you deserved less, then perhaps my payment would have matched your deeds! All I can say is that I owe you more than I can ever repay.

To: Duncan From: Macbeth Means: The opportunity to serve you is its own reward. Your only duty, your highness, is to accept what we owe you. Our duty to you and your state is like the duty of children to their father or servants to their master. By doing everything we can to protect you, we're only doing what we should.

To: Macbeth and Banquo From: Duncan Means: You are welcome here. By making you thane of Cawdor, I have planted the seeds of a great career for you, and I will make sure they grow. (to BANQUO) Noble Banquo, you deserve no less than Macbeth, and everyone should know it. Let me bring you close to me and give you the benefit of my love and good will.

To: Duncan From: Banquo Means: Then if I accomplish anything great, it will be a credit to you.

To: Macbeth and Banquo From: Duncan Means: My joy is so overwhelming it brings tears to my eyes. My sons, relatives, lords, and all those closest to me, I want you to witness that I will bestow my kingdom on my eldest son, Malcolm. Today I name him the prince of Cumberland. But Malcolm isn't going to be alone in receiving honors—titles of nobility will shine like stars on all of you who deserve them. (to MACBETH) And now, let's go to your castle at Inverness, where I will become even more obliged to you because of your hospitality.

To: Duncan From: Macbeth Means: I'm not happy unless I can be working for you. I will go ahead and bring my wife the good news that you are coming. With that, I'll be off.

To: Macbeth From: Duncan Means: My worthy Cawdor!

To: Himself From: Macbeth Means: Malcolm is now the prince of Cumberland! To become king myself, I'm either going to have to step over him or give up, because he's in my way. Stars, hide your light so no one can see the terrible desires within me. I won't let my eye look at what my hand is doing, but in the end I'm still going to do that thing I'd be horrified to see.

To: Banquo From: Duncan Means: You're right, Banquo. Macbeth is every bit as valiant as you say, and I am satisfied with these praises of him. Let's follow after him, now that he has gone ahead to prepare our welcome. He is a man without equal.

Summary: In Inverness, Macbeth's castle, Lady Macbeth reads to herself a letter she has received from Macbeth. The letter announces Macbeth's promotion to the thaneship of Cawdor and details his meeting with the witches. Lady Macbeth murmurs that she knows Macbeth is ambitious, but fears he is too full of "th' milk of human kindness" to take the steps necessary to make himself king (1.5.15). She resolves to convince her husband to do whatever is required to seize the crown. A messenger enters and informs Lady Macbeth that the king rides toward the castle, and that Macbeth is on his way as well. As she awaits her husband's arrival, she delivers a famous speech in which she begs, "you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty" (1.5.38-41). She resolves to put her natural femininity aside so that she can do the bloody deeds necessary to seize the crown. Macbeth enters, and he and his wife discuss the king's forthcoming visit. Macbeth tells his wife that Duncan plans to depart the next day, but Lady Macbeth declares that the king will never see tomorrow. She tells her husband to have patience and to leave the plan to her.

To: Herself, Audience From: Lady Macbeth Means: "The witches met me on the day of my victory in battle, and I have since learned that they have supernatural knowledge. When I tried desperately to question them further, they vanished into thin air. While I stood spellbound, messengers from the king arrived and greeted me as the thane of Cawdor, which is precisely how the weird sisters had saluted me before calling me 'the future king!' I thought I should tell you this news, my dearest partner in greatness, so that you could rejoice along with me about the greatness that is promised to us. Keep it secret, and farewell."You are thane of Glamis and Cawdor, and you're going to be king, just like you were promised. But I worry about whether or not you have what it takes to seize the crown. You are too full of the milk of human kindness to strike aggressively at your first opportunity. You want to be powerful, and you don't lack ambition, but you don't have the mean streak that these things call for. The things you want to do, you want to do like a good man. You don't want to cheat, yet you want what doesn't belong to you. There's something you want, but you're afraid to do what you need to do to get it. You want it to be done for you. Hurry home so I can persuade you and talk you out of whatever's keeping you from going after the crown. After all, fate and witchcraft both seem to want you to be king.

To: Servant (Messenger) From: Lady Macbeth Means: What news do you bring?

To: Lady Macbeth From: Servant(Messenger) Means: The king is coming here tonight.

