Act 1: Prophecies and Plotting
The play opens with three witches planning to meet Macbeth. The scene shifts to King Duncan learning of Scotland's victory over Norway, praising the brave captain Macbeth.
Quote: "For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name"
Duncan orders the execution of the traitorous Thane of Cawdor and bestows the title upon Macbeth. The witches then greet Macbeth and Banquo, prophesying Macbeth's rise to power and Banquo's descendants becoming kings.
Highlight: The witches' prophecies set the stage for the entire plot, igniting Macbeth's ambition.
Lady Macbeth receives a letter from her husband detailing the prophecies. She begins plotting Duncan's murder, worried that Macbeth lacks the ruthlessness to seize power.
Quote: "Fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty"
When Macbeth arrives, Lady Macbeth convinces him to kill Duncan that night, despite his initial reluctance.
Vocabulary: Thane - a Scottish nobleman