‘Stay you imperfect speakers tell me more’
Macbeth is told by the second witch that he shall be the thane of Cawder.
‘All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawder’
After which the third witch tells him that he would be the King of Scotland.
‘All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, that shalt be king hereafter’
Macbeth is shocked and does not know whether the witches are lying or telling the truth. Macbeth is confused and does not believe the witches completely. He refuses to think about this, and decides he will leave everything to chance. The witches have planted the seed of evil within him.
‘If change will have me king, why crown me without my stir’
He returns home and finds out that Malcom, who is the king’s son, will succeed him on the Throne of Scotland.
‘ The prince of Comber land: that is step
On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires,
Let not light see my black and deep desires’
Macbeth is now flooded with evil thoughts. He see’s Malcom as an obstacle standing between him and the crown. He say’s “Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires”. This quote shows us that he does not want anyone to see his deep and dark desires.
Lady Macbeth receives the letter from her husband informing her about the predictions made by the witches. He thinks of all the reasons to kill and not to kill the king and decides not to kill the king because he is the King’s Kingman and his loyal subject.
“We will produced no further in this business”
She fears that he is too loyal to kill Duncan and decides to use all her powers of persuasion to persuade him.
‘ Was the hope drunk’?
‘Coward’
Lady Macbeth calls him a coward and says that he is not a worthy of being a real man, if he does not go ahead with the murder. Macbeth downfall has started from this point on, Macbeth does not think logically and decides to go ahead with the murder. Lady Macbeth hardens herself for the murder. Lady Macbeth’s manipulation and influence over her husband causes him to kill the King in cold blood. Upon releasing he has killed the King, Macbeth’s starts to become doubtful of his actions. After killing the king he returns back to Lady Macbeth, claiming that he heard a voice.
‘Sleep no more Macbeth does murder sleep’
Macbeth brings back the weapons and is too scared to go back and plant them on the guards. The news of the king death makes Macduff suspicious of Macbeth. The ghost of Banquo appears but only Macbeth can see it, and his strange behaviour startles his wife and the people around him but Lady Macbeth draws people’s attention away from her husband. Malcom and his brother decide to escape aboard, fearing for their lives. Macbeth is crowned the king. Macbeth is now even more scared because Banque might catch him. Macbeth decides to get Banque and his son killed.
Macbeth returns back to the witches, demanding to tell him what the future holds for him. The witches assemble to meet Macbeth, and promise to answer his questions. The witches warn him by saying
“Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth: beware Macduff”
And then reassure him
“ Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until
Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill
Shall come against him”
Macbeth is now very confident because he thinks it is impossible for Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill coming against him. He returns back to his castle. We can tell that he is now very confident by the way he speaks to the people around him, he does not think or discuss what he is going to do but just does it. Lady Macbeth thinks that the ghost of Banque will come back and hunt her, just like it haunted her husband. In this time Lady Macbeth dies. Macbeth hears the news about Lady Macbeth’s death and says that she should have died hereafter. He does not cry or feel sorry because he has no time for her. He awaits Macduff arrival.
“She should have died hereafter”
Macduff eventually kills Macbeth. The downfall of Macbeth could have been prevented in many ways such as him being patient. Banque heard the same predictions from the witches as Macbeth, yet he decided to wait. Although Macbeth was influenced in many ways, he could have prevented this by not being ambitions, power hungry, selfish and greedy.
