Give me your hand. Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly, And shall continue our graces towards him. By your leave, hostess.

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1 NOTES 6. mansionry nests. 7. jutty projection. 8. coign of vantage advantageous corner. 9. procreant cradle nest where the young are hatched. 10. haunt visit. 11. The love... trouble though my visit inconveniences you, you should ask God to reward me for coming, because it was my love for you that prompted my visit. 12. single business feeble service. 13. rest your hermits remain your dependents bound to pray for you. Hermits were often paid to pray for another person s soul. 14. coursed chased. 15. purveyor advance supply officer. 16. holp helped. 17. compt trust. 18. Still always By his loved mansionry 6 that the heaven s breath Smells wooingly here. No jutty, 7 frieze, Buttress, nor coign of vantage, 8 but this bird Hath made his pendent bed and procreant cradle. 9 Where they most breed and haunt, 10 I have observed The air is delicate. [Enter Lady Macbeth.] King. See, see, our honored hostess! The love that follows us sometime is our trouble, Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you How you shall bid God ield us for your pains And thank us for your trouble. 11 Lady Macbeth. All our service In every point twice done, and then done double, Were poor and single business 12 to contend Against those honors deep and broad wherewith Your Majesty loads our house: for those of old, And the late dignities heaped up to them, We rest your hermits. 13 King. Where s the Thane of Cawdor? We coursed 14 him at the heels, and had a purpose To be his purveyor; 15 but he rides well, And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp 16 him To his home before us. Fair and noble hostess, We are your guest tonight. Lady Macbeth. Your servants ever Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in compt, 17 To make their audit at your Highness pleasure, Still 18 to return your own. 1. Sewer chief butler. 2. done over and done with. 3. If... success if the assassination could be done successfully and without consequence King. Give me your hand. Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly, And shall continue our graces towards him. By your leave, hostess. Macbeth s castle. [Exit.] [Hautboys. Torches. Enter a Sewer, 1 and diverse Servants with dishes and service over the stage. Then enter Macbeth.] Macbeth. If it were done when tis done, 2 then twere well It were done quickly. If th assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch, With his surcease, success; 3 that but this blow Might be the be-all and the end-all here, 272 UNIT 3 FACING THE FUTURE, CONFRONTING THE PAST

2 Macbeth and Lady Macbeth dine with Duncan, the king of Scotland But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, We d jump the life to come. 4 But in these cases We still have judgment here; that we but teach Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return To plague th inventor: this even-handed 5 justice Commends 6 th ingredients of our poisoned chalice 7 To our own lips. He s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan Hath borne his faculties 8 so meek, hath been So clear 9 in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels trumpet-tongued against The deep damnation of his taking-off; And pity, like a naked newborn babe, Striding the blast, or heaven s cherubin 10 horsed Upon the sightless couriers 11 of the air, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o erleaps itself NOTES 4. We d... come I would risk life in the world to come. 5. even-handed impartial. 6. Commends offers. 7. chalice cup. 8. faculties powers. 9. clear blameless. 10. cherubin angels. 11. sightless couriers unseen messengers (the wind). The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I 273

3 NOTES 12. bought acquired. 13. ornament of life the crown. 14. wait upon follow. 15. poor... adage from an old proverb about a cat who wants to eat fish but is afraid of getting its paws wet. 16. break v. reveal. 17. Did then adhere was then suitable (for the assassination). 18. that their their very But only. 20. sticking-place the notch that holds the bowstring of a taut crossbow And falls on th other [Enter Lady Macbeth.] How now! What news? Lady Macbeth. He has almost supped. Why have you left the chamber? Macbeth. Hath he asked for me? Lady Macbeth. Know you not he has? Macbeth. We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honored me of late, and I have bought 12 Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon. Lady Macbeth. Was the hope drunk Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale At what it did so freely? From this time Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valor As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that Which thou esteem st the ornament of life, 13 And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting I dare not wait upon 14 l would. Like the poor cat i th adage? 15 Macbeth. Prithee, peace! I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none. Lady Macbeth. What beast was t then That made you break 16 this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man: And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man. Nor time nor place Did then adhere, 17 and yet you would make both. They have made themselves, and that their 18 fitness now Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know How tender tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this. Macbeth. If we should fail? Lady Macbeth. We fail? But 19 screw your courage to the sticking-place 20 And we ll not fail. When Duncan is asleep Whereto the rather shall his day s hard journey Soundly invite him his two chamberlains 274 UNIT 3 FACING THE FUTURE, CONFRONTING THE PAST

4 Will I with wine and wassail 21 so convince, 22 That memory, the warder of the brain, Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason A limbeck only: 23 when in swinish sleep Their drenchèd natures lies as in a death, What cannot you and I perform upon Th unguarded Duncan, what not put upon His spongy 24 officers, who shall bear the guilt Of our great quell? 25 Macbeth. Bring forth men-children only; For thy undaunted mettle 26 should compose Nothing but males. Will it not be received, When we have marked with blood those sleepy two Of his own chamber, and used their very daggers, That they have done t? NOTES 21. wassail carousing. 22. convince overpower. 23. That... only that memory, the guardian of the brain, will be confused by the fumes of the drink, and the reason become like a still, distilling confused thoughts. 24. spongy sodden. 25. quell murder. 26. mettle spirit. Lady Macbeth. Who dares receive it other, 27 As we shall make our griefs and clamor roar Upon his death? 27. other otherwise. 80 Macbeth. I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time 28 with fairest show: False face must hide what the false heart doth know. [Exit.] 28. mock the time mislead the world. MEDIA CONNECTION Discuss It Did the witches prophecies awaken Macbeth s already powerful hunger for power? Or did he kill Duncan because he was unable to resist his ambitious wife s persistent urging? Write your response before sharing your ideas. Macbeth s Early Motivation SCAN FOR MULTIMEDIA The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I 275

