After the Battle, a captain delivers a report to King Duncan, in which he tells the king of Macbeth’ s triumphs against the Scottish rebels and the Norwegians. The story of Macbeth’s Courage and nobleness is all the more believable because it came from a Captain who witnessed it, so it makes it more believable coming from a person of authority.
Whilst Macbeth and Banquo journey to Dunsinane, they encounter the three witches, where they speak to Macbeth, and prognosticate his future, addressing him with the title of “Thane of Cawdor”. Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy, a form of stage craft to set the scene for the encounter. The scene opens with “thunder”, and the three witches enter, they engage in mystical conversation, until Macbeth and Banquo enter with the opening line of: “so fair a foul a day I have not seen.” – This quote is very important, because it makes reference to what the witches say at the start of the play, and gives the impression that the witches have some sort of control over Macbeth, adding to the strong supernatural theme of the play.
The witches go on to say how Macbeth will become “king hereafter!” This marks the point where Macbeth begins to change. He starts to ponder in soliloquies, “If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me”. This shows that Macbeth is intrigued, yet apprehensive about becoming king, and gives the impression that it’s a childhood’s dream being realised, and we find he has a trait that will drive him to seek it out. This could be described as Macbeth’s hubris, which will eventually lead him to his down fall. A technique Shakespeare uses to let us know what a character is thinking, is the use of soliloquies.
Macbeth in his first soliloquy, finds himself struggling with his conscience, over the possibility of treason. He is concerned that there would be consequences, and that there are many reasons why he should not murder King Duncan.
Macbeth writes a letter to his spouse, Lady Macbeth, who reads out in one of the most famous female Shakespearian soliloquies. Lady Macbeth believes that Macbeth’s temperament is "too full o' the milk of human kindness” to kill king Duncan.
Lady Macbeth is the force that drives Macbeth from considering to kill the King, to actually doing it. She is extremely manipulative, and uses her position as Macbeth’s husband to get what she wants, which is to be queen, and to have the wealth and power which comes with it.
Shortly after Lady Macbeth reads the letter, she is told that King Duncan will be staying her castle, Dunsinane, and she begins to plot his murder “the raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements”, and speaks of how she must loose her femininity in order to carry out her plan “unsex me here.... take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers”, again there is a reference to the supernatural and witchcraft, “Murd’ring ministers” meaning “spirits of murder”.
When Macbeth returns to Dunsinane, Lady Macbeth greets him with “Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor, greater than both!”. Macbeth however doesn't share her optimism “My dearest love. Duncan comes here tonight”. Macbeth shows that he is hesitant, and anxious not to show his inner turmoil.
Soon after when Lady Macbeth realises that Macbeth is still only contemplating it
Macbeth has a vision of a bloody dagger floating before him and leading him to Duncan's room, this could be interprated as macbeth going mad with contemplating on wheather or not to kill Duncan, or it could be the witches, or another supernatural power actually leading macbeth to do it. When Macbeth hears Lady Macbeth ring the bell to signal the completion of her preparations, Macbeth follows through with his part of the plan and leaves for Duncan's room.