To: Servant(Messenger) From: Lady Macbeth Means: You must be crazy to say that! Isn't Macbeth with the king, and wouldn't Macbeth have told me in advance so I could prepare, if the king were really coming?

To: Lady Macbeth From: Servant(Messenger) Means: I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Macbeth is coming. He sent a messenger ahead of him who arrived here so out of breath that he could barely speak his message.

To: Servant(Messenger) From: Lady Macbeth Means: Take good care of him. He brings great news.

To: Audience (Aside) From: Lady Macbeth Means: So the messenger is short of breath, like a hoarse raven, as he announces Duncan's entrance into my fortress, where he will die. Come, you spirits that asist murderous thoughts, make me less like a woman and more like a man, and fill me from head to toe with deadly cruelty! Thicken my blood and clog up my veins so I won't feel remorse, so that no human compassion can stop my evil plan or prevent me from accomplishing it! Come to my female breast and turn my mother's milk into poisonous acid, you murdering demons, wherever you hide, invisible and waiting to do evil! Come, thick night, and cover the world in the darkest smoke of hell, so that my sharp knife can't see the wound it cuts open, and so heaven can't peep through the darkness and cry, "No! Stop!"

To: Macbeth From: Lady Macbeth Means: Great thane of Glamis! Worthy thane of Cawdor! You'll soon be greater than both those titles, once you become king! Your letter has transported me from the present moment, when who knows what will happen, and has made me feel like the future is already here.

To: Lady Macbeth From: Macbeth Means: My dearest love, Duncan is coming here tonight.

To: Macbeth From: Lady Macbeth Means: And when is he leaving?

To: Lady Macbeth From: Macbeth Means: He plans to leave tomorrow.

To: Macbeth From: Lady Macbeth Means: That day will never come. Your face betrays strange feelings, my lord, and people will be able to read it like a book. In order to deceive them, you must appear the way they expect you to look. Greet the king with a welcoming expression in your eyes, your hands, and your words. You should look like an innocent flower, but be like the snake that hides underneath the flower. The king is coming, and he's got to be taken care of. Let me handle tonight's preparations, because tonight will change every night and day for the rest of our lives.

To: Lady Macbeth From: Macbeth Means: We will speak about this further.

To: Macbeth From: Lady Macbeth Means: You should project a peaceful mood, because if you look troubled, you will arouse suspicion. Leave all the rest to me.

Summary: Duncan, the Scottish lords, and their attendants arrive outside Macbeth's castle. Duncan praises the castle's pleasant environment, and he thanks Lady Macbeth, who has emerged to greet him, for her hospitality. She replies that it is her duty to be hospitable since she and her husband owe so much to their king. Duncan then asks to be taken inside to Macbeth, whom he professes to love dearly.

To: Banquo From: Duncan Means: This castle is in a pleasant place. The air is sweet and appeals to my refined senses.

To: Duncan From: Banquo Means: The fact that this summer bird, the house martin, builds his nests here proves how inviting the breezes are. There isn't a single protrusion in the castle walls where these birds haven't built their hanging nests to sleep and breed. I've noticed that they always like to settle and mate where the air is the nicest.

To: Lady Macbeth From: Duncan Means: Look, here comes our honored hostess! Sometimes the love my subjects bring me is inconvenient, but I still accept it as love. In doing so, I'm teaching you to thank me for the incovenience I'm causing you by being here, because it comes from my love to you.

To: Duncan From: Lady Macbeth Means: Everything we're doing for you, even if it were doubled and then doubled again, is nothing compared to the honors you have brought to our family. We gladly welcome you as our guests, with gratitude for both the honors you've given us before and the new honors you've just given us.

To: Lady Macbeth From: Duncan Means: Where is Macbeth, the thane of Cawdor? We followed closely after him. I hoped to arrive here before him, but he rides swiftly. And his great love, which is as sharp as his spur, helped him beat us here. Fair and noble hostess, we are your guests tonight.

To: Duncan From: Lady Macbeth Means: We are your servants, your highness, and as always our house and everything in it is at your disposal, for after all, we keep it in your trust and we're glad to give you back what's yours.

To: Lady Macbeth From: Duncan Means: Give me your hand. Bring me to my host, Macbeth. I love him dearly, and I shall continue to favor him. Whenever you're ready, hostess.

