POEMS

Contextualize: Different from the Contextualize part in CONSI. Here you say what was
happening around the passage in the play, what the characters went through just before, how
the previous scene ended and what will happen after. Place the scene in the play. If you can
name the act and scene of the play (which really you should be able to) then do it right at the
start of this part.
Overview: What is happening, how do the characters develop, how does the plot progress, etc.
Really the only difference between this and the one earlier is that you have to refer to it as
developments in the plot rather than the entire plot itself, si nce the passage you are getting is
obviously part of a larger whole where the poem stands on its own.
Structure: Literally same thing as above, but you're mainly going to talk about sentence
structure and structure in terms of plot. If you get a silioque (however the fuck you spell it) then
CHERISH IT and talk about rhyme structures and line breaks and all that shit
Purpose: Why is this scene in the play? What does it do for the play as a larger whole? Pretty
simple, but there's definitely a lot to talk about there.
Themes: There are five major recurring themes in the play “violence, ambition, nature vs.
unnatural, gender and fate”. Which are present in the scene? How are they present?

Summary of Macbeth

Good morning. I have the received the extract “Scene, Act” from the Shakespearean play
Macbeth.

Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606 and it takes place in Scotland during the 11th century. He
wrote this play for King James the second. This play would particularly appeal to King James as
he was related to the real Banquo. Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy. 

Macbeth is based off a real story. Where King Duncan and Macbeth were cousins. Macbeth
became bitter after King Duncan named his son, Malcolm as heir to the throne because he
wanted the throne for himself. He then killed King Duncan with the help of Banquo and then
seizes the throne. He rules well for approximately ten years, Macbeth growing paranoid hires
killers to exterminate Banquo and Banquo’s son. After murdering Banquo, King Macbeth begins
to have wealthy nobles killed on a fairly regular basis. After his family is murdered Macduff
encourages Malcolm, the dethroned son, to fight for the Scottish throne. He reigns until 1057
until he is killed by Malcolm III, Duncan’s son

I will first be giving

 Context, where I’ll give a very quick summary of what goes on in this scene, then
I’ll talk about what happened before and then after this scene then I’ll talk giving a
more detailed
 Overview of the passage I have received, what happened in this extract, then I’ll
talk about
 Structure, if there is any
 Purpose. I’ll talk about why some of the characters are included in this scene, and
generally why this scene exists and how it contributes to the entirety of the play.
Then I’ll talk about the
 Themes of blank, blank along with some motifs and how they are present, then I
will give a 
 conclusion
Table of Contents
 Act 1 Scene 2
 Act 1 Scene 4
 Act 1 Scene 5
 Act 1 Scene 5 (Second Part)
 Act 2 Scene 2

 Act 3 Scene 2
 Act 3 Scene 4
 Act 4 Scene 1
 Act 5 Scene 1

Passages
 Act 1 Scene 2
 Act 1 Scene 4
 Act 1 Scene 5
 Act 1 Scene 5 (Second Part)
 Act 2 Scene 2
 Act 3 Scene 4
 Act 4 Scene 1
 Act 5 Scene 1

Act 1 Scene 2 (Lines 1-43) (First half of the scene)

Context:
 Act 1 Scene 2 takes place at a military camp near King Duncan’s castle at Forres
 King Duncan receives three reports regarding the war on the battlefield
o Macbeth has slain Macdonwald
o He has also defeated the Norwegians
o Thane of Cawdor is traitor
 After, he appoints Macbeth the new thane of Cawdor and the execution of the ex-
thane of Cawdor
 Ross is then sent by King Duncan to deliver the news to Macbeth of his new title

 The scene before this “Act 1, Scene 1” takes place on the heath, where the 3 witches
will meet on the heath to discuss when they will meet with Macbeth to tell him the
prophecy

 The following scene “Act 1, Scene 3” 

 The following scene opens up with the witches again. They then meet with Macbeth and
Banquo to tell them the prophecies
o Macbeth’s prophecy is that he will be Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and
King of Scotland
o They then tell Banquo that his descendants will be kings. Although he will not be
one
 Then Ross and Angus appear to tell Macbeth that he is now the Thane of
Cawdor
 This confirms Macbeth’s first prophecy

