MACBETH

In act 1 scene 1, the witches are introduced to the audience, Shakespeare includes the witches because King James 1st was very intruiged by witchcraft and superstition.

The witches are a symbol of darkness

The idea of the meeting of the witches being set in an open ground makes the feel of the play very sinister, because there is nowhere to hide, making the audience feeling very vulnerable.

The witches speak in riddles.

At the beginning of the play the witches speak about Macbeth, this shows his significance to the audience.

The witches talk about how they plan to meet Macbeth soon.

Scene 2 takes place after the battle between Norway and Scotland, with the Captain telling King Duncan and his sons what happened.

Despite the invaders apppearing to be very strong armed, Macbeth fought with bravery and courage and brought victory to the country. Macbeth killed the Norwegian Captain and beheaded him, he does this to scare the enemy and show them that Scotland has rightfully claimed victory.

"For brave Macbeth"- macbeth is spoken very highly about as he brought victory to King Duncan. In a battle where the Captain of Scotland is unsure of who the victor would have been- "doubtful it stood, as two spent swimmers that do cling together".- a metaphor showing that Norway and Scotland were dragging each other down, and that there was no clear winner. The captain was not sure if they would win or lose.

"As sparrows, eagles; or the hare, the lion." This is a clear comparison between the two countries. Shakespeare has depicted Scotland to be a powerful country and army, by using the powerful animals- "eagles" and "lion". The Captain uses the powerful animals to compare the Norwegian army to Macbeth and Banquo- this conveys the idea that Macbeth and Banquo are afraid and inferior to the army, however they are shown to still be unstoppable and fight alongside the Scottish army, helping them to defeat the enemy.

"Assisted by that most disloyal traitor", here Ross describes the old Thane of Cawdor- who assisted Norway to near victory. Ross informs the King of this and the King wants him to be excecuted for his disloyalty to his country.

"And with his former title greet Macbeth." Here the King commands Ross to greet Macbeth with his newly earnt title of Thane of Cawdor.

King Duncan describes Macbeth at the end of Act 1 Scene 2 to be a "noble" man- this shows the audience/ reader that the King puts a lot of faith in Macbeth and thinks of him very highly.

"go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth." This rhymes, this makes the audience/ reader think of the witches- this foreshadows bad is about to happen and that nothint good can come out of Macbeth being greeted with the title of the Thane of Cawdor.

The witches meet again, they are discussing their magical powers and are casting a spell as Macbeth and Banquo appear.

They address Macbeth as being the Thane of Glamis, the Thane of Cawdor and "King hereafter". Macbeth is in shock by what he has heard, however Banquo is very excited for his dear friend. Macbeth becomes fascinated by the witches, and Banquo demands to know his own future. They tell him- "Lesser than Macbeth and greater." "Not so happy, yet much happier." "Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none."

Macbeth wants to know more about his prophecies but the witches suddenly vanish, Macbeth and Banquo wonder if what they saw really happened. "Or have we eaten on the insane root?"- they question themselves to whether or not they are hallucinating.

Soon after meeting the witches, Ross arrives to announce Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor. Banquo and Macbeth are shocked that one of the prophecies the witches told has come true. Macbeth soon realises that 2 truthes have been told and that the witches have spoken the truth. However, he is confused as to how he can possibly become King.

Macbeth begins to think of the possibilties of him becoming King.

When Ross and Angus praise Macbeth of his victory in the war, they present him with the title of Thane of Cawdor, whilst Banquo is in shock that the witches spoke the truth, Macbeth is confused and forced into murderous thoughts which rattle him.

"The instruments of darkness tell us truths"- Banquo describes the witches to be devils, and he is also surprised that the witches told them the truth.

"This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill; cannot be good."- Macbeth speaks to himself, he says that what the witches are saying cannot bring good and cannot bring bad.

"If good, 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? Present fears are less than horrible imaginings." Macbeth says to himself, that if good were to come out of the witches prophecies, he would not be having murderous thoughts about killing King Duncan. He is rattled and scared by the fact that these thoughts have came out of nowhere and he understands that if good were to come these thoughts would not be.

The scene finishes with Macbeth consulting with Banquo that they should meet and allow themselves to talk to each other about what has happened.

