directory
home contact

Macbeth

Please see the bottom of the page and the highlighted text for full explanatory notes and helpful resources.

ACT I SCENE V Inverness. Macbeth's castle. 
 Enter LADY MACBETH, reading a letter (Why the letter is in prose...) 
LADY MACBETH 'They met me in the day of success: and I have 
 learned by the perfectest report, they have more in 
 them than mortal knowledge. When I burned in desire 
 to question them further, they made themselves air,
 into which they vanished. Whiles I stood rapt in 
 the wonder of it, came missivesfrom the king, who 
 all-hailed me 'Thane of Cawdor;' by which title, 
 before, these weird sisters saluted me, and referred 
 me to the coming on of time, with 'Hail, king that 10
 shalt be!' This have I thought good to deliver 
 thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou 
 mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being 
 ignorant of what greatness is promised thee. Lay it 
 to thy heart, and farewell.'
 Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be 
 What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature; 
 It is too full o' the milk of human kindness 
 To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great; 
 Art not without ambition, but without 20
 The illness should attend it: what thou wouldst highly, 
 That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, 
 And yet wouldst wrongly win: thou'ldst have, great Glamis, 
 That which cries 'Thus thou must do, if thou have it; 
 And that which rather thou dost fear to do
 Than wishest should be undone.' Hie thee hither, 
 That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; 
 And chastise with the valour of my tongue 
 All that impedes thee from the golden round, 
 Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem 30
 To have thee crown'd withal.


 
 Enter a Messenger. 
 What is your tidings? 
Messenger The king comes here to-night. 
LADY MACBETH Thou'rt mad to say it: 
 Is not thy master with him? who, were't so,
 Would have inform'd for preparation. 
Messenger So please you, it is true: our thane is coming: 
 One of my fellows had the speed of him, 
 Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more 
 Than would make up his message.
LADY MACBETH Give him tending; 
 He brings great news. 
 Exit Messenger. 
 The raven himself is hoarse 
 That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan 40
 Under my battlements. Come, you spirits
 That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, 
 And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full 
 Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood; 
 Stop up the access and passage to remorse, 
 That no compunctious visitings of nature
 Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between 
 The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts, 
 And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers, 
 Wherever in your sightless substances 50
 You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,
 And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, 
 That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, 
 Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, 
 To cry 'Hold, hold!' 
 Enter MACBETH. 
 Great Glamis! worthy Cawdor!
 Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter! 
 Thy letters have transported me beyond 
 This ignorant present, and I feel now 
 The future in the instant. 
MACBETH My dearest love,
 Duncan comes here to-night. 
LADY MACBETH And when goes hence? 60
MACBETH To-morrow, as he purposes. 
LADY MACBETH O, never 
 Shall sun that morrow see!
 Your face, my thane, is as a book where men 
 May read strange matters. To beguile the time, 
 Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, 
 Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, 
 But be the serpent under't. He that's coming
 Must be provided for: and you shall put
This night's great business into my dispatch;
 
 Which shall to all our nights and days to come 70
 Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom. 
MACBETH We will speak further.
LADY MACBETH Only look up clear;
To alter favour ever is to fear:
 
 Leave all the rest to me. 
 Exeunt 

Next: Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 6
___________

Explanatory notes below for Act 1, Scene 5
From Macbeth. Ed. Thomas Marc Parrott. New York: American Book Co.
(Line numbers have been altered.)

__________

With this scene a new figure appears upon the stage. It is unnecessary to repeat here what has been said in the Introduction as to the character of Lady Macbeth; but we may note the striking fashion in which that character is revealed to us. The lady enters reading a letter in which her husband tells of his encounter with the witches, and of their prophetic greeting. He has already made inquiries as to the witches, and has learned that their prophecies always come true.1 So he writes to her that she may rejoice in the greatness that is promised to her as the future queen.

It is interesting to note that there is no suggestion in the letter of any criminal attempt to hasten the fulfilment of the oracle. Macbeth must have written while in the same mood of half-formed resolve to bide his time that marks the close of scene 3. But Lady Macbeth has no intention of waiting for chance to crown her. She prefers "the nearest way," that of speedy and violent action. As yet she knows nothing of the obstacle which the proclamation of Malcolm as heir-apparent puts between Macbeth and the crown.

