Act 1 Analysis Flashcards
Scene 1
- The play starts with thunder and lightning, this sets a dark and violent mood.
- The three witches are the first characters on stage showing how important the theme of the supernatural is to the play. The wishes are mysterious and we do not know what their purpose is.
- The witches speak in rhyming couplets e.g. “When the hurly-burly’s done,/ when the battles lost and won”
- Only the supernatural characters in the play consistently use rhyme and it is what sets them apart from the other characters and makes their speech sound unnatural as if they are casting an evil spell
- The witches plan to meet Macbeth but do not explain their intentions. Their final rhyming couplet “fair is foul and foul is fair, / Hover through the fog and filthy air”, this hints they are evil.
Scene 2
- The Scottish army that is led by Macbeth and Banquo, are fighting rebel armies from Norway and Ireland.
- Shakespeare contrasts the eerie opening scene with the brutality and “bloody execution” of the battlefield. This sets a violent mood for the rest of the play
- The Captain and Duncan describe Macbeth as “brave” and “valiant”. At this point he is a hero that is loyal to his King and Country.
Scene 3
- The Witches are accompanied by thunder again, this recurring motif hints at chaos, danger and the overturning of the natural order.
- Macbeths first line in the scene is “So foul and fair a day I have not seen”, immediately this links him to the Witches and their “Foul is fair” prophecy
- The Witches predict that Macbeth will be made Thane of Cawdor, then King, and that Banquo’s descendants will also become Kings. Banquo and Macbeth react differently to the news.
- The Witches tell Banquo that he will be “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater”. This is a reference to Banquo’s sons being Kings, but it could also mean that Banquo is greater because he isn’t driven by greed and ambition
- Macbeth can’t stop thinking about the prophecies and this shows his lust for power. He immediately thinks about killing Duncan, but he is also reluctant. At this point Macebth isn’t an evil character, he is wrestling with his conscience and torn between his ambition and his loyalty
- When Macbeth finds out he’s been made Thane of Cawdor, it shows that the first prediction has come true. This convinces him that the prediction about him becoming King will come true too, which strengthens his ambition.
Scene 4
- Duncan gives Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor as a reward of his loyalty.
- Duncan uses an extended metaphor of plants e.g. “plant thee” and “make thee full of growing” to show that he sees it as his duty to nurture people who are loyal to him. Duncan sees Macbeth as a potential successor which suggests that fate might make Macbeth King without him doing anything
- Macbeth seems confused in this scene. Outwardly he’s a brave and loyal warlord, but inwardly his ambition is battling with conscience. He wants to keep his “black and deep desires” hidden, not just from other people but from himself.
Scene 5
- The scene opens with Lady Macbeth reading a letter from Macbeth about the Witches prophecy prophecies and this allows the audience to hear her inner thoughts and see whats she’s really like
- She has no doubts about killing Duncan and immediately sees that she’ll have to force Macbeth to do it because he’s “too full o’th’milk of human kindness”
- Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy uses evil imagery such as “smoke of hell” and “direst cruelty”, which shows the evil on her mind
- Her speech links her to the Witches and she uses imperatives which make her sound like she’s casting a spell. She says “come, you spirits” and “come, thick night”
which links her to evil, unnatural spirits. - Macbeth enters and their dialouge is in half-line breaks making their speech sound urgent and hurried, they are both nervous and need to act quickly in case they are interrupted.
Scene 6
- Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s castle and is grateful for his hospitality and everything Macbeths done for him
- Lady Macbeth appears to be the perfect hostess, she flatters Duncan and thanks him for the “honours deep and broad” he has given them. Shakespeare contrasts this scene with the previous one to show how false Lady Macbeth is.
Scene 7
- This scene opens with Macbeth’s soliloquy, he’s trying to decide whether to kill Duncan and gives a list of reasons why he shouldn’t
- Lady Macbeth is forceful, she bullies and persuades Macbeth to go through with the murder by questioning his masculinity. She says that by killing Duncan, Macbeth will be “so much more the man”. This has a double meaning, he’ll be more of a man, and he’ll also be king
- She rejects her femininity by telling Macbeth that she’d kill her own child. She’s trying to prove how remorseless and evil she is.
What theme is present in Scene 1
Reality and Appearances
- The Witches introduce the idea that nothing is as it seems: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”. This theme is central to the play
What theme is present in Scene 2
Reality and Appearances
- The Witches have just told the audience that “Fair is foul”, this suggests that the “Worthy” Macbeth might not be as good as the other characters believe.
What theme is present in Scene 4
Reality and Appearances
- Duncan says he misjudged the old Thane of Cawdor because there’s no way to “find the mind’s construction in the face”, he thinks that people who seem good and loyal may not be.
What writers technique is used in Scene 1?
Langauge : The witches speak in paradoxes “when the battles lost and won”. At first they don’t make sense, but their predictions become clearer as the play goes on.
What writers technique is used in Scene 3?
Metaphor: The Witches talk about sending a storm out on a sailor’s ship so that he can’t sleep. The sailor is a metaphor for what will happen to Macbeth, who’s made sleepless by guilt, and the ship is a metaphor for Scotland, which is almost destroyed during Macbeth’s violent reign.
What writers technique is used in Scene 4?
Symbolism: Duncan says, “signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine” “on all deservers”. He thinks that fate will reward those who deserve it. Light is also linked to visibility, which contrasts with Macbeth’s desire to hide his intentions.
What writers technique is used in Scene 5?
Symbolism: Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to “unsex me here”, she doesn’t want to be a woman because she sees women as weak and incapable of murder.
What two writers technique’s are used in Scene 6?
Irony: Duncan describes Macbeth’s castle as “pleasant” and says that it “sweetly reccomends itself”. It’s ironic that Duncan feels happy and welcome at Macbeth’s castle, the audience knows what Macbeth has got planned.
Irony: Duncan describes Macbeth’s love for Lady Macbeth as “sharp as his spur”. This is ironic, it wasn’t love that made Macbeth rush home but his desire to plot Duncan’s murder with Lady Macbeth. It’s also ironic because Lady Macbeth is the spur (encouragement) that drives Macbeth into action.