Act 1 Scene 4, begins with Duncan asking Malcolm if the former Thane of Cawdor has been excecuted. Malcom replies "he confessed his treasons, implored your highness' pardon, and set forth a deep repentance." Here Malcolm informs King Duncan that the old Thane of Cawdor was confessing to what he being accused of doing, and he started begging for the King's forgiveness, he was deeply regretful of his unloyal behaviour.

The King says to his eldest son, Malcolm, that he is very let down by the fact that he put his trust into the former Thane of Cawdor. Duncan was very disappointed to have been betrayed by someone who he had complete trust in.

The King praises Macbeth and Banquo, and in return they show their respect for their King.

Macbeth says, "the service and loyalty I owe", here Macbeth is declaring the loyalty he owes to King Duncan. However, at this point in time he is being very hypocritical about his loyalty and honour to the King, because he was having murderous thoughts about killing the King in order to get his title.

As act 1 scene 4 begins to end, King Duncan names his son, Malcolm, the Prince of Cumebrland and his heir, then announces his plan to visit Macbeth's castle.

" Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires."- here Macbeth is angered, and annoyed by the fact that King Duncan has named his son, Malcolm, the heir to his throne, he thinks that to get the title of King, he will have to either kill the son or give up. He starts having deep desires to become the King. Yet he does not want the light to see, as he still has guilt within him.

Act 1, Scene 5- is set in Macbeth's castle. Lady Macbeth is reading a letter Macbeth sent to her, telling her about all the things that have been happening to him.

Lady Macbeth reads the letter where her husband describes his encounter with the witches, and their promises of future greatness.

"Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition"- here lady macbeth says to herself, she fears that Macbeth's nature is too kind and honourable, and that he would not be able to achieve his ambitions.

After the messenger brings Lady Macbeth news that the King will be visiting her castle, she begins to plan the King's murder.- "The raven himself is hoarse, that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements" Here Lady Macbeth refers to the messenger being a rave, this symbolises death and prehaps a premediated murder, that Lady Macbeth has concocted upon hearing the news.

The King's entrance is fatal because it presents her with the golden opportunity to assassinate the King.

"I may pour my spirits in thine ear"- she will whisper and manipulate Macbeth to kill the King.

Lady Macbeth calls upon the evil spirits to fill her with "direst cruelty", because she feels like that sex is a weakness, she doesn't want to be a female or male. Macbeth being kind is a weakness, which she feels is a feminine trait.

"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood."-Here Lady M. is commanding on the evil spirits to come to her and unsex her, she wants to be full of cruelty and she wants to be genderless. She wants her blood to be made thick and for her to feel no remorse for the things she will do.

"take my milk for gall"- take her weakness and replace it with a strength.

"Direst"- it is the highest form of evil that she wishes to have. She wants to be remorseless. And have no guilt within her.

"Look like th' innocent flower, But be the serpent under ’t."- she says to be an innocent person, but however be disloyal and dishonourable under.

Lady Macbeth reveals her ideas of planning to kill the King, Macbeth seems to agree with her, but he speaks very little as he is being told what to do by his wife.

She advises Macbeth to behave normally- "your face- my thane, is a book where men may read strange matters"- here lady m tells her husband that he is readable and that people will be able to interpret that Macbeth is uneased. She says to Macbeth that she will take care of everything.

"We love him highly"- Duncan is a nice man, and he thinks of Macbeth very highly.

In scene 6, Duncan arrives at macbeth's castle and he comments on its lovely setting, this makes it clear to the audience that he is unaware of what Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are planning on doing to him.

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- " He’s here in double trust: first, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed; then, as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself." - I should be protecting the King as I am the host, but I am here planning to kill him myself, I am having murderous thoughts yet I dont see a reason.

Macbeth thinks very highly of the King and he thinks he is a humble man, he is not a corrupt King, he has a very honourable legacy. Macbeth has no real reason to kill the King.

" I have no spur to ***** the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on th' other." Macbeth here, acknowledges the fact that he had no reason to kill the King, the only reason for him to kill him is that he has a vaulting ambition which is driving him forward.

Macbeth sees killing Duncan as a crime against nature, and he also believes that everyone will find out.

