The scene starts with Lady Macbeth reading a letter from Macbeth, recounting his meeting with the witches.

Lady Macbeth says that she knows Macbeth is ambitious, but fears he is too full of “th’ milk of human kindness” to make himself king. She resolves to make Macbeth take the steps necessary to make himself the king.

A servant enters with news that King Duncan will be staying with them for the night. Lady Macbeth plans to murder Duncan while he is in the castle so that Macbeth becomes king.

Macbeth enters and Lady Macbeth reveals her plan. They both agree to discuss the matter further.

Analysis:

The letter from Macbeth repeats the prophecy from the witches but does not mention Banquo at all, perhaps out of fear.

Lady Macbeth is introduced as Macbeth's "dearest partner of greatness", this sets up her role as not only his partner in future scenes, but the one who pushes and controls him.

Lady Macbeth is one of the strongest female characters to be introduced into a Shakespeare play. The fact that she is alone on stage means that we can hear her innermost thoughts, which are filled with the imagery of death and destruction. Her soliloquy is particularly dark, calling on spirits to deprive her of her femininity, to thicken her blood, and to stop her ability to weep, turning her bitter. From here, Lady Macbeth reverses the traditional gender roles of this time period, becoming a "man of action" character.

In this scene, the audience are introduced to how Lady Macbeth views her husband. It is clear that she wants him to succeed and knows he will be great, but he lacks the ambition needed to become great. She says there is only one solution to this problem, she must "pour my spirits in thine ear."

Lady Macbeth's speech to her husband at the end of the scene is filled with metaphors of concealment. The line "Look like th' innocent flower,
/ But be the serpent under ’t" references the story of the Garden of Eden in the Bible and reflects the evil within Lady Macbeth.

Important Quotes:

"Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way" - Lady Macbeth

Macbeth Plot Summary - Act 1