Act 1, Scene 7Īlone on stage, Macbeth agonizes over whether to kill Duncan, recognizing the act of murdering the king as a terrible sin. The king inquires after Macbeth's whereabouts and she offers to bring him to where Macbeth awaits. Act 1, Scene 6ĭuncan arrives at Inverness with Banquo and exchanges pleasantries with Lady Macbeth. She then says that she will make all the preparations for the king's visit and subsequent murder. When Macbeth arrives, she greets him as Glamis and Cawdor and urges him to 'look like the innocent flower, / but be the serpent under’t' (63-64). When a messenger arrives with the news that Duncan is coming, Lady Macbeth calls on the heavenly powers to 'unsex me here' and fill her with cruelty, taking from her all natural womanly compassion (39). She then implores him to hurry home so that she can 'pour spirits in ear' (24)-in other words, goad him on to the murder he must commit. He has ambition enough, she claims, but lacks the gumption to act on it. She fears that his nature is not ruthless enough- he's 'too full o' th' milk of human kindness” (15)-to murder Duncan and assure the completion of the witches' prophesy. Act 1, Scene 5Īt Inverness, Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth that describes his meeting with the witches. Macbeth leaves to prepare his home for the royal visit, pondering the stumbling block of Malcolm that now hinders his ascension to the throne. Duncan then states that he plans to visit Macbeth at his home in Inverness. He consequently announces his decision to make his son Malcolm the heir to the throne of Scotland (something that would not have happened automatically, since his position was elected and not inherited). Duncan thanks Macbeth and Banquo for their loyalty and bravery. While Duncan muses about the fact that he placed 'absolute trust' in the treacherous Thane, Macbeth enters. His son Malcolm assures him that he has witnessed the former Thane’s becoming death. Act 1, Scene 4ĭuncan demands to know whether the former Thane of Cawdor has been executed. When Ross and Angus notice Macbeth's distraught state, Banquo dismisses it as Macbeth's unfamiliarity with his new title. Macbeth questions why such happy news causes his 'seated heart knock at ribs / Against the use of nature,' and his thoughts turn immediately and with terror to murdering the king in order to fulfill the witches' second prophesy (135-36). Macbeth and Banquo step aside to discuss this news Banquo is of the opinion that the title of Thane of Cawdor might 'enkindle' Macbeth to seek the crown as well (119). Almost as soon as they disappear, Ross and Angus appear with the news that the king has granted Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor. When Macbeth questions them further, the witches vanish into thin air. When Banquo questions the witches as to who they are, they greet him with the phrases 'Lesser than Macbeth and greater,' 'Not so happy, yet much happier,' and a man who 'shall get kings, though be none' (63-65). Their greeting startles and seems to frighten Macbeth. The witches hail him as 'Thane of Glamis' (his present title), 'Thane of Cawdor' (the title he will soon receive officially), and 'king hereafter' (46-48). He arrives with Banquo, repeating the witches' paradoxical phrase by stating 'So foul and fair a day I have not seen' (36). The Weird Sisters meet on the heath and wait for Macbeth. Duncan decides to execute the disloyal thane and give the title of Cawdor to Macbeth. The Thanes of Ross and Angus enter with the news that the Thane of Cawdor has sided with Norway. He also describes Macbeth's attack on the castle of the treacherous Macdonald, in which Macbeth triumphed and planted Macdonald’s head on the battlements of the castle. The captain informs them of Macbeth and Banquo's bravery in battle. Duncan, king of Scotland, meets a captain returning from battle. The Scottish army is at war with the Norwegian army. Their conversation is filled with paradox and equivocation: they say that they will meet Macbeth 'when the battle's lost and won' and when 'fair is foul and foul is fair' (10). On a heath in Scotland, three witches, the Weird Sisters, wait to meet Macbeth amidst thunder and lightning.

Macbeth full text