#ACT 1 SCENE 1 MACBETH ANNOTATIONS HOW TO#

Then the second witch hails him as the Thane of Cawdor, and the third calls him king. The first witch hails Macbeth as the Thane of Glamis, which he was before he went into battle. Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches as they leave the battle camp. All Rights Reserved.On a heath near Forres the three witches are gathered awaiting Macbeth. Soliloquy Analysis: She should have died hereafter (5.5.17-28) Soliloquy Analysis: To be thus is nothing (3.1.47-71) Soliloquy Analysis: Is this a dagger (2.1.33-61) Soliloquy Analysis: If it were done when 'tis done (1.7.1-29) The Royal Patent that Changed Shakespeare's Life Macbeth, Duncan and Shakespeare's ChangesĬontemporary References to King James I in Macbeth The Metre of Macbeth: Blank Verse and Rhymed Lines Macbeth: The Complete Play with Annotations and Commentary He soliloquizes on the wickedness in the world before concluding that talking about the murder will only make the deed that much harder to complete. Macbeth's mind is racing with thoughts of the evil he is about to perform and he begins to hallucinate, seeing a bloody dagger appear in the air. The Earl of Southampton: Shakespeare's PatronĪct 2, Scene 1 in Context Macbeth goes to an empty room and waits for his wife to ring the bell, signaling that Duncan's guards are in a drunken slumber. King James I of England: Shakespeare's Patron

Stratford School Days: What Did Shakespeare Read? Life in Stratford (trades, laws, furniture, hygiene) Life in Stratford (structures and guilds) Temptation, Sin, Retribution: Lecture Notes on MacbethĪlchemy and Astrology in Shakespeare's Day Shakespeare's Workmanship: Crafting a Sympathetic Macbeth Macbeth Study Quiz (with detailed answers) The Effect of Lady Macbeth's Death on MacbethĪesthetic Examination Questions on Macbeth

#ACT 1 SCENE 1 MACBETH ANNOTATIONS HOW TO#

How to Stage a Production of Macbeth (Scene Suggestions) The Psychoanalysis of Lady Macbeth (Sleepwalking Scene)Įxplanatory Notes for the Witches' Chants (4.1) Toronto: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1966.Įxplanatory Notes for Lady Macbeth's Soliloquy (1.5) Macbeth Commentary: Is this a dagger which I see before me. Why is the ringing of the bell significant? How does line 61 - 'Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives' - remind you of Macbeth's first soliloquy?ĥ. What convinces Macbeth that the dagger is an illusion?Ĥ. Does seeing the dagger fill Macbeth with confidence or fear?ģ. How would you represent the dagger on stage? Should it be visible to the audience?Ģ. This soliloquy can be found at 0:36:42.ġ. The excellent BBC production of Macbeth, starring Nicol Williamson, is freely available on YouTube.

One can only wonder if a few more moments of deliberation would have changed Macbeth's mind.įor information on the metaphors in this soliloquy and in the play in general, please see my article, Biblical Imagery in Macbeth or Figures of Speech in Macbeth.įor general commentary and line annotations for the whole scene, please click here. Just as talk of the murder is about to stifle his courage, Macbeth's intense illusion is shattered by the bell, a signal from Lady Macbeth that Duncan's chamberlains are asleep, and Macbeth races away to commit the heinous crime. Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft and a strong presence overall in Macbeth, is preparing her sacrificial victims, and Murder himself, summoned by his trusted watchman, the wolf, moves with the power and speed of evil king Tarquin towards his prey. Enhancing the ominous and eerie atmosphere of the speech is the use of successive allusions to people and practices which conjure up images of satanic and earthly evil. The focus of the soliloquy, the invisible dagger, is our first glimpse of Macbeth's powerful imagination – imagination that is largely responsible for his mental torment throughout the drama.Īlthough Macbeth knows that the dagger is an optical illusion, and suspects that it could be brought about by his potentially 'heat-oppressed brain' (39), he nonetheless allows the phantom dagger, soon stained with imaginary 'gouts of blood' (46), to affect him greatly. Now he sits alone, waiting for the bell which will summon him to murder Duncan, pondering his decision one final time. Macbeth, after discussing the crime with Lady Macbeth, has decided to go through with the 'terrible feat' (1.7.75). Macbeth's Soliloquy: Is this a dagger which I see before me (2.1.33-61). Commentary for Macbeth's Soliloquy Is this a dagger which I see before me (2.1)

Act 1 scene 1 macbeth annotations