The only obstacle she sees lies in the character of her husband. He is ambitious, but is unwilling to play false to attain the objects of his ambition. Yet she is so sure of her influence over him that she prays he may return speedily, in order that she may inspire him to action and drive out any scruples that may bar the way to his goal. When she hears of Duncan's approaching visit, she realizes instantly that Fate has delivered the king into her husband's hands, and invokes the powers of evil to strengthen her for the terrible deed that must be done at once. On Macbeth's arrival she takes the matter into her own hands; she does not argue or persuade, but with quiet determination assures him that Duncan will never leave their castle alive, and that she will arrange all the details.

Macbeth is, as it were, stunned by her decision. He has, indeed, meditated the murder of his master; but he has by no means decided upon it, and he would like more time for consideration. His wife, however, cuts the scene short, bidding him show a friendly face to his royal guest and leave all the rest to her.

1. From the abruptness with which the scene begins, we must fancy that Lady Macbeth has already read a part of the letter before she comes on the stage. Perhaps, when she came to the prophecy of the witches, she felt that she must be alone, and withdrew from the hall of the castle to the chamber in which the scene takes place.

2. the perfectest report, the most accurate information.

9, 10. referred me to the coming on of time, directed me to the future.

13. dues of rejoicing, the due, or natural, joy.

18. the milk of human kindness, the gentleness of humanity, of human nature. Lady Macbeth knows her husband well enough to feel sure that, however brave he is on the field of battle, he will hesitate to commit a murder. Compare Macbeth's own words when the idea of the crime enters his mind, i. 3. 134-7.

21. The illness should attend it, the wickedness, or at least the unscrupulousness, which must go along with ambition, if the ambition is to be gratified.

21, 22. what thou ... holily, the high objects which you aim at, you would like to gain innocently.

24. That which cries. The best interpretation of this much disputed passage is probably that which takes "that" as referring to Duncan's death. The passage may then be paraphrased as follows: "Thou wouldst like to have, great Glamis, that [the death of Duncan] which cries 'Thus thou must do [kill Duncan] if thou art to have it, [the crown], and that [the murder] is a thing which thou dost rather fear to do thyself than wishest to be left undone.'"

28. chastise. The accent is on the first syllable.

29. the golden rounds, the crown.

30. metaphysical, supernatural.

31. withal, with.

30. 31. doth seem ... withal, seems about to crown you with.

32. comes here to-night. It seems for the moment so impossible that the opportunity for instant action can thus be placed in her hands that Lady Macbeth exclaims that the messenger must be crazy.

34. informed for preparation, given me the news so that I might prepare.

36. had the speed of, outstripped.

38. tending, attention.

39. The raven, a bird of ill omen.

40. entrance, pronounced like a word of three syllables, "enterance."

41. Come, you spirits, etc. Note how Lady Macbeth nerves herself to meet the terrible strain of the coming night. It is plain from line 53 that she means to commit the murder herself. And that she may be strong enough in mind and body to do so, she invokes all the spirits that delight in thoughts and deeds of blood to strip her of her woman's weakness and fill her with the power of evil. Note the pause in the line before the invocation begins.

42. mortal, murderous.

44. thick, coarse, unfeeling, and so the readier for deeds of cruelty.

45. remorse, pity.

46. compunctious visitings of nature, natural feelings of pity.

47. fell, cruel.

47, 48. keep peace ... it, interpose between the "effect," i.e. the murder, and her purpose to commit it.

49. take my milk for gall, turn my kindliness (cf. line 18 above) into bitterness.

49. murdering ministers, servants, or instruments, of murder.

50. sightless substances, invisible forms.

51. nature's mischief, all that is evil in nature.

56. the all-hail hereafter. Lady Macbeth unconsciously echoes the words of the third witch in i. 3. 50.

58. This ignorant present, either "this present which is ignorant of the glory that awaits it," or "this obscure, inglorious present." The second seems somewhat the better meaning. The metre of this line is somewhat irregular. "Ignorant" must be pronounced almost like a word of two syllables; and there is a heavy stress on the words "feel" and "now" which necessitates a slight pause between them. We may scan as follows:



59. in the instant, at this moment.

64, 65. To beguile ... like the time, in order to deceive the world, appear with a smiling face as the present occasion requires.

71. solely sovereign sway, undisputed royal power.