Overview/Analysis:
  This extract opens up with King Duncan who encounters a wounded captain (Line 1-3)
with news about the Scottish battle with the Irish invaders, who are led by the rebel
Macdonwald
 Duncan’s son Malcolm explains that this is the sergeant who actually helped Malcolm
escape capture

 The sergeant who was wounded helping Duncan's son Malcolm escape capture by the
Irish, replies that for a while the battle was undecided.
 To describe the situation between the two armies, the captain uses a metaphor/simile
(decide) of two drowning men, who gain no advantage by clinging together but instead
“choke their art”
 At this stage in the battle, it had appeared that Fortune, like a “smiling...whole” a
personification would support Macdonald
 And it was left to the brave warrior Macbeth “disdaining Fortune” to reverse this situation
 He references macbeth with Valour’s minion which means the Servant of Courage and
not only killed Macdonwald but unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps (line 24-25)
 This not only relates to the theme of violence but can foreshadow Macbeth’s own fate as
he will be beheaded in battle

 In the second report we learn that Macbeth and his captain Banquo then immediately
had to face a new enemy, the Norwegian King
 Uses the metaphor of “sparrows frighten eagles, or rabbits frighten a lion” to show that
they were not afraid
 The enemy was literally nothing to them
 He then uses the allusion of creating another Golgotha (where Christ was crucified)

Purpose:
 The purpose of this extract is to introduce the audience to Macbeth’s heroism and
courage and demonstrate that he’s a brutal but noble warrior.
o This is shown many times throughout this passage
 “From the western isles of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied; and
fortune on his damned quarrel smiling show’d like a rebel’s shore” shows
that Macdonwald was supported by foot soldiers and horsemen from
Ireland and Hebrides, and even Fortune was with him (personification).
But this didn’t matter because Macbeth not only killed macbeth but split
him open from his navel to his jawbone and stuck his head on our castle
walls (Line 19-25). (foreshadows Macbeth’s own decapitation) This just
shows that his strength is underscored by the captain’s graphic account
of Macbeth’s actions on the battlefield. Macbeth did not simply kill
Macdonwald
 Phrases such as “Valour’s minion” (the servant of Courage) just goes to
exemplify Macbeth’s superheroism
 Macbeth’s reputation on the battlefield is further enhanced by the similes
of the Captain’s second report, in which Macbeth and his fellow-captain,
Banquo are compared to “eagles” and “lions” unafraid of the timid
Norwegians, who themselves are likened to “sparrows” or a hare”.
Symbolically, the lion appears appears on the royal coat of arms of the
Kings of Scotland which just re enforces the idea that Macbeth will
become King of Scotland
  Finally, Macbeth is credited with nothing less than recreating “Golgotha”.
The scene of Christ’s crucifixion
 Macbeth (the protagonist) is not present once again, but unlike the previous
scene we get a very detailed description of his performance and actions in the
war which reveals a lot about his character

Some other things to note

 We also get introduced to another character: Banquo, his captain
 Unlike Macbeth this is the first time he is mentioned
 But unlike Macbeth he only gets mentioned later in the passage which reinforces the
prophecy that Banquo’s children will become kings, not him

 This scene also introduced King Duncan

 In this scene he is established as a figurehead as it appears he receives all the
information

 We also get introduced to Malcolm, Duncan’s son. His presence here is important as
unlike his brother Donalbain actually has something to say. This just shows that in the
future Malcolm will play a more important role as even though Donalbain is present does
not have any lines

Themes
The theme of violence is very present throughout this extract
 Firstly the captain we meet is covered in blood “what bloody man is that?”
 He literally could not tell who this man was, which means that the captain was
unrecognizable
 This also links back to motif of blood
 I think it foreshadows Macbeth’s fate who in this scene is described as a noble hero who
is brave and loyal to his king, will be transformed into a monster covered in the “blood”
with the metaphorical blood of those he kills, especially King Duncan

 Violence is also present when the Captain is describing the battle between Macdonwald
and Macbeth
 By using the simile of the two swimmers clinging to each other and struggling in the
water, is a really violent act. They are both trying to keep their heads above the water
barely surviving and holding on to life
 He uses this metaphor to show that they were both evenly matched 

 It’s present again when Macbeth’ not only killed Macdonwald but split him from his navel
to his jawbone which reinforces the idea that Macbeth is a great and brave warrior

