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MacBeth notes

The first two scenes are used by Shakespeare to give the audience the impression
that MacBeth is a shady character before even meeting him
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The only times in the play when it can be 100% sure that characters are telling the
truth is when a character either speaks aside (when they turn away from the others
on stage) or when they are speaking a soliloquy (the character is alone on the
stage)
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The three witches
can cause suffering but they cannot directly kill people themselves
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The storm raging on reflects
the wronging in the world
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This is a warning to the audience from the witches
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SCENE 2
A bleeding captain enters the kings headquarters, telling the king and his men about
MacBeth’s strength and loyalty
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He further

talks about MacBeth’s attitude in battle and explains that he faces up to enemies not
caring if he is killed or who he is killing
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This shows the
audience that although he is brave, he is ruthless
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Macbeth is given the title of Thane of Cawdor from King Duncan who refers to him as
“noble macbeth”
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SCENE 3
(This is the first time Macbeth makes an appearance in the play himself
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His good deeds in Scene 2 may have been forgotten about by this point)
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They are
clearly out to get people as they start a storm to harm an old woman’s husband
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Macbeth parallels their words from Scene 1 (“foul is…”) with “so foul and fair a day I have
not seen” which helps to prove that there is a connection between Macbeth and the
witches
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They inform him about his new title and also inform him that he shall become
king
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Banquo however is confused by
his friend’s reaction and asks him “why of you start and seem to fear” as he cannot
understand Macbeth’s reaction
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They tell Banquo that although he shall not be
king, he “shalt get kings, though thou be none” which tells Banquo that his descendants
shall be kings
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Macbeth is taken in by the witches and wants them to return after they leave and explain
to him how they know such things when they have not yet happened - “would they had
stay’d”
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Ross enters after this and tells Macbeth that they “call thee Thane of Cawdor”, clarifying
what the witches have just told Macbeth and Banquo
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Macbeth is also unable to stop thinking about the witches word’s to Banquo about his
descendants becoming kings
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This is a warning to Macbeth to be wary about
trusting the witches words as they will probably betray him
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Macbeth turns to the side - showing he is speaking the truth - and wonders about the
witches and why they can tell him good news if they are evil beings, but also wonders if
they are good
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He also adds that “if chance may have me king, why chance may crown me without my
stir”
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He ignores
his deep dark desires and his conscience is stronger than his ambition at this point in the
play
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The king also
explains to Macbeth that you cannot judge people based solely on their appearance,
hinting about the previous title holder of the Thane of Cawdor, who is now dead
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He tells everyone that he plans to make Malcolm, his son, the next King
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He mentions that his desires are “black and deep” meaning that he cannot give up as he
really wants to become king
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King Duncan exhibits another example of irony as he says that Macbeth is “so valiant” but
the audience knows that Macbeth is pining to become the next king
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Macbeth has sent her a letter, which arrives before him, telling her about the recent
events
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She is an extremely
powerful influence at the beginning of the play
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The first point about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship is that they are very close
knit, passionate and tell each other everything
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Lady Macbeth decides that Macbeth “shalt” be king, with that use of “shalt” showing that
there is no other option in her eyes and that it MUST happen
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She knows Macbeth inside out and knows that he has too
much of a strong conscience to be able to kill Duncan, so she speaks to the evil spirits and
asks them to fill his ear with her lack of conscience
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This shows
her intelligence as she can easily deal with situations as they appear
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She uses the word “fatal” showing that she is

planning on killing duncan, but she avoids using the word murder
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She talks to the evil spirits as she knows that she is not cruel enough to do this, and asks
them to “unsex me here”, taking away her femininity
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She asks them to “fill her” as she knows
she is not harsh enough
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She tests Macbeth, by asking him what time Duncan shall be leaving in the morning
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“O never shall sun that morrow see” helps the
audience to recognise that Duncan will NOT be leaving the castle at all
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She tells him to be a hypocrite and to act friendly but actually be
planning his death and getting ready to kill him
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She picks up on this and tells him the details
of the plan, crushing his fear of being caught
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As her plan is perfect, he
eventually agrees
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She is being hypocritical in this scene as we now know she is planning on killing
him alter that night
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SCENE 7
Macbeth is so troubled that he leaves the dinner early that night
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He does not care if God hates him but

rather is worried that someone shall kill him to become king if that’s what he is doing
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The first crack in Macbeth’s relationship with Lady Macbeth is shown in this scene, when
he lies to her
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However, Lady Macbeth knows the real reason and will not stand for it
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She describes him as
being similar to a cat that wants a golfish, in the way he wants it but does not want to get
his paws wet
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She is trying to irritate him in order to get him to do it
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“I am settled” shows that as Macbeth now thinks that there shall be no blame placed on
him, he will go ahead with the killing of Duncan
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