72-74. Macbeth is still undecided; he can neither accept nor reject the situation. His wife, however, does not deign to discuss the matter any further. She only repeats her injunction to beware of showing his thoughts in his face.

73. favour, countenance.

73, 74. To alter favour ... fear, To change the expression or the colour of one's face is always a sign of fear.

Notes

1. Macbeth must have made these inquiries immediately after the encounter with the witches, and before his meeting with Duncan, since there is no reference in his letter to Duncan's approaching visit. We may imagine that Macbeth found some one at Forres who had already had dealings with the witches, and who could assure him of their credibility.

________
How to cite the explanatory notes:
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Thomas Marc Parrott. New York: American Book Co., 1904. Shakespeare Online. 10 Aug. 2010. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth_1_5.html >.
________

More Resources

 The Chronology of Shakespeare's Plays
 Establishing the Order of the Plays
 How Many Plays Did Shakespeare Write?
 Shakespeare Timeline

 Shakespeare's Reputation in Elizabethan England
 Words Shakespeare Invented
 Quotations About William Shakespeare

 Portraits of Shakespeare
 Shakespeare's Boss: The Master of Revels
 Top 10 Shakespeare Plays

 Shakespeare's Metaphors and Similes
 Shakespeare's Blank Verse
 Shakespeare Timeline

 Edward Alleyn (Actor)
 What is Tragic Irony?
 Characteristics of Elizabethan Tragedy

Mrs. Campbell as Lady Macbeth, 1898.

More to Explore

 Macbeth: The Complete Play with Commentary
 The Metre of Macbeth: Blank Verse and Rhymed Lines
 Macbeth Character Analysis
 Figures of Speech in Macbeth

 Metaphors in Macbeth (Biblical)
 The Theme of Macbeth
 Is Macbeth the Third Murderer?

 Macbeth, Duncan and Shakespeare's Changes
 King James I and Shakespeare's Sources for Macbeth
 Contemporary References to King James I in Macbeth
 The Royal Patent that Changed Shakespeare's Life

 Soliloquy Analysis: If it were done when 'tis done (1.7.1-29)
 Soliloquy Analysis: Is this a dagger (2.1.33-61)
 Soliloquy Analysis: To be thus is nothing (3.1.47-71)
 Soliloquy Analysis: She should have died hereafter (5.5.17-28)

 Differences Between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
 Explanatory Notes for Lady Macbeth's Soliloquy (1.5)
 The Psychoanalysis of Lady Macbeth (Sleepwalking Scene)
 Is Lady Macbeth's Swoon Real?

_____


Points to Ponder ... "Her love for Macbeth, upon which so much stress has been laid, seems, when considered in reference to her worldly position and interests, worthy of little, if any, commendation. She knows her fortunes are now linked with his, and that with his increasing power her own will rise proportionately, owing to her influence over him. Shakespeare's noble language alone gives an apparent dignity to a base, shameless character, whose ambition is selfish and worldly. The language with which this hateful woman persuades her brave yet weak husband to slay the King is in Shakespeare's grandest style." Albert Canning. Read on...

_____


 Explanatory Notes for the Witches' Chants (4.1)
 Macbeth Plot Summary (Acts 1 and 2)
 Macbeth Plot Summary (Acts 3, 4 and 5)
 How to Stage a Production of Macbeth (Scene Suggestions)

 A Comparison of Macbeth and Hamlet
 The Effect of Lady Macbeth's Death on Macbeth
 The Curse of Macbeth

 Shakespeare's Sources for Macbeth
 Macbeth Q & A
 Essay Topics on Macbeth
 Aesthetic Examination Questions on Macbeth
 What is Tragic Irony?

 Stages of Plot Development in Macbeth
 Time Analysis of the Action in Macbeth
 Macbeth Study Quiz (with detailed answers)
 Quotations from Macbeth (Full)
 Top 10 Quotations from Macbeth

 Crafting a Sympathetic Macbeth
 The Moral Character of Macbeth
 Origin of the Weird Sisters
 Temptation, Sin, Retribution: Lecture Notes on Macbeth
 Untie the winds: Exploring the Witches' Control Over Nature

 Characteristics of Elizabethan Tragedy
 Why Shakespeare is so Important
 Shakespeare's Language
 Shakespeare's Influence on Other Writers