Motifs:

Conclusion:

Act 1 Scene 4 (1-59)

Context:
 Act 1 Scene 4 takes place at King Duncan’s castle, where King Duncan receives the
news of the execution of Cawdor and delivers formal thanks to Macbeth and Banquo for
their part in the battle. Then to the private astonishment of Macbeth Duncan announces
that his successor will be his son Malcolm

 The scene before this Act 1, Scene 3 opens up with the witches
 The witches meet with Macbeth and Banquo to tell them their prophecies
 Macbeth’s prophecy is that he will be 
o Thane of Glamis
o Thane of Cawdor
o King of Scotland
 They then tell Banquo that his descendants will be kings. Although he will not be
one

 In the following scene Act 1, Scene 5 Lady Macbeth receives a letter explaining how
Macbeth is the new Thane of Cawdor. She also learns from this letter that Macbeth is
also destined to become the King of Scotland
 Straight after reading the letter her mind goes straight into work on how she can get
Macbeth to become King. She is then told by a messenger that the King is coming to her
castle tonight

Overview/Analysis:
 This extract takes place at the King Duncan’s palace
 It starts off with King Duncan asking his son if the old Thane of Cawdor is killed yet. 
 This also just reminds the audience who will be taking his place, Macbeth, and the
audience knows that after Thane of Cawdor he will become King of Scotland

 Malcolm’s report of the execution of the disloyal Thane of Cawdor emphasizes the
dignity with which even a traitor can go to his death, but Duncan’s reply is even more
ironic “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face” has a proverbial flavor to
it 
 Never judge a book by its cover
 It just shows that King Duncan is only human, even the king was unable to predict the
treachery of Cawdor
 To seal the irony Macbeth enters the courtroom at that exact moment

 Formal speeches are exchanged, both Macbeth and Banquo giving humble and loyal
replies to the King
 The imagery used at this point largely refers to growth and fertility. The King clearly sees
Macbeth as a potential successor 
 The metaphor is continued by Banquo, who promises the King that if he too is allowed to
grow in the king’s favour he will dedicate “the harvest” to Duncan
 All this talk of growing and planting reminds the audience of Banquo’s prophecy, where
only his children will be kings, not him

 I noticed the order of which Shakespeare wrote these imagery/metaphor (plant, growing,
grow and harvest) 
 I think he’s setting up his own death, as of this moment he plants Macbeth plans as soon
he will announce Malcolm as his successor and the harvest just ends with his death
  King Duncan then announces his son as the next successor, which is not what the
prophecy told Macbeth. The prophecy told Macbeth that he was going to be King
 He then thanks everyone with “signs of nobleness, like stars” (similie) which I will get
back to

 We then get to see into the mind of Macbeth for the first time
 Only a few lines later, Macbeth gets frustrated and angry at the news of this
 His plan has just been planted
 He thinks he deserves the title, 
 “Stars! Hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires”(personification)
 Here the juxtaposition of images of starlight and the cancellation of starlight emphasizes
the great opposition between the king and Macbeth and between good and evil, the King
wants starlight, but Macbeth doesn’t want the starlight

Purpose:
 This scene serves two purposes
 Firstly it gives an opportunity to observe the relationship between Macbeth and Duncan
 It’s clear that at the beginning of this scene Duncan recognizes his mistake in trusting
the Thane Of Cawdor so completely yet he will make the same mistake again
 He replaced the old traitor with an even worse traitor

 Secondly it provides Macbeth with further fuel for his ambitious claim on the kingdom
 Macbeth’s clearly angry upon hearing that the King’s son has been named Prince of
Cumberland - he had expected the Witches prophecy to come true
 We get to see inside the mind of Macbeth, “I’m either going to have to step over him or
give up” 
 At this point he clearly believes the third prophecy and feels like he has the right to be
king
  
Themes
 Ambition is present throughout this extract
 Duncan says that even the gift of Cawdor is not as much as Macbeth deserves and
Macbeth responds “The service and loyalty I owe, in doing it pays itself”
 This just makes Macbeth believe even more now that the Thane of Cawdor is a traitor
 It’s also present in Macbeth’s remarks to himself after Malcolm is named successor,
which begin on line 50. Macbeth’s anger is caused by the witches prophecy that told him
he was going to become king

 Violence is also alluded to in this monologue, particularly in “let not light see my black
and deep desires”. The deep desires part is an alliteration. Whilst this implies Macbeth is
thinking of taking violent action, violence is never directly present in this scene. 

