Questions And Answers On Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

Act 1 Scene 4 King Duncan receives Macbeth and Banquo with appreciation for their achievements towards the success if the battle. King Duncan announces that his eldest son Malcolm would inherit the throne from him and be called King of Scotland after him ‘Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter

It is now seen that the tides have shifted, and Macbeth is now very much engulfed in the prophecy, as Macbeth discovers that a portion of the prophecy has been fulfilled with the title ‘Thane of Cawdor’ being placed unto him. As Macbeth continues to be animated about the possibility of the entire prophecy being fulfilled, Banquo becomes hesitant towards the prophecy. It is this speech by Banquo that defines his reasons for being so cautious in his reaction to the prophecy.

As Scene 1 opens, Banquo is fearful and suspicious of Macbeth. He suspects him of killing Duncan. Since the witches’ prophecy has come true, Banquo feels that Macbeth has been rotten in his pursuits to be king. The quote, “Thou hast it now---King, Cawdor, Glamis, all/As the Weird Women promised, and I fear/Thou played’st most foully for‘t’” (Shakespeare, 81) is said by Banquo. He comes to the realization that Macbeth is power hungry and his ambitions are unchecked. He is also suspicious that since Macbeth’s prophecy came true, Macbeth will want to make certain that his prophecy won’t be fulfilled.

In scene three of the first act, the three witches meet in an open field to meet with Macbeth as planned. When Macbeth and Banquo appear they don’t know what’s about to happen, then the witches appear where they said they would. After a few questions from Macbeth, the first witch responds with “all hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee thane of Glamis!” which is a title he already has but is still surprising that they knew, but then the second witch says “all hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee thane of Cawdor!” This is when he starts to become even more confused since he doesn’t have that title and isn’t aware that he is getting the title soon, then there is the third witch that says to him “all hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter” (1.3.51-53). When he gets the news from a messenger that he has been granted the title he realizes that one of the prophecies comes true and starts questioning about what they had said when they said he would be king. Banquo takes

When the reader is introduced to Macbeth in the play, King Duncan of Scotland is hearing how General Macbeth and General Banquo subdued Norwegian forces and arrested the Thane of Cawdor for treason. He seems to have a high moral standing and is a strong character, but Macbeth and Banquo meet three witches in the woods, they refer to him as Baron of Glamis, Baron of Cawdor, and then king. They also say that although Macbeth will be king, Banquo's sons will become kings as well, even if Banquo will not. Macbeth was already Baron of Glamis, and did not yet know that the king of Scotland had named him Baron of Cawdor in place of the one arrested for treason. He thought that the witches were insane but once he heard news that he was indeed

From treating the witches with respect and dignity, Macbeth now storms into their camp, sword drawn, blustered, and demands information, and speaks to them with contempt and a sense of aggravation, “How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags? What is it you do?” He demands answers instantly, “Answer me to what I ask you!” His composure and mannerism has significantly changed and deteriorated, “Call ‘em! Let me see’em!” He now willingly looks into the dark arts and gives himself up to evil by staring into the conjured apparitions of the future, denouncing his kingship to Banquo’s children and grand children. But Macbeth’s evil and lust for dominance and the title of King sway him into killing Banquo, and his family, “Seize upon Fife, give to the edge of the sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line!” Macbeth’s language is almost beast like, closely assimilating that of his wife’s, which has already been corrupted by evil. Contrasted with the reputable and trustworthy Macbeth of earlier times, this new Macbeth speaks of mass murder, treason and slaughtering children. The evil that has corrupted him has mutated him into a vile twisted man.

The Tragedy of Macbeth opens in a desert place with thunder and lightning and three Witches who are anticipating their fateful meeting with Macbeth, "There to meet with Macbeth." They all say together the mysterious and contradictory "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." King Duncan learns that "brave Macbeth" and Banquo are bravely resisting the "Norweyan banners" and the rebellious Thane of Cawdor. When these forces are vanquished, Duncan bids Ross to greet Macbeth with his new title of Thane of Cawdor. Before this happens, however, Macbeth is greeted by the witches with "hail to thee, thane of Glamis," "thane of Cawdor," and "thou shalt be king hereafter!" When Ross and Angus arrive with news of Duncan's reward ("He bade me, from him, call thee thane of Cawdor"), it is logical for Macbeth to assume that all of the weird

After returning from the war against Denmark, sources claim that Macbeth and his noble man Banquo allegedly contacted the followers of Hecate. His sudden rise to the throne links to his contact with the witches and may have influenced the fate of late King Duncan. Informants report that Banquo told Macbeth that sometimes “to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence” (1.3.135-137). Banquo refers to the witches as instruments because they are tools for destruction. In addition, he criticizes Macbeth for trusting the very forces that could lead to his downfall. He doubts the witches and believes that they plan to manipulate Macbeth into modifying his future. Even if their predictions weren’t correct, they may have been a prime factor in promoting Duncan’s assassination. These facts act as solid evidence to support the position that Macbeth utilized supernatural influence to gain power. Macbeth’s understanding of specific details regarding King Duncan’s death triggers suspicions about his intentions. After gaining the title of ‘Thane of Cawdor’, Macbeth formally invites the king to his

Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare and first performed in 1606, is set primarily in Scotland and mixes witchcraft, prophecy and paranoia with murder. In the play three "Weïrd Sisters", or witches, appear to Macbeth and his comrade Banquo after a battle and foretell that Macbeth will be king and that the descendants of Banquo will also reign. When Macbeth arrives at his castle, he and Lady Macbeth plot to assassinate King Duncan, soon to be their guest, so that Macbeth can become king.

His infidelity breaks the trust between him and Duncan because of his immense betrayal to not only the King, but to the country of Scotland. He quickly becomes a man whom Duncan could no longer rely upon, for this reason, Duncan awards the title to a noble and courageous soldier, Macbeth. Dramatic irony is presented in this line because as Duncan is addressing the unfaithfulness of the old thane, it is followed by the entry of Macbeth to the scene, a man who later misuses his power to betray the King. To Duncan, Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, is appeared to be virtuous and courageous because of his heroic performance in the battle for defeating the opponent, Macdonwald. The King demonstrates his satisfaction towards Macbeth through a conversation with Banquo. He describes Macbeth as “full so valiant, And in his commendations [King Duncan is] fed; It is a banquet to [him]… It is a peerless kinsman.” (1.4.56-60). In this speech, King Duncan truly admires Macbeth’s valiancy and describes him as a man without equal. He congratulates Macbeth for his courage on the battlefield and as followed by the witches’ prophecies of Macbeth, “...All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor…” (1.3.50), he replaces and becomes the new Thane of Cawdor. This speech reveals the gullible nature of Duncan who once trusted the old thane and anew, believes the new thane will be loyal to the country. By all means, Duncan is clueless of

After killing King Duncan , Macbeth is starting to realize what it is that he has done, and becomes suspicious and paranoid of everyone around him by puting spy's in every castle and killing those who are any treat to him what so ever. Banquo is the only other person who knows of the meeting with the witches and he would assume that it was Macbeth who killed the King. The witches also said that Banquo would beget kings but he himself would never be king after Macbeth, and so Macbeth decides that Banquo is a threat to him. To get rid of the treat with banquo he decides to kill him and his son Fleance.

loyalty. Banquo and Macbeth both know about the prophecies the witches told about Macbeth becoming king. Even though Banquo's children are the heir to the throne, Banquo disregards it. According to Hacht, “Banquo believes Macbeth is still his friend, despite knowing what the prophecies say. This trust leaves him vulnerable. Macbeth arranges the murder of Banquo” (Hacht). This causes Macbeth to take an advantage of him because of Banquo’s vulnerability and Macbeth’s disloyalty. Banquo is the first to be suspicious of the murder of King Duncan and the possibilities that Macbeth had committed it. In Act One Macbeth explains “the prince of Cumberland. That is a step/ On which I must fall down or else o’erleap, For in my way it lies” right in front of Banquo (1.4.55-57). Macbeth is saying he finds Malcolm like an obstacle that he needs to overcome right in front of Banquo but stays loyal and continues to disregard. This is how Banquo represents such a strong impact upon Macbeth’s traits that prove he is disloyal and

At the very beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is provoked by the letter she receives by Macbeth and starts plotting the murder of Duncan. She also wishes she were a man such that she could commit the murder all by herself saying so in Act 1 Scene 5, “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty” (Macbeth 1.5.36-52). She appeals to these spirits to remove all aspects of her femininity and seeks to gain power through the prophecy of the witches. Her fear about the ability of her husband to commit the murder is subdued in her designated gender. Lady Macbeth manages her feminine power through her sensuality and pretended weakness through her fainting streak at the notice of Duncan’s death. Manipulation, usually through sexuality is often depicted as the source of women’s power still Lady Macbeth uses this power of hers to commit murder, a masculine demonstration of power. Lady Macbeth in her soliloquy about the planning of Duncan’s death refers to her husband as an individual who plays honestly and does not engage in wrongdoing.

     King Duncan trusts Macbeth too much. Macbeth appears as a super hero and faithful to King Duncan. He fights against the traitor Macdonwald, and he helps the king to solve a

Not only is Macbeth by far the shortest of William Shakespeare’s great tragedies, but it is also anomalous in some structural respects. Like Othello (1604) and only a very few other Shakespearean plays, Macbeth is without the complications of a subplot. (Bradley, 1905) Consequently, the action moves forward in a swift and inexorable rush. More significantly, the climax the murder of Duncan takes place very early in the play. As a result, attention is focused on the various consequences of the crime rather than on the ambiguities or moral dilemmas that had