MR+AngieJ

> The witches can supposedly see the future (as they predict Macbeth's career), curse and cast spells on people (the sailor, Banquo's future), and the three of them meet on stormy days. Are they good or bad? They seemed pretty nasty to the sailor whose wife refused them chestnuts, yet they seem to support Macbeth and Banquo positively. We'll see.. > > Macbeth is the thane of Glamis, and he's just come back with some of his men from a battle against Norwegian troops, in which he gained glory and success, such to gain favour with the king. He doesn't seem particularly greedy or ambitious as of now, as he questions Angus when he addresses him as Thane of Cawdor. > > Banquo is one of Macbeth's men, seems to serve him but is on friendly terms with him. The witches predict that he will sire kings, but will not become one himself. > > Boss comes with Angus to find Macbeth, and seems to be one of the king's men. He gives Macbeth the king's thanks for his valour, and gives him the news that he is the thane of Cawdor. > > Angus is another of the aforesaid king's men. He tells Macbeth that the thane of Cawdor has been arrested for suspected treason against the king and conspiring with the enemy, the Norwegians. Thus, Macbeth takes his place.
 * IN YOUR OWN WORDS describe what we learn about the following characters from 1.3 (at least a sentence).
 * Witches:
 * Macbeth
 * Banquo
 * Ross
 * Angus


 * Outline the major plot evens in 1.3 - What happens?

The three witches, the "weird sisters" meet and discuss a confrontation with a troublesome sailor's wife. They curse the sailor, and Macbeth enters with his man Banquo. Banquo questions the witches' gender, and the witches greet Macbeth as the thane of Glamis, the thane of Cawdor, and predict his future kingship. They tell Banquo he will not rise as high as Macbeth, but be happier as the sire of kings. The witches vanish without telling them how they know this. The king's men enter and thank Macbeth for his work in the battle. They inform him that he is the new thane of Cawdor, as the old one has been arrested for treason.


 * Explain the conflicts introduced in 1.3.

Many conflicts were introduced in 1.3: there is a war going on with the Norwegians; Macbeth and Banquo have become involved with the supernatural, never a good sign; the witches themselves don't seem to be particularly benevolent; Macbeth has been predicted to become the next king, although the king still lives; Banquo's children have been predicted as kings, meaning that Macbeth will somehow die and will not have heirs to succeede him; there is talk of treachery and treason regarding the ex-thane of Cawdor...

We learn that Lady Macbeth is highly manipulative, and plots and plans her husband's ascent to the crown with much more ambition than her husband himself. She is scornful of his weak ambitions, and plans to urge him on when he returns. When she hears that the King is coming to her hall, she asks the spirits of evil to give her cruelty and remorselessness in order to carry out her deed, which is apparently to stab the king. She openly plots her own king's murder by her own hand with her husband, who seems more bewildered than anything else.
 * What do we learn about Lady Macbeth in these scenes?

Lady Macbeth would probably answer that the meaning of life is to reach the top, become rich and powerful and, ultimately, Queen. She doesn't particularly care what she will have to do to get there, as her goal is all she cares about. She thinks nothing of murder.
 * How might Lady Macbeth answer the question “What is the meaning of life?” Explain your answer.

"All our service/ In every point twice done, and then done double,/ Were poor and single business to contend/ Against those honors deep and broad wherewith/ Your majesty loads our house. For those of old,/ And the late dignities heaped up to them,/ We rest your hermits." (1.6, lines 14-20) I find this passage striking because it depicts the Lady as truly serpent-like. While she had just been planning the cold-blooded murder of her own king for advancing herself and her husband, she now turns around and is positively saint-like in front of the king. Two-faced!
 * Identify and write out two of Lady Macbeth’s lines that are particularly striking. Explain why you selected the lines.

"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!" (1.5, lines 40-43) This line is also memorable, because the Lady is literally begging the spirits of evil to fill her body with inhuman cruelty so she can carry out a murder for her own greed. It's incredible how evil she is!

serpent: "Look like th'innocent flower,/ But be the serpent under't." (1.6, lines 64-65) Denotation: the reptile with no legs, a snake Connotation: negative, sly, sneaky, treacherous, implies the serpent that caused the fall of mankind in the creation story of Genesis Significance: I believe this word is significant because it sums up in one word who this character is. She is the serpent that softly whispers temptation into her husband's ear and sweet words to her king, but is treacherous and untrustworthy on the inside.
 * Identify one significant word that Lady Macbeth uses in 1.5 or 1.6, and define both the denotation and connotation of the word. Explain why you think the word is significant.

2. prepare for a graded discussion on the following question: "Why has Macbeth decided to kill King Duncan by the end of Act 1?"

- wife's influence, loves his wife, easy influenced - thinking of three witches' prediction... maybe it's meant to be, it's fate - starting to think, if it were done quickly, it'll work - wife calling him a coward, not a man

Among other reasons, I believe his wife, Lady Macbeth, is the single most potent factor in his decision. Macbeth himself is not so ambitious nor treacherous to kill his lord and guest so easily. He weighs the consequences and thinks of numerous "cons", and is almost set on his decision not to go forth with the plan. However, it is always his wife who urges him on and goads him into doing what she wants him to do. A huge reason is how his wife demands if he's "man" enough to go through with it, and basically calls him a coward. Macbeth has been shown thus far to be a brave and merciless warrior, and has earned his reputation for it in the war. He also seems to love and admire his wife, and thus would be highly affected by being called unmanly and cowardly.