Conclusion:

Act 1 Scene 5 (1-35)

Context:
 Act 1 Scene 5 takes place in inverness, Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth reads to herself
a letter she has received from Macbeth
  The letter announces Macbeth’s promotion to the thane of Cawdor and details to his
meeting with the witches
 Lady Macbeth murmurs that she knows Macbeth is ambitious, but fears he is too full of
‘th’ milk of human kindness” to take steps necessary to make himself king
 She resolves to convince her husband to do whatever is required to seize the crown
 A messenger enters and informs Lady Macbeth that the king rides towards the castle,
and that Macbeth is on his way as well
 She then decides to kill Duncan and informs her husband of her plans when he enters

 Act 1 Scene 4 takes place at King Duncan’s castle, where King Duncan receives the
news of the execution of Cawdor and delivers formal thanks to Macbeth and Banquo for
their part in the battle. Then to the private astonishment of Macbeth Duncan announces
that his successor will be his son Malcolm

 Act 1 Scene 6 is when Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s castle

Overview/Analysis:
 This scene opens up with Lady Macbeth reading to herself a letter she has received
from Macbeth
 This letter describes Macbeth’s meeting with the witches and that he has gained great
knowledge from them
 Then messengers from the king arrived and greeted Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor,
which is exactly what the Witches said before they told him the most important thing.
That he will be king of scotland

 Lady Macbeth is immediate aware of the significance of their prophetic words

 Immediately after she finishes the letter, Lady Macbeth’s mind goes to work
 She too like Macbeth believes the prohecy is true, he will be king to, 
 At this point, Lady Macbeth herself has virtually become an agent of Fate, just like the
Weird sisters (Quote)
But immediately her toughts turn to possible failings in her husband
 He is “too full of the milk of human kindness” to commit murder
o He would be great
o He would have a high position
o He would wrongly win that position
 At that moment she decides to carry out the act to get Macbeth his title
 In this case she says there is only one solution
 She must “pour her spirits in thine ear”. Any member of Shakespeare’s audience
who had seen his play Hamlet four years previously would be more than aware
of the significance of this line, for in that play the good King Claudius is murdered
by poison administered through the ear
 The scene is getting darker

Purpose:
 The main purpose of this scene is to introduce the character of Lady Macbeth
o A little bit of background: Lady Macbeth is one of the most powerful female
characters in literature
o The fact that we meet her alone on stage means that we are privy to her
innermost thoughts, which are filled with the imagery of death and destruction
  We also get to see a little bit of the relationship between Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth
 Firstly we can see that Macbeth views their relationship as equal “My dearest
partner of greatness” although Lady Macbeth doesn’t
 She sees herself above as she thinks that she will be able to do what her
husband can’t
 We can see after she reads the letter that immediately her mind goes to work,
without consulting her husband
 Notice how Lady Macbeth seems more ruthless, less compassionate and more
driven than her husband, who has a reputation for being the hard, driven one on
the battlefield

Themes
 One of the main themes present here is ambition
 Immediately after she reads the letter her mind goes to work

 After reading the letter, Lady Macbeth worries that Macbeth is too kind and honorable to
fulfill his ambition and the prophecy
 The theme of manhood is also present as she decides to question his manhood to make
him act
o Here Lady Macbeth is established as power-hungry
o She sees honor as a weakness
 Also to add to the theme of Manhood, Lady Macbeth describes herself as being
more of a man than her husband in various lines
 She states that his nature is “too full of the milk of human kindness”. 
 This associates him with femininity as milk is provided by Women not men. 
 Apostrophe “Unsex me here...for gall” 
 This contains the themes of ambition, fate, violence,nature and unatural and
manhood. 
 In order to murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth not only renounces her womanhood,
she literally asks to be turned into an unnatural fiend. 
 This shows that she is willing to do whatever to get Macbeth King which shows
ambition. 
 It also can lead to Lady Macbeth’s fate as she will do whatever it takes. This act
of unsexing can also be seens as very violent

 “That I may pour my spirit in thine ear”. Nature vs unnatural is only strongly present in
the letter she reads in the beginning where Macbeth describes the witches as unnatural
creatures. 