Summary: Inside the castle, as oboes play and servants set a table for the evening's feast, Macbeth paces by himself, pondering his idea of assassinating Duncan. He says that the deed would be easy if he could be certain that it would not set in motion a series of terrible consequences. He declares his willingness to risk eternal damnation but realizes that even on earth, bloody actions "return / To plague th'inventor" (1.7.9-10). He then considers the reasons why he ought not to kill Duncan: Macbeth is Duncan's kinsman, subject, and host; moreover, the king is universally admired as a virtuous ruler. Macbeth notes that these circumstances offer him nothing that he can use to motivate himself. He faces the fact that there is no reason to kill the king other than his own ambition, which he realizes is an unreliable guide. Lady Macbeth enters and tells her husband that the king has dined and that he has been asking for Macbeth. Macbeth declares that he no longer intends to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth, outraged, calls him a coward and questions his manhood: "When you durst do it," she says, "then you were a man" (1.7.49). He asks her what will happen if they fail; she promises that as long as they are bold, they will be successful. Then she tells him her plan: while Duncan sleeps, she will give his chamberlains wine to make them drunk, and then she and Macbeth can slip in and murder Duncan. They will smear the blood of Duncan on the sleeping chamberlains to cast the guilt upon them. Astonished at the brilliance and daring of her plan, Macbeth tells his wife that her "undaunted mettle" makes him hope that she will only give birth to male children (1.7.73). He then agrees to proceed with the murder. Analysis: Act 1, scenes 5-7 These scenes are dominated by Lady Macbeth, who is probably the most memorable character in the play. Her violent, blistering soliloquies in Act 1, scenes 5 and 7, testify to her strength of will, which completely eclipses that of her husband. She is well aware of the discrepancy between their respective resolves and understands that she will have to manipulate her husband into acting on the witches' prophecy. Her soliloquy in Act 1, scene 5, begins the play's exploration of gender roles, particularly of the value and nature of masculinity. In the soliloquy, she spurns her feminine characteristics, crying out "unsex me here" and wishing that the milk in her breasts would be exchanged for "gall" so that she could murder Duncan herself. These remarks manifest Lady Macbeth's belief that manhood is defined by murder. When, in Act 1, scene 7, her husband is hesitant to murder Duncan, she goads him by questioning his manhood and by implicitly comparing his willingness to carry through on his intention of killing Duncan with his ability to carry out a sexual act (1.7.38-41). Throughout the play, whenever Macbeth shows signs of faltering, Lady Macbeth implies that he is less than a man. Macbeth exclaims that Lady Macbeth should "[b]ring forth men-children only" because she is so bold and courageous (1.7.72). Since Macbeth succumbs to Lady Macbeth's wishes immediately following this remark, it seems that he is complimenting her and affirming her belief that courage and brilliance are masculine traits. But the comment also suggests that Macbeth is thinking about his legacy. He sees Lady Macbeth's boldness and masculinity as heroic and warriorlike, while Lady Macbeth invokes her supposed masculine "virtues" for dark, cruel purposes. Unlike Macbeth, she seems solely concerned with immediate power. A subject's loyalty to his king is one of the thematic concerns of Macbeth. The plot of the play hinges on Macbeth's betrayal of Duncan, and, ultimately, of Scotland. Just as Lady Macbeth will prove to be the antithesis of the ideal wife, Macbeth proves to be a completely disloyal subject. In Act 1, scene 7, for instance, Macbeth muses on Duncan's many good qualities, reflects that Duncan has been kind to him, and thinks that perhaps he ought not to kill his king. This is Macbeth's first lengthy soliloquy and thus the audience's first peek inside his mind. Yet Macbeth is unable to quell his desire for power. He evades answering his own questions of loyalty and yearns unrealistically for the battlefield's simple and consequence-free action—"If it were done when 'tis done," he says, "then 'twere well / It were done quickly" (1.7.1-2). At the same time, Macbeth is strongly conscious of the gravity of the act of regicide. He acknowledges that "bloody instructions . . . being taught, return / To plague th'inventor" (1.7.9-10). This is the first of many lines linking "blood" to guilt and cosmic retribution. As her husband wavers, Lady Macbeth enters like a hurricane and blows his hesitant thoughts away. She spurs Macbeth to treason by disregarding his rational, moral arguments and challenging his manhood. Basically, she dares him to commit the murder, using words that taunt rather than persuade. Under her spell, all of Macbeth's objections seem to evaporate and he is left only with a weak "If we should fail?" to set against her passionate challenge (1.7.59). The idea of a moral order is present in these scenes, albeit in muted form. Macbeth knows what he does is wrong, and he recognizes that there will surely be consequences. As we have seen, his soliloquy reveals his awareness that he may be initiating a cycle of violence that will eventually destroy him. Macbeth is not a good man at this point in the play, but he is not yet an evil one—he is tempted, and he tries to resist temptation. Macbeth's resistance, however, is not vigorous enough to stand up to his wife's ability to manipulate him.

