Analysis of Act 1

Analysis of Act 1

1. Scene 1

   • The play stars with “thunder lightning... rain”
     • Hints to unnatural events occurring.
   • Theme- Reality and Appearances
     • The witches introduce the idea that nothing is as it seems: “fair is foul and foul is fair”. This theme is crucial to the play.
   • The witches plan to Macbeth

2. Scene 2

   • King Duncan hears reports of the battle.
   • Shakespeare contrasts the eerie start of the play with the brutality of the war. “Bloody execution”.
     • Sets a violent nature for the rest of the play
   • The Captain and Duncan describe Macbeth as being ‘brave’ and ‘valiant’. At this point Macbeth is a hero
     • Theme of Reality and Appearance: As the witches have just said “Fair is foul and foul is fair,” suggests that Macbeth May hit be so heroic and loyal after all.

3. Scene 3

   • The witches make 3 predictions
     • The witches predict that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor, the King whereas Banquo is told that his son will be king
   • The witches are accompanied by thunder again.
     • The recurring motif hints at chaos and the overturning of the natural order
   • Metaphor: the witches talk of sending a 'storm' out on a sailors ship so he 'can't sleep'. The sailor is a metaphor for Macbeth who wont be able to sleep due to his guilt of killing Duncan. The ship is a metaphor for Scotland that is almost destroyed during Macbeth's violent reign.