Conclusion:

Act 1 Scene 5 (39-75)

Context:
 Act 1 Scene 5 takes place in inverness, Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth reads to herself
a letter she has received from Macbeth
 The letter announces Macbeth’s promotion to the thane of Cawdor and details to his
meeting with the witches
  Lady Macbeth murmurs that she knows Macbeth is ambitious, but fears he is too full of
‘th’ milk of human kindness” to take steps necessary to make himself king
 She resolves to convince her husband to do whatever is required to seize the crown
 A messenger enters and informs Lady Macbeth that the king rides towards the castle,
and that Macbeth is on his way as well
 She then decides to kill Duncan and informs her husband of her plans when he enters

 Act 1 Scene 4 takes place at King Duncan’s castle, where King Duncan receives the
news of the execution of Cawdor and delivers formal thanks to Macbeth and Banquo for
their part in the battle. Then to the private astonishment of Macbeth Duncan announces
that his successor will be his son Malcolm

 Act 1 Scene 6 is when Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s castle

Overview:
 This extract starts off with Lady Macbeth’s second soliloquy
 We then again get to see Lady Macbeth’s thoughts for the second time this scene
 Although in this one her intentions are described in the most grotesque and frightening
terms
 First she bids the spirits to literally deprive her of her femininity to thicken her blood, and
to stop her ability to weep
 Next she prays that those same evils spirits should suckle her, converting what should
be her nourishing mother’s milk to “gall” (bitterness)
 Lastly, she calls upon the night itself to hide her actions in a “blanket” of darkness
 It is no coincidence that these last words reflect those of Macbeth in the previous scene:
Shakespeare is creating a strong verbal bond between husband and wife that will
continue throughout the play

 When Macbeth enters his castle, his wife greets him in a way that again recalls the
words of the Witches: particularly in the words “all-hail” and hereafter” chill the audience,
for they are the exact words spoken to Macbeth by the Witches
 The dialogue that follows their initial encounter is fast, urgent and disturbing
 Shakespeare uses half-line breaks to intensify the drama of the moment, each partner in
crime” picking up the rhythm of the other’s speech

 Shakespeare uses the same technique immediately after the murder

 In the lines that follow, Lady Macbeth uses several significant metaphors of concealment
 Macbeth’s face is like “a book, where men /May read strange matters) which can remind
the audience of Duncan’s words in Act 1 Season 4 where Duncan admits that there is no
art to reading a man's face
 An important psychological point is also made:
o Lady Macbeth herself does not hide her feelings in the same way that Macbeth
does
o She is not rapt in wonderment, simply practical
o The last line of the scene “Leave all the rest to me” is quite modern in its tone
o With all this blunt and chilling imperative Lady Macbeth completes her
transformation from woman to man
o From now on she plays on the reversal of roles
 o She has adopted the role of man of action, forcing her husband into the more
passive role of accomplice

Structure:

Purpose:
 The main purpose of this scene is to introduce the character of Lady Macbeth
o A little bit of background: Lady Macbeth is one of the most powerful female
characters in literature
o The fact that we meet her alone on stage means that we are privy to her
innermost thoughts, which are filled with the imagery of death and destruction
 Notice how Lady Macbeth seems more ruthless, less compassionate and more
driven than her husband, who has a reputation for being the hard, driven one on
the battlefield

Themes
 Gender

Conclusion:

Act 2 Scene 2 (1-65)

Context:
 In Act 2, Scene 2 Lady Macbeth is waiting for her husband to kill King Duncan
 Once Macbeth returns and says that he has killed King Duncan they both run out of the
room because they hear a knocking

 In the scene before, Banquo and his son are walking through the halls when they are
greeted by Macbeth
 Banquo expresses concern about the Witches but Macbeth says that they will talk about
it later
 After Banquo and Fleance leaves as Macbeth then heads to the King’s chambers to
murder him.

 The scene after opens with the porter

 The porter then opens the door to Macduff and Lennox who are here to collect the king
 When Macduff goes to awake the King we discover that he is murdered
 Just after everyone wakes up and discovers the horror Malcolm and Donalbain both flee.

