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Macbeth Act 1 notes
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This provides important details about all that happened in Macbeth Act 1
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ENG 3U1/E DRAMA UNIT: MACBETHACT I, scene i
- the opening scene begins on a heath (a desert-like place)
- this introductory scene serves many purposes:
establishes setting as a dark, lifeless place; it is night time and cold on the heath
establishes atmosphere as suspenseful and mysterious (since it begins with the
appearance of the witches)
it introduces the element of the supernatural in the form of witches (evil agents)
it advances the plot by having the witches announce that they are planning a
meeting with Macbeth, even though we do not meet this character in this scene
foreshadows conflict in the play
foreshadows the theme of good vs evil
- the rhyming couplet at the end of the scene:
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
Hover through the fog and filthy air.”
this couplet states that what seems to be fair (good ) in this play will really
be foul (evil), and what appears to be foul (evil) may really be fair (good)
this couplet introduces two main themes: GOOD vs EVIL
APPEARANCE vs REALITY
ACT I, scene ii
- the setting of this scene is a battlefield
- the human action of the play begins with the reference to blood which is a very important
motif (symbol) in the play
“What bloody man is this?
- at this point, the audience has still not met the tragic hero (Macbeth)
- Shakespeare withholds introduction of the protagonist in order to create suspense
- however, the audience does hear references about Macbeth from the other characters:
“brave Macbeth”
“noble Macbeth”
“valiant cousin”
“worthy gentleman”
“Bellona’s bridegroom”
- at the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a general in the Scottish army
, - his title is Thane of Glamis
- the title of thane is equivalent to a lord or earl in England
- Scotland has been at war with Norway (external conflict)
- the plot of the play is advanced because we hear that Macbeth has won the battle against
Norway
- Macbeth has even defeated the traitor to Scotland, the thane of Cawdor, since he had
been working with the King of Norway
- when Macbeth is referred to as “Bellona’s bridegroom”, it is a classical allusion to
Greek mythology because Bellona was the goddess of war, so her bridegroom was the
god of war
- by referring to him using this allusion, they are elevating Macbeth to the status of a Greek
god – that is how respected he is as a warrior
- the irony in this scene is that Macbeth defeats the traitor to Scotland
- Shakespeare is using the technique of foreshadowing to indicate future action to the
audience
- in this scene, the King of Scotland (Duncan) decides that Macbeth will inherit the title of
thane of Cawdor as a reward for his bravery and loyalty to Scotland
- Macbeth does not yet know he has gained this new title
ACT I, scene iii
- this scene begins at the heath with the witches
- the witches announce the arrival of Macbeth
- Macbeth is returning home from battle with his best friend and fellow warrior, Banquo,
and he has to cross the heath to do so
- Macbeth’s first words in the play are: “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.”
- Macbeth means that the day has been foul because of the bad weather, but it has been fair
because of their military victories
- the first witch greets Macbeth by saying:
“All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!” (which is his title)
- the second witch greets Macbeth by saying:
“All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!”
- the third witch greets Macbeth by saying:
“All hail, Macbeth! thou shalt be king hereafter!”
- Macbeth’s reaction to the witches is one of shock, confusion and surprise
- he is confused because he does not know the witches and he wonders how they know
who he is
- he is surprised because they refer to him with a title that he doesn’t even know he has yet
- he is shocked because they state that he will be king and Macbeth understands the Great
Chain of Being, and knows that this would not be possible for him
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