To: Aside (Himself) (Audience) From: Macbeth Means: If this business would really be finished when I did the deed, then it would be best to get it over with quickly. If the assassination of the king could work like a net, sweeping up everything and preventing any consequences, then the murder would be the be-all and end-all of the whole affair, and I would gladly put my soul and the afterlife at risk to do it. But for crimes like these there are still punishments in this world. By committing violent crimes we only teach other people to commit violence, and the violence of our students will come back to plague us teachers. Justice, being equal to everyone, forces us to drink from the poisoned cup that we serve to others. The king trusts me in two ways. First of all, I am his kinsman and his subject, so I should always try to protect him. Second, I am his host, so I should be closing the door in his murderer's face, not trying to murder him myself. Besides, Duncan has been such a humble leader, so free of corruption, that his virtuous legacy will speak for him when he dies, as if angels were playing trumpets against the injustice of his murder. Pity, like an innocent newborn baby, will ride the wind with winged angels on invisible horses through the air to spread news of the horrible deed to everyone everywhere. People will shed a flood of tears that will drown the wind like a horrible downpour of rain. I can't spur myself to action. The only thing motivating me is ambition, which makes people rush ahead of themselves toward disaster.

To:Lady Macbeth From: Macbeth Means: What news do you have?

To: Macbeth From: Lady Macbeth Means: He has almost finished dinner. Why did you leave the dining room?

To: Lady Macbeth From: Macbeth Means: Has he asked for me?

To: Macbeth From: Lady Macbeth Means: Don't you know he has?

To: Lady Macbeth From: Macbeth Means:We can't go on with this plan. The king has just honored me, and I have earned the good opinion of all sorts of people. I want to enjoy these honors while the feeling is fresh and not throw them away so soon.

To: Macbeth From: Lady Macbeth Means: Were you drunk when you seemed so hopeful before? Have you gone to sleep and woken up green and pale in fear of this idea? From now on this is what I'll think of your love. Are you afraid to act the way you desire? Will you take the crown you want so badly, or will you live as a coward, always saying "I can't" after you say "I want to"? You're like the poor cat in the old story.

To: Lady Macbeth From: Macbeth Means: Please, stop! I dare to do only what is proper for a man to do. He who dares to do more is not a man at all.

To: Macbeth From: Lady Macbeth Means: If you weren't a man, then what kind of animal were you when you first told me you wanted to do this? When you dared to do it, that's when you were a man. And if you go one step further by doing what you dared to do before, you'll be that much more the man. The time and place weren't right before, but you would have gone ahead with the murder anyhow. Now the time and place are just right, but they're almost too good for you. I have suckled a baby, and I know how sweet it is to love the baby at my breast. But even as the baby was smiling up at me, I would have plucked my nipple out of its mouth and smashed its brains out against a wall if I had sworn to do that the same way you have sworn to do this.

To: Lady Macbeth From: Macbeth Means: But if we fail—

To: Macbeth From: Lady Macbeth Means: We, fail? If you get your courage up, we can't fail. When Duncan is asleep—the day's hard journey has definitely made him tired—I'll get his two servants so drunk that their memory will go up in smoke through the chimneys of their brains. When they lie asleep like pigs, so drunk they'll be dead to the world, what won't you and I be able to do to the unguarded Duncan? And whatever we do, we can lay all the blame on the drunken servants.

To: Lady Macbeth From: Macbeth Means: May you only give birth to male children, because your fearless spirit should create nothing that isn't masculine. Once we have covered the two servants with blood, and used their daggers to kill, won't people believe that they were the culprits?

To: Macbeth From: Lady Macbeth Means: Who could think it happened any other way? We'll be grieving loudly when we hear that Duncan has died.

To: Lady Macbeth From: Macbeth Means: Now I'm decided, and I will exert every muscle in my body to commit this crime. Go now, and pretend to be a friendly hostess. Hide with a false pleasant face what you know in your false, evil heart.