Macbeth Act I all Shakespeare’s plays follow a 5 part structure based of Roman plays – esp. by Terence and Seneca, which in turn originated in the 5 part structure in Aristotle’s Poetics.

The 5 part structure applied to Macbeth. Act 1 - exposition/inciting action – the witches’ spell incites Macbeth/Lady Macbeth to kill King Duncan. Act II –complication/turning point(s) – murder of Duncan and Macbeth becomes King Act III – climax – Banquo murdered and becomes a ghost. Act IV – reversals/falling action – Macbeth sees the witches again, murders Macduff’s family Act V – Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, Macbeth is killed and Malcolm becomes King of Scotland.

Act 1 over view Scene 1 – Witches put a spell on Macbeth and establish one main theme of play. Scene 2 – Macbeth established as a hero. Scene 3 – Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches – first prophecy becomes true Scene 4 – Macbeth and Duncan meet Scene 5 – letter to Lady Macbeth and her plans. Scene 6 – Duncan arrives at Dunsinane. Scene 7 – Macbeth talks himself out of the plan then is bullied into it again.

Scene 2 Duncan’s first words gives an idea of action in the play. The word blood occurs more time in Macbeth than any other play of Shakespeare’s. Macbeth is fighting MacDonwald near the Western isles, then the King of Norway aided by the (traitor) Thane of Cawdor – something Macbeth seems to be unaware of. Macbeth is described as a hero – fighting for the King, but his ‘style’ seems to be that of a Viking ‘beserk’. He is rewarded for his loyalty and bravery with the title ‘Thane of Cawdor’.

Scene 3 The witches appear for the second time and talk about what they have been up to – which people at the time believed (in particular James 1 st who was an expert of witches). Macbeth’s first words in the play echo the words of the spell. The witches meet Macbeth (who seems afraid of them) and Banquo (who does not) and have their ‘fortunes’ told. They ‘vanish’, and then Macbeth is told he has been promoted to ‘Thane of Cawdor’ Banquo identifies them as the devil but raises a relevant question in the play: ‘Can the devil speak true?’.

Macbeth is rapt again, and following Banquo’s ‘health warning’ cannot decide if the prophecy is good news of bad – which reinforces the idea that the spell is working. He is confused. He is shocked by imaginings of murder, his internal argument ends on that note and ends up weakly resolving the issue with relying on chance. It could be argued that when he is told the Thane of Cawdor was a traitor, and has been executed, the name of that role has been given to him, almost like part of the spell, hence imaginings about killing the king.

Scene 4 Duncan’s first words before he meets Macbeth (on stage) echo the spell, but apply it like the idea that you cannot judge a book by its cover, or the even simpler (Platonic) idea that you cannot judge reality by appearances. The audience knows that Duncan should not trust Macbeth. We also see a difference between Banquo and Macbeth in the way the King greets them and the way they respond. This is a difference that Shakespeare develops.

If the king died the next king was elected from a parallel family To the ‘royal’ line which meant the crown did not get passed on father to son (Tanistry). What Duncan ( ) does by making Malcolm his heir in the new rank of Earl, is to introduce the system of Primogeniture. For Macbeth this (or Malcolm) is an obstacle, but one which reveals to the audience his desires. (note the light imagery, which is repeated again and again in the play)

Scene 5 Lady Macbeth reads Macbeth’s letter and gives the audience more ideas about his personality, in particular,as far as she is concerned, weaknesses. (which tell us about her at the same time) When she finds out that Duncan is coming she invokes Powers of darkness – how does she know about them and how to call them up? She says what strengths she needs and what changes she will accept as a means to an end; (note the relationship between means and ends, rephrased later in the play as thought and action). She decides not only that Duncan will die but how, before the subject has even been discussed with Macbeth.. (why does she not think of poison?)

When Macbeth arrives and she tells him what will happen, she makes two comments that are in effect rephrasings of the spell. Your face my thane… Be like the flower… allusion to Garden of Eden) Which of course invites comparison with the witches. We also begin to get double meanings which is a linguistic Metaphor for dramatic technique, e.g. ‘my dispatch.’ Scene 6 Duncan arrives. The doubling idea is repeated (cp I ii 38-9) The deceit is developed.

Scene 7 Macbeth talks himself out of killing Duncan: Get it over and done with Could get caught in the attempt and be punished Could succeed and then pay the price later His death would be avenged I am in his family and am his subject (and his host who should protect him) His virtues will announce it to heaven The angels will tell everyone My ambition is not enough

Lady Macbeth’s response Macbeth does not actually give her these reasons but ones pertaining to reputation (the play overall presents a negative view of ‘bubble’ reputation). Her response is a real put down: she makes out that he promised her that he would make her queen, but in fact he did not (see the letter); using rhetorical questions, she questions his love for her, his weakness to act (see letter); a coward like the cast who wants to drink the milk but will not let its feet get wet; that he is not a man; and then the horrid un-motherly thing she would be prepared to do. He succumbs to the emotional force. The couplet at the end of the scene reinforces the presence of the spell again.