already considered the possibility of becoming king, by foul means if necessary?
53. fantastical imaginary.
53–4. or that…ye show? or are you what you appear to be?
55–6. present grace being Thane of Glamis.
great prediction Of noble having becoming Thane of Cawdor.
royal hope becoming king.
57. rapt withal entranced by them (the witches’ mysterious greetings).
58. look into the seeds of time Banquo is prepared to accept the witches’ power to see into the future, but he goes on to show (lines 60–1) that he will not put himself in their power. Their response is to speak to him in riddles, whereas they gave Macbeth plain statements.
67. get kings: be the ancestor of kings.
70. imperfect speakers Macbeth says this because he wants to know more. He has come out of his trance and now demands further information.
71. Sinel Macbeth’s father, from whom he had inherited the title of Thane of Glamis.
73–4. Neither Macbeth nor Banquo seems to have heard of Cawdor’s treachery.
74. Stands not…belief Is so unlikely as to be unbelievable.
76. owe own, possess.
intelligence information.
78. Having asked for information twice, Macbeth becomes bolder and orders the witches to answer him.
79–80. The witches have vanished like burst bubbles. Although they had seemed very real, physical, living creatures, it now appears that they belong to the supernatural.
81. corporal made of flesh and blood.
84–5. the insane root…prisoner the root (of the hemlock or some other plant) which causes madness when eaten.
86. Is Macbeth envious and annoyed because no mention was made of his own heirs?
91. Thy personal…fight Your individual contribution in putting down the rebellion of Macdonwald.
95. Ross goes on to mention the other phase of the battle, against the Norwegian forces.
95. stout bold, tough.
96–7. Nothing afeard…death Ross comments that Macbeth is not frightened by the sight of the mangled bodies of those he has killed. We will see a different reaction later.
97–100. Macbeth’s great achievement was acclaimed in all the messages which piled up in front of Duncan. It is especially ironic that just when the audience is beginning to suspect Macbeth’s intentions, everyone else on stage is praising him.
98. post with post message after message.
102. herald…sight escort you into the king’s presence.
104. for an earnest as a first instalment.
105–6. The words are close enough to those of the Second Witch to underline the rapid fulfilment of the prophecy.
106. addition title.
106. Banquo has clearly decided that the witches are evil.
108–9. The play contains many examples of imagery related to clothes, particularly those that do not fit. This creates a picture of Macbeth wearing clothes that were not meant for him. Keep this in mind as the play develops.
110–11. The ex-thane of Cawdor is under sentence of death (see Act 1, Scene ii, line 66).
111. was combin’d allied himself.
112. line the rebel assist Macdonwald.
113. hidden help and vantage secret aid.
114. labour’d…wreck worked to ruin his country.
115. treasons capital acts of treason worthy of the death penalty.
117. The greatest is behind the fulfilment of the Third Witch’s prophecy, the Kingship, will follow after this stage, in the future (hence the word ‘behind’).
118. Macbeth again refers to the prophecy about Banquo’s children becoming kings.
120. trusted home believed in fully.
122–6. Banquo reveals his own deep distrust of the witches and their words, saying ‘The Devil’s helpers often impress us and win our confidence by telling us some small truths about our lives so that, once we are in their power, they can deceive us in really important matters (and thus destroy us).’
128–9. the swelling act…theme Macbeth sees himself as king at
the climax of a great drama.
130. soliciting prompting, egging on.
131–3. What Banquo suspected and dismissed (a small truth leading to betrayal In deepest consequence) Macbeth also suspects but will not dismiss.
134–7. If good…nature? Already Macbeth is contradicting Ross’s remark in lines 97–8. Here is an image of death of which he is clearly afraid. Is it one of his own creation or not? He is certainly considering murder (see line 140).
135. unfix my hair make my hair stand on end.
136. seated firmly fixed.
137. Against the use of nature in an unnatural way.
137–8. Present fears…imaginings A real cause of fear (e.g. a fierce enemy in the recent battle) is less frightening than something horrible which you imagine.
139–42. Macbeth is obsessed by the idea of murder and is incapable of normal action. Nothing seems real to him except what he is creating in his mind.
143. rapt lost in his own thoughts.
144–5. At first, in order to escape his horrible imaginings, Macbeth adopts the attitude of saying to himself: ‘There is no need for me to take any action; if it is my fate to be king, it will just happen that way.’
145–6. New honours…use