Macbeth then tells his wife that he will "proceed no further in this business"- she questions his decision, she emotionally blackmails him, belittling his pride.

"live a coward in thine own esteem" - she starts to emotionally blackmail her husband, questioning him. She asks him, are you afraid to act the way you desire, are you that scared??

She tells him that he has a decision to make, either to take this opportunity and get the crown in which he desires, or would he rather live like a coward. She emotionally attacks his masculinity.

"When you durst do it, then you were a man"- when you were going to do it, you were a man. Again she is manipulating him.

"I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my niple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out"- she expresses her ambition to her husband about how desperately she wants to fulfill her desires. This is a sinister and violent image, and again Lady M is overpowering Macbeth. This shows her passion. This would have angered the Jacobean audience.

"we fail?"- interrupts him, forcing the idea onto Macbeth. Lady M is trying to reassure him.

She begins to tell her plan to her husband, where she gives the suggestion that her husband and her should sabotage the guards, by drugging them and placing the daggers near them so it seems they are guilty.

"I am settled"- at the beginning of the scene Macbeth was very adament on not killing Duncan, however because Lady Macbeth manipulated him, she also attacked his pride.

When Macbeth is on his way to kill Duncan, he meets Banquo and Fleance (his son).

Banquo tells him that he had a dream of the three witches- "I dreamt last night of the three witches". Macbeth in reply claims tthat he doesnt think about them- here it is clear their friendship is not being well respected by Macbeth.

After Banquo and Fleance leave, Macbeth starts to hallucinate, thinking he can see a dagger before him. He begins to think about the evill he is about to commit. Macbeth is nervous but continues towards King Duncan's chamber.

Lady Macbeth has drugged the guards, and she nervously waits for Macbeth to come back. She talks about how she left the daggers where Macbeth would be able to find them easily, she worries about the crime not being commited. She fears something will stop it from happening. She talks about how she would have killed Duncan, however she could not bring herself to do it because he looked like her father. -"Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done ’t."

When Macbeth returns he seems very disturbed, and he immediately regrets what he has done. Lady Macbeth dismisses the fact that he is uneased.

Lady macbeth is worried about his state of mind, and tells him not to dwell on what they've done, and "whats done is done".

She orders him to plant the daggers next to the drugged guards and to wash the blood from his hands. But he is beginning to panic and says he cannot go back. She calls him weak and goes to plant the daggers beside the guards herself.

"Consider it not so deeply."- she tells him to not worry, and not be affected or bothered.

Whilst Lady Macbeth is gone- Macbeth begins to panic and is disturbed by noises. He begins to feel the guilt, and he starts to think that the blood will never wash off his hands. - "Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No,"

When Lady M returns, she mocks his weakness and fear, she says the blood can easily be washed off their hands, and she insists they leave the scene so they aren't spotted.

The scene starts with a porter who is obviously drunk.

A porter stumbles through the hallway to answer the knocking, moaning about the noise and mocking whoever is on the other side of the door. He compares himself to a porter at the gates of hell. Macduff and Lennox enter, and Macduff complains about the porter’s slow response to his knock. The porter says that he was up late getting drunk and talks about the effects of alcohol, which he says provokes red noses, sleepiness, and urination.

He adds that drink also “provokes and unprovokes” lustfullness (lechery)—it inclines one to be lustful but takes away the ability to have sex. The porter offers a comical relief in such an intense play and it is very ironic because the fact that the porter refers to Hell, it suggests that he feels the atmosphere build up in the play. This scene is very humourous, although being very ironic.

Lennox begins to talk to Macbeth about how the night was very rough, nature was in uproar. This conveys the idea that nature is disturbed by what sins Macbeth and his wife have commited. The natural course has been greatly disturbed and everyone could feel the intensity of the night. - "strange screams of death", "some say, the earth was feverous and did shake". - suggesting that the earth was chaotic about what happened.

"T'was a rough night"- Macbeth replies, this has a double meaning. 1) being that he couldnt sleep all night as the guilty was taking over his conscious, 2)being that he had commited a huge sin and this was still processing in his mind.

"Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope The Lord’s anointed temple, and stole thence The life o' th' building!"- here Macduff compares Duncan's corpse to a church that has been broken into, and this puts the audience in a state of confusion.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth pretend to be confused, Lennox explains that the guards must have killed the King, and Macbeth reveals that he killed them out of anger. Macduff begins to question macbeth and as a diversion lady macbeth pretend to collapse and converts everyones attention upon herself.

Malcolm and Donalbain begin to talk to each other, saying that they must escape and they must leave the castle because they might be in danger.

the short scene begins with Ross and the old man describing recent disturbances in nature, again shakespeare uses the idea of nautre being in uproar upon knowing what Macbeth did. On his way from the castle, the Thane of Ross encounters an Old Man, who confirms the widespread reports of disruption in the natural world.

the old man exemplifies the certainty of what has been: The notion of age, tradition and natural continuity, as well as wisdom are all bound up in this single figure.

the old man describes how the world that he knows and trusts has been turned on its head. All the named events are not simply natural disasters; they are reversals of the expected natural order: Daylight has been replaced by night; a falcon (a bird of prey) has been killed by an owl, a much smaller creature; and the horses of the king's stables are said to have eaten each other.

The entry of Macduff allows Shakespeare to consolidate the first half of the play and to confirm that Macbeth has been named king and has already gone to Scone, the traditional place of coronation for Scottish kings, to be crowned. The imagery of this scene acts partly as a bridge between the first half of the play and the second

The old man is a representation of a member of society, this imagery is used by macbeth to convey the idea that the society sees that nature is in total uproar and that the natural course is reversed. Everything and everyone has been disturbed.

"the sovereighty will fall upon Macbeth"- macbeth will become the king of scotland

The idea of Duncan's horses, majestic and swift animals have become wild and refused to be obedient, shows that stange things are happening

The idea that the horses were in war with mankind, conveys the idea that macbeth has caused a war with nature and mankind.

• "thou play'dst most foully for't"- here Banquo is growing suspicious upon Macbeth, and he thinks Macbeth has done something very bad to get the crown. Banquo doesn't trust his former friend- Macbeth. 
• this scene is where Macbeth first enters the stage as a scene, and Shakespeare has made the friendship between him and Banquo so the audience can see that Macbeth being the king was not a natural order and that the tension will be felt onstage. 
• The scene opens with Banquo in Macbeth's new palace- as he is now the King. He thinks about the witches' prophecies, and he begins to suspect that Macbeth killed the King to get to the throne, however, he is pleased by the idea of his sons becoming Kings. 
• Lady m and Macbeth enter the stage, and they invite him to the evening celebration feast. 
• Banquo shows his friend the respect that is due to his new position and agrees to attend the feast. - "Let your highness Command upon me", "my good lord"
• Macbeth mention Malcolm and Donalbain and how they have denied killing their father- King Duncan. Macbeth implies that they have been claiming Macbeth is responsible for killing their father.
• Before Banquo leaves, Macbeth asks Banquo about what he and his son- Fleance- will be doing that day,  checking where, when and for how long they will be riding their horses.

• Macbeth says " they placed a fruitless crown"- he has been given a crown in which he cannot pass on, and he is angered because he feels as if he "tortured his conscience" for the thing he fought for, just to be taken off him and given to Banquo's sons. He feels as if he ruined his own peace for their benefit. 
• Macbeth gives 2 men instructions to kill Banquo and Fleance so he no longers feel there to be a threat. Macbeth manipulates the murderers into thinking that Banquo is their enemy and that he was the one who made their lives horrible and miserable. The men agree to kill Banquo

• Lady M asks a servant about Banquo and is clearly suspicious about Macbeth's questions earlier in the act.
• She talks to Macbeth and asks him why he is keeping his thoughts to himself. He replies with "We have scorched the snake, not killed it."
• She tries to calm him down and tell him to be happier for the feast, and that "what's done is done".
• He shares his troubled thoughts with her and is not happy because he has realised that one thing is starting to lead to other things.
• "full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!"
• "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck"
• He describes his fear to his wife. He does want Lady Macbeth to know what he is planning. 

• The murderers go to kill Banquo and his son- Fleance, and they kill Banquo, however, Fleance escapes. Therefore the men's jobs are incomplete. 

