Act 1 scene 1 In a desolate place blasted by thunderstorms, Three Witches meet to predict the future. Act 1 scene 2 Scotland is at war. King Duncan faces not not only his own rebellious kinsmen but also an invasion by King Sweno of the Norwegians. In this scene, Duncan receives three significant reports: the death of the rebel Macdonald at the hands of “brave Macbeth”; Macbeth’s action against the Norwegians; and the treachery of the Thane of Cawdor, who has sided with the enemy. In each case, Macbeth’s heroism shines out, leading to victory for Scotland and surrender by Sweno.
He was an honest, sensible young man, until he fell upon the witches’ spell and was victimized by his wife’s evilness. Macbeth was under the spell of three witches who claimed that he would be appointed as king after the death of the present king, Duncan. The witches chanted, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth!
Act 1, Scene 3 takes place upon the thundering heath, the residence of the ‘weird sisters’, the witches. The two compatriot commanders of Scotland, Banquo and Macbeth are returning to camp, after the battle when they encounter the witches. At first, the two nobles are weary: ‘you should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so’- Banquo, (1.3.43-45). However, when the witches begin to prophesize Macbeth’s Kingship, they lower their guard and are intrigued by their visions. The witches vanish and the two men begin to think they have ‘eaten on the insane root’ and are confused by recent proceedings.
When Macbeth and Banquo first meet the witches, the line “They look not like the inhabitants o’ the earth, and yet are on’t?” (17) is retained from the original text. The three witches are each standing underneath a very bright light. The IV stand “Macbeth” is behind the middle witch. The middle witch is holding a saw in her hand. As the witches tell Macbeth of what will happen, the camera zooms into each of their faces.
The first appearance of ambition is when Macbeth and Banquo stumble across the three witches upon a heath and tell them of their future. In Act 1 Scene 3 the witches give Macbeth a premonition; “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis. All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor. All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, that shalt be king hereafter”, this premonition given by the witches at first confuse Macbeth until Ross and Angus later enter and announce Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor which at first Macbeth and Banquo do not fully comprehend, believing that the Thane of Cawdor is a servant of the king and a good man but it comes clear once they are told of his treachery and his mind moves to the to what the third witch said to him about him becoming king. Just before this Banquo, after Macbeth was told what was to come to him, Banquo asks what will happen to him.
Macbeth’s decadence then led to his marriage to slowly fall apart. At first, him and Lady Macbeth really do love each other, and show affection for one another. Though, Lady Macbeth becomes less important to her husband, Macbeth, after the murder of Duncan and he allows the witches to take her place. The witches pretty much have him brain-washed toward the end of the play by making him believe that no man could ever bring harm to him. With him believing such nonsense, he just becomes his monster who is completely
1. Discuss the tyranny that you know happen in history of human civilization and relate it to the play that you have studied. Macbeth is a story written by William Shakespeare in 1606. Macbeth tells the story of a brave Scottish general (Macbeth) who receives a prophecy from a trio of sinister witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed with ambitious thoughts and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and seizes the throne for himself.
When Macbeth is talking to Lady Macbeth he says, “I will, to the weird sisters: / More shall they speak,” (3.5.134-135). In this context Macbeth is anxious to go to the witches to see if he should fear anyone taking his newfound power from him. This shows that he has acquired what he wanted however he doesn’t feel secure, this shows that he relies on the witches for support and cannot think without first taking into consideration what the witches say. Before this
All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (1.3.ll:48-50). He was known by witches he didn’t even know yet it sounds as if these sister witches knew him and his future. “but ‘tis strange; and oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us
THE WITCHES’ PROPHECY Macbeth and Banquo returning victorious from a great battle were stopped by three strange figures like women except that they had beards and their lined skins and wild dress made them look not like any earthly creatures. Macbeth first addressed them, but each one laid a finger upon her skinny lips, for silence : and the first of them called Macbeth by the name of lord of Glamis . 3. The general was much surprised to find himself known by such creatures ; but how much more , when the second of them gave him the name of lord of Cawdor, to which honor he had no claim! .