Overview:
 Lady’s Macbeth’s opening words introduce a new level of emotional intensity
 Fear of failure has been replaced with fear of discovery, and even though she describes
herself as drunk with boldness and on fire with passion, she is just as easily alarmed as
her husband by the tiniest noises and movements
  Her swift changes of thought and speech foreshadow the language of her final lapse into
madness in the sleepwalking scene (Act 5 Scene 1) when she relives these same
moments

 Yet despite this, Lady Macbeth is able to make several ironic comments, including the
observation that she would have killed the king if he didn’t look like her father
 This is the second time we see Lady Macbeth excuse something lacking in herself,
earlier she would ahve dashed out the brains of her own child had she sworn to do so
 The total reversal of roles that she anticipated cannot now occur because, despite his
stricken conscience, Macbeth has done what she could never do

 The quick-fire dialogue and fragmented line structures in this part of the scene denotes a
sense of frightned urgency in both characters
 Although Macbeth’s concern centers on two major areas
o First he belives that he has murder’d sleep
o The sleep that brings physical calm in the same way prayers soothes the spirit
o But in his case, the ability to both pray and sleep has been cancelled
o Macbeth is haunted by the knowledge that he will never sleep easy again
 Lady Macbeth refusing to accespt such “brainsickly” thoughts reminds Macbeth
of the familiar comparison that “the sleeping and the dead / Are but as pictures”
Ironically, she is the one who will be kept from sleeping by the picture of death
long after it has left Macbeth’s mind
o Second, concern is the bloodiness of the deed and specifically the fact that his
own hands bear witness to the unnatural deed of murder
o Again, for Lady Macbeth blood is only like paint used to daub the picture of death
and can be easily washed off
o But Macbeth is aware of the deep stain beneath the surface
o His capacity for recognizing the grand scale of action, which foreshadows his
later remark that he is “in blood stepped in so far” is missing in Lady Macbeth

Purpose:
 To show Duncan’s death was a very powerful one. Look even the animals were given
human characteristics

 Notice that Macbeth is already feeling the guilt that will plague him over the course of the
play
 To Lady Macbeth, Duncan’s murder is nothing but a means to an end - For her, the
desire for power (for her husband) overwhelms her humanity
 At the end of scene two, Macbeth already indicates that he is overwhelmed by his sense
of guilt
 He wishes he could wake Duncan and also recognizes that to face the murder he has
just committed would require him to also face the evil within himself - a conforntation for
which he is jsut not ready

Themes
The themes present in this extract are Gender roles (through Lady Macbeth taking command
and demonstrating ruthless courage and determination to see the mission through whilst her
Husband cowers and feels immense regret over Duncan’s murder), Violence (although no
violent acts are depicted we get several references to the bloody regicide Macbeth committed
and see the motif of blood) and ambition (as what lead Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to this point
was their ambitions and Lady Macbeth continues to be ambitious in this scene by taking actions
such as framing the guards). 

Lines for gender:

 “My hands are of your color, but I shame-To wear a heart so white.” Line 64-65. L.M calls her
husband a coward. 

Conclusion:

Act 3 Scene 2 (4-45)

Context:
 In this scene Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to tell her what is going on
 She is unaware that Macbeth has sent murderers to go murder Banquo and his sone

 In the previous scene Banquo suspects Macbeth killed Duncan, so he leaves Macbeth’s
castle with his son 

 In the next scene Banquo is murdered, Although Fleance has escaped

Overview:
 As the hired killers make their way towards Banquo, Macbeth and his wife meet secretly
 His wife attempts to soothe his troubled mind but ironically feels the same doubts herself
 Killing the king has provided them with many more difficulties than they first envisioned
 To the astonishment of his wife, Macbeth reveals his plan to murder Banquo

 Lady Macbeth starts off by saying that it’s better to be the person who gets murdered
than to be the killed and be tormented with anxiety
 As soon as Macbeth enters we see her two face again
 She tries comforting
 While Lady Macbeth appears to be looking back at the previous murder, Macbeth
looks forward, anticipating the next murder, of which Lady Macbeth is not yet fully
aware.  
 Macbeth says that death is a better option that what he’s getting now

 Macbeth is now the one telling Lady Macbeth to put on a fake appearance, while
in Act 1, Scene 5 it was the other way around
 Then Macbeth tells her he’s gonna kill her

Purpose:
 To show that Macbeth’s roles and Lady Macbeth’s roles has now been reversed.
 This scene is exactly reversed from Act 1, Scene 5
 Macbeth is now the one in control
 Instead of planning Duncan’s death he’s now planning Banquo’s death

Themes
Conclusion:

Act 3 Scene 4 (1-50)

Context:
 murder. Although Fleance has escaped. When he tries to sit down at the table the ghost of
banquo is sitting in his spot. He freaks out. Lady Macbeth says that he was like this since a
child. At the end of this Macbeth announces that he will go see the witches again. 