• The guests arrive at the banquet and Macbeth is behaving in a cheerful mood, but a regal manner at the same time.
• Macbeth meets one of the murderers, who confirms Banquo's death. Macbeth is pleased by this, but when he hears about Fleance escaping Macbeth becomes anxious about the future. 
• Lady Macbeth calls her husband back to the feast, where he wishes everyone well before commenting on Banquo's absence. 
• Banquo's ghost then appears onstage, and he sits on Macbeth's throne. 
• Only Macbeth can see the ghost, and he becomes very disturbed when he sees the ghost of Banquo. 
• Ross suggests that Macbeth is ill and that they should all leave, however, Lady Macbeth tells them to stay and she convinces them that Macbeth has been having fits like these since he was a child.
• Lady Macbeth privately talks to Macbeth, and she mocks his fears. macbeth is shouting, trying to get her to see the ghost, which then vanishes. he gradually calms down and then sits down back in his place at the table. However, when he makes a toast to Banquo, the ghost reappears. Macbeth is over by his fear again.

• Lady Macbeth tries to reassure the important guests that nothing is wrong but, eventually tells them all to leave as soon as possible.
• Macbeth thinks that his sinful deed will haunt him, and he will never be able to move on.
• Macbeth says he is paying a servant in each of the lord's homes, so that he has eyes everywhere and that he can spy on Macduff. 
• Macbeth tells his wife that he will be visiting the witches in the morning, he says he has become too evil to be good again. He will be going to the witches for his own safety and for his self because he feels that he needs to know what is the worst that will happen to him.
• He says to Lady Macbeth that he is planning on doing some things that he doesn't want to think about.

• in scene5, the leader of the witches, Hecate, is angry with the witches because they did not tell her of their encounter with Macbeth.
• At first, it seems that she is angered because she wasn't informed of their meeting and the fact that they told him his prophecies. However, it is further shown that she wanted to show her own powers off and meddle with them.
• Hecate says she wants Macbeth to be overconfident, and for him to be destroyed by his overconfidence, of the fact that he thinks he has defeated fate. She makes a plan of her own to bring him on to his own downfall.

• scene 6 features Lennox talking to another lord. He is talking to him about all the event that has happened, he shows his suspicions about Macbeth. "tyrant's feast"
• The lord talks about how Malcolm and Donalbain are hiding out, Malcolm- the eldest son, has had his rightful throne stolen from him by Macbeth, he uses the adjective "tyrant" to describe Macbeth. This shows that he agrees with Lennox on how Macbeth is.
• The Lord talks about how Macduff has gone to England to ask Malcolm for help, he says that Macduff is asking for help because he wants peace again in their nights.
• Lennox says that Macduff should return to Scotland, which is suffering. He wants Macduff to come and restore Scotland.
• The Lord reveals that Macduff has gone to England so that he can raise an army to attack Scotland and defeat Macbeth.

• Macbeth revisits the witches, and they conjure up 3 apparitions.
  • an armoured head, tells him to beware Macduff, The Thane of Fife.
  • a bloody child tells him he cannot be harmed by anyone a woman has given birth to.
  • A child crowned and holding a tree tells him he can never be beaten until Birnam Wood moves to Macbeth's castle at Dunsinane. 
• These prophecies make Macbeth more confident about his position as a leader. 
• Macbeth insists on knowing whether their earlier prophecy about Banquo's sons becoming kings is true. The witches create a final vision, showing him eight kings, followed by Banquo. 
• macbeth is angered by what he sees.
• The witches vanish.
• At the end of the scene, Macbeth finds out that Macduff has gone to England, and Macbeth is angered. So he decides to kill everyone in his castle, including his wife and kids. 
• "This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues", "it weeps, it bleeds; and each new day a gash is added to her wounds", "give to th'edge o'th'sword".

• Lady Macduff is talking to Ross about her husband, she is angered by the fact that Macduff left, leaving her and their children. She feels that he doesn't love them because he left them. 
• Ross tries to calm her down, and make her see sense- "he is noble, wise, judicious".
• She says to her son, that her husband is dead, and this shows that she is very angry by what Macduff has done and that she now feels that he is dead to her- he is worthless.