5 Comprehension Check Complete the following items after you finish your first read. 1. What three things do the witches predict for Macbeth and Banquo? What information does the messenger bring to Macbeth? 2. What does Lady Macbeth fear about her husband? 3. Notebook Confirm your understanding of the text by writing a summary of Act I. RESEARCH Research to Clarify Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the text. Briefly research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an aspect of the play? Research to Explore Conduct research to find representations of Macbeth or Lady Macbeth in a work of visual art. 276 UNIT 3 FACING THE FUTURE, CONFRONTING THE PAST

6 MAKING MEANING Close Read the Text Reread Act I, Scene i, and mark the lines that end with rhyming words. Notice the similarity to children s rhymes. What effect does the seemingly innocent nature of the verses achieve? THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, ACT I Analyze the Text Cite textual evidence to support your answers. notebook Respond to these questions. 1. (a) interpret How does Macbeth react to the witches? How does Banquo react? (b) Compare and Contrast What are the differences and similarities in their reactions? 2. (a) What announcement does King Duncan make at the end of his conversation with Macbeth and Banquo? (b) Cause and effect What effect does that announcement have on Macbeth? 3. (a) In his soliloquy at the beginning of Scene vii, what reasons does Macbeth give for not murdering King Duncan? (b) analyze Do you think that Macbeth, at the end of his soliloquy, has firmly decided not to kill the king? Explain. tool Kit Close-Read Guide and Model Annotation LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Concept Vocabulary revolt assault rebellious captivity flout treasons Why these Words? These concept vocabulary words are all related to warfare. For example, in Scene ii, the soldier reports on a revolt, or armed rebellion, of Norwegians. He testifies that after an initial battle, the Norwegians obtained new supplies and began another assault, or violent physical attack. What other words in the selection connect to the idea of warfare Practice notebook The concept vocabulary words appear in Act I of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Write a short paragraph describing a scene of warfare. Use each of the concept vocabulary words in your paragraph to demonstrate your understanding of the words meanings. Word Study notebook latin Root: -bell- The Latin root -bell- means war. In the play, Ross describes a battle, saying it was rebellious arm against arm. Beginning with the Latin prefix re-, which means back or against, the word rebellious means warring against or resisting authority. Use a dictionary to discover how the Latin root -bell- contributes to the meanings of the following words: belligerent, bellicose, antebellum. Write your findings. WORD NETWORK Add interesting words related to time from the text to your Word Network. þ STANDARDS Language Consult general and specialized reference materials, both print, and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, its etymology, or its standard usage. The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I 277

7 MAKING MEANING THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, ACT I Analyze Craft and Structure Author s Choices: Structure During the late 1500s, Elizabethan drama blossomed. Using models from ancient Greece and Rome, writers reintroduced tragedies, plays in which the main character, through some fatal flaw in his or her personality, meets a tragic end. Tragedies from Shakespeare s era also feature these characteristics: They are written in carefully crafted, unrhymed verse, using powerful language and vivid imagery. Since there were no sets, the words themselves created the illusion of time and place. They have a heavy dose of internal conflict, opposing thoughts and feelings that war with each other in a character s mind. þ STANDARDS Reading Literature Analyze how an author s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact. Dramatists reveal characters internal conflicts in a variety of ways. One method is the soliloquy, a long speech delivered by a character who is alone on stage. In a soliloquy, the character voices thoughts and feelings to the audience as though he or she were thinking them out loud. In Shakespeare s soliloquies, the audience gets valuable inside information about a character s fears, confusions, and desires, as well as his or her intentions to betray or even murder other characters. Practice Review the soliloquy at the beginning of Act I, Scene vii, lines Use the chart to explore why Shakespeare uses a soliloquy here. What information does it provide that audiences could not obtain from dialogue? WHO SPEAKS IT? CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE to support your answers. WHAT IS IT ABOUT? WHY USE A SOLILOQUY? 278 UNIT 3 FACING THE FUTURE, CONFRONTING THE PAST

8 EFFECTIVE EXPRESSION Speaking and Listening Assignment Imagine that you are a confidant of either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth. In that role, create and perform a soliloquy in which you either support or discourage the murder of King Duncan. If you choose to be Macbeth s confidant, imagine that you have heard his soliloquy at the beginning of Scene vii, and reinforce the doubts he expresses there. Point out to Macbeth the advantages of killing the king. If you choose to be Lady Macbeth s confidant, try to dissuade her from seeking Duncan s death by suggesting the possible results of such an act. Create Your Character When you are playing a role, it helps to know exactly who you are and what stake you have in the situation. Be sure to create a complete character, one that Shakespeare might have imagined himself. Use the chart below to help you develop your character. Who am I? (name, age, gender, role in the castle) What relationship do I have with Macbeth/Lady Macbeth? EVIDENCE LOG Before moving on to a new selection, go to your Evidence Log and record what you learned from Act I of The Tragedy of Macbeth. What is my motive in arguing for or against the murder? Do I have anything to gain? Why would Macbeth/Lady Macbeth listen to me? Prepare for Your Performance Make notes on a card or two or on a small sheet of paper. These will help you remember what you want to say to Macbeth or Lady Macbeth. You should not read directly from your notes when you perform your soliloquy, but you may glance at them as you speak to remind yourself of the points of your argument. þ STANDARDS Speaking and Listening Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I 279