In the scene before Banquo is murdered. Although Fleance has escaped. 

In the scene after Hecate is pissed. She demands to meet with the witches again.

Overview:
Onstage stands a table heaped with a feat. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth enter as king and
queen followed by their court, whom they bid welcome. As Macbeth walks among the company
the first murderer appears at the doorway. Macbeth speaks to him for a moment, learning that
Banquo is dead and that Fleance has escaped. The news of Fleance escape angers Macbeth. If
only Fleance had died, he muses, his thrones would have been secured. Instead “the worm
that’s fled / That nature that in time will venom breed”.

Returning to his guests, macbeth goes to sit at the head of the royal table but finds Banquo’s
ghost sitting in his chair. Macbeth tries to speak to the ghost which is invisible to the rest of the
company. 

Structure:

Purpose:

Themes

Conclusion:

Act 4 Scene 1 (50-123)

Context:
In this scene Macbeth meets with the witches and they tell him 3 more prophecies.
 Beware Macduff
 He can’t be killed by people born of woman
 Won’t lose until the woods of Birnam move to his doorstep.

In the scene before we learn that Lennox and the Lord met to talk about their suspicions about
Macbeth.

In the next scene we learn that Lady Macduff is told that Macduff left her and her son. Then
murders come and kill her son and her.

Overview:
In a dark cavern, a bubbling cauldron hisses and spits, and the three witches suddenly appear
onstage. They circle the cauldron, chanting spells and adding bizarre ingredients to their stew
—“eye of newt and toe of frog, / Wool of bat and tongue of dog” (4.1.14–15). Hecate
materializes and compliments the witches on their work. One of the witches then chants: “By the
pricking of my thumbs, / Something wicked this way comes” (4.1.61–62). In fulfillment of the
witches prediction, Macbeth enters. He asks the witches to reveal the truth of their prophecies to
him. To answer his questions, they summon horrible apparitions, each of which offers a
prediction to allay Macbeth’s fears. First, a floating head warns him to beware Macduff; Macbeth
says that he has already guessed as much. Then a bloody child appears and tells him that
“none of woman born / shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.96–97). Next, a crowned child holding a tree
tells him that he is safe until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. Finally, a procession of
eight crowned kings walks by, the last carrying a mirror. Banquo’s ghost walks at the end of the
line. Macbeth demands to know the meaning of this final vision, but the witches perform a mad
dance and then vanish. Lennox enters and tells Macbeth that Macduff has fled to England.
Macbeth resolves to send murderers to capture Macduff’s castle and to kill Macduff’s wife and
children. 

Structure:

Purpose:

Themes

Conclusion:

Act 5 Scene 1 (1-41)

Context:
 In this scene, a doctor and a gentlewoman discuss Lady Macbeth’s strange habit of
sleepwalking
 Suddenly, Lady Macbeth enters in a trance
 She talks to herself about the murders of Macduff and Banquo,s he seems to see blood
on her hands and claims that nothing will ever wash it off

 In the scene before, Act 4, Scene 3 we know that Macduff talks to Malcolm to try to
convince him to join against Macbeth

 In Act 5, Scene 2, A group of Scottish lords discuss the military situation

 Malcolm the leader, and the Scottish army meet to take down Macbeth

Overview:

At night, in the king’s palace at Dunsinane, a doctor and a gentlewoman discuss Lady
Macbeth’s strange habit of sleepwalking. Suddenly, Lady Macbeth enters in a trance with a
candle in her hand. Bemoaning the murders of Lady Macduff and Banquo, she seems to see
blood on her hands and claims that nothing will ever wash it off. She leaves, and the doctor and
gentlewoman marvel at her descent into madness. 

Structure:

Purpose:

Themes
Conclusion: