Act 1 Scene 3

Act 1 Scene 3

1. Upon the heath

   • 'Thunder again'
     • eerie, isolated atmosphere
     • Witches await the arrival of Macbeth and Banquo
       • Prophecies are told

2. Vindictive nature of the witches

   • 'I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do'
     • repetition- revengeful, malicious nature
     • The First Witch is casting a spell on a sailor whose wife offended her
       • 'I shall drain him dry as hay'
         • imagery here- life draining
         • simile
       • Will make the boat 'temper-tossed'
         • Depriving the sailor of sleep
           • An essential, nourishing element of life

3. Echo of witches words

   • Macbeths says 'So foul and fair a day I have not seen'
     • Talking about the awful weather
     • eerie

4. Appearance of the witches

   • 'you should be women, but your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so'
     • their ambiguous nature is reflected in their appearance as well
     • 'withered and so wild'
       • 'choppy finger'
         • 'skinny lips'
   • Reflects the Jacobean beliefs at the time
     • typical image of an old, ugly hag

5. Macbeth's reaction

   • At first he is shocked, yet curious and wants to learn more
     • 'Tell me more'
     • questions
       • 'But how of Cawdor?'
   • After Ross and Angus arrive and he is appointed Thane of Cawdor his attitude changes
   • Macbeth's use of asides
     • secretive, not openly expressing his opinions
       • Thinks of the grandness of becoming king
         • 'Swelling act of the imperial theme'
         • Power/glory
       • STAGING: Alienates him from the rest of the character's physically
     • 'This supernatural soliciting'
       • sibilance- supernatural- slippery- untrustworthy
     • 'Look how our partner's rapt'
       • Even to the others he appears fixated and engrossed on his inner thoughts

6. Banquo's mistrust

   • 'What, can the devil speak true'
     • The instruments of darkness tell us truths...to betray's in deepest consequnce
       • Mistrust of the witches- wary of them- expects them to cause trouble
         • Contrast to Macbeth's use of (Asides)

7. Clothing Imagery

   • 'borrowed robes'
   • 'Like strange garments cleave not to their mould'
     • He will soon get used to his new role

8. 'Cannot be ill, cannot be good'

   • Antithesis - hints at his confusion
     • Further emphasised through his use of questions
       • 'Commencing in a truth'
       • IMAGERY
         • 'Whose horrid image does unfix my hair'
           • Physical affect - fear of what he will do- murderous thoughts of killing Duncan
           • 'Shakes so my single state of man'
             • verb 'shakes' similar to knock- suggest the physical affects of his fear
               • He is unable to function normally- utter fear/ plagued my murderous thoughts
         • 'make my seated heart knock against my ribs'
           • pounding heart- verb- 'knock'
             • Nervousness- persistence of his fear
           • Repetition of 'Horrid' 'horrible'
     • Switching between his inner thoughts and dialogue between other characters