Conclusion: I like the idea that Lady Macbeth is the primary motivation for actually //killing// the king, but that Macbeth himself also had some dark thoughts and ambitions before. His own ambitions, coupled with the thought that perhaps it was destiny (the three witches' prophesy) might have made him want to be king, but ultimately it was Lady Macbeth's intention to murder Duncan, and her highly developed rhetorical skill, that pushed him over the edge.

Macbeth reacts the way I would assume a normal man would act after murdering someone; jumpy, guilty, furtive, regretful, weak. He starts seeing things, such as the knife ("Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?" 2.1), and starts making mistakes (not leaving the knives with the chamberlains like he is supposed to). He feels guilty and evil, as he can't even bring himself to say Amen when others are praying ("List'ning their fear, I could not say "Amen" When they did say "God bless us!" 2.2)
 * How does Macbeth react to the killing of Duncan? Why does he react this way?

Lady Macbeth doesn't react very much; she is businesslike. When Macbeth describes his guilt and wariness to her, she tells him not to worry about it ("Consider it not so deeply." 2.2) When Macbeth chickens out and forgets to leave the daggers with the chamberlains, Lady Macbeth reprimands him and does it quickly herself. She is solid, and unmoving.
 * How does Lady Macbeth react to the killing of Duncan? Why does she react this way?

Act 3 Scene 5 Summary: The three witch sisters meet Hecate, their leader and teacher, who is angry that they did not consult her when interfering with Macbeth's affairs, and plans to make him see encouraging illusions to boost his confidence and lead to his downfall.

Act 3 Scene 6 Summary: Lennox and another lord discuss the situation in Scotland: Donalbain is trying to find alliances from England and with Macduff to try to overthrow Macbeth, who is not yet accused of the murders yet, but now of being a bad king.

What suspicions does the Lord have about Macbeth? The Lord suspects that he will soon declare war on Macduff and on England.

Act 4 Scene 1: What does Macbeth want in this scene? Macbeth wants to know exactly what will happen to him in the future and what he should be wary of. What stands in his way? According to the witches' illusions, Macduff stands in his way, as do the children of Banquo who will indeed become kings. How does Macbeth attempt overcome the obstacles in his way? Macbeth decides to kill Macduff and his family as soon as possible, and therefore sets out to raid the town of Fife and Macduff's castle. What do the Witches want in this scene? The witches want Macbeth to listen to the spirits, but they also plan something very evil for him.

ACT FIVE: (if you are a FEMALE answer the following question) How has Lady Macbeth transformed by the end of the play?

//(Why, it stood by her. She has light by her continually. 'Tis her command.) - Gentlewomen, Act 5, Scene 1, line 15// It seems to me that Lady Macbeth's steely nerves have finally frayed and she is shaken by fear and guilt. She is, perhaps, as affected by the darkness and by the thought of phantoms and ghosts of the dead as Macbeth was, and thus always orders a light to be on near her, even while she sleeps, like a little child. Her maids are bewildered, as this is obviously a different Lady Macbeth than the one they have known, who could charge into a room with a dead king and chamberlains, wipe blood on them, and stash knives as evidence. She claimed then that the dead were but mere images, and they could not harm her; her character has become far more afraid and weakened than before.

//(The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?—What, will these hands ne'er be clean?—No more o' that, my lord, no more o' that. You mar all with this starting.) - Lady Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 1, line 30// The thane of Fife was Macduff, and in the previous act, Macbeth ordered his wife and children to be brutally murdered to protect himself and Lady Macbeth's position. The fact that Lady Macbeth senses some sort of loss and guilt for murdering these people shows how much her deeds have affected her character. She is confused, nearly in a trance, and like Macbeth in the previous acts she sees blood on her hands and thinks she will never be free of it. Yet at the same time, she is mentally unstable, as she speaks to herself as if she were speaking to Macbeth, and tries to convince him to keep up the act.

1. On your MR wiki page, answer the following questions. Provide at least one piece of textual evidence for each answer. (This assignment will provide some ideas for the final paper.) The main idea of the story is the effect of evil actions on the soul, expressed by visions, madness, etc. i.e. Lady Macbeth (Out damned spot! Out I say! Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?) Act 5 Scene 1 Line 34 I suppose we can learn from Macbeth not to let your overly ambitious wife sway your morals ("Are you a man?" Act 3, scene 4), and to stand up for what you know isn't right. Be happy with your lot. After all, if Macbeth had stayed still and not started killing people, he might be a very happy thane of Cawdor and Glamis, and favoured by the king. Some recurring words were blood, hand, night, eyes, sleep, storm, and king. All of these were used numerous times and have several denotations and connotations. Recurring situations were those where Lady Macbeth and Macbeth had to "look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it" (act 1 scene 5)
 * What is the main idea of the story?
 * What can we learn from these characters? Select one or two characters and explain your answer.
 * Do you see recurring images, words, deeds, situations, consequences, mistakes? Select two items from the preceding list and give examples from the play.