"Macbeth" Act I, Scenes 4-7 Notes

In the second half of Act I, we see Macbeth struggling with the implication that in order to become king as the witches predicted, he must somehow get rid of Duncan, who he likes and respects.

This this half of Act I, the dramatic irony is frequent. Recall from previous plays (like Julius Caesar and Romeo & Juliet) that dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the character(s) does not.

Initially, we see this when Malcolm and Duncan discuss privately the execution of the former Thane of Cawdor. Malcolm admires the calm dignity the Thane of Cawdor maintained even in the face of death, but Duncan reminds Malcolm that it's impossible to know what is in a man's heart and mind just by looking at his face ("There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face" (I.iv.11-12)). You know, just like Duncan doesn't know his trusted and beloved Macbeth is considering murdering him!

So, in scene 4, when Duncan heaps praises on Macbeth and Banquo before announcing to everyone that his son Malcolm will officially be the next in line for the throne, Macbeth maintains a friendly and loving attitude towards his king, but in his asides he states his growing desire and motivation for murder.



Finally, Duncan invites himself over to Macbeth's castle, Inverness, for dinner.

In scene 5, we meet Lady Macbeth, who is overjoyed to hear that her husband has been predicted to become king. However, she muses that her husband is too kind-hearted and gentle to do what must be done to achieve that goal.

She is so determined that her husband not let anything stand in his way that she makes a "prayer" to the evil spirits in the world to remove all remorse, guilt, and kindness from her. Since women at that time were considered naturally nurturing, gentle, and compassionate, she makes frequent remarks regarding her gender and wishes them to be changed from their natural form into something cold, hard-hearted, and ruthless.



When Macbeth returns, he's still on the fence about killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth pushes him into considering it, however, and he eventually agrees that if it must be done, it should be done when Duncan comes over for dinner that night. Lady Macbeth reminds her husband not to look guilty or nervous or it will give them away. She tells him to just act natural and she will take care of everything else.



Scene 6 shows us just how deceptive Lady Macbeth can be. She greets Duncan by thanking him profusely for coming to stay with them and for everything he has given her and her husband. Duncan eats it up, suspects nothing, and graciously accepts Lady Macbeth's praises.

In scene 7, Macbeth finds himself hesitating again. He acknowledges that there are a few reasons why he shouldn't kill his king and friend:

1. There are a lot of people at his house (Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Banquo, and a bunch of other thanes and all their guards and servants) and it would be very easy for him to get caught
2. Murder is still a sin
3. Betrayal only breeds more betrayal
4. Duncan is his friend and is actually a good king
5. The only true motive he has is ambition

Lady Macbeth enters, reminding Macbeth that the king is eating dinner downstairs and may get suspicious if he doesn't come down soon. He confesses that he doesn't think they should go through with their plan. 

Then Lady Macbeth goes full dark side.

She accuses Macbeth of not even being a man because of his cowardice. She accuses him of being weak, deceptive, and not the man she thought he was.

She even tells him "If I promised you I'd kill my own child, I would bash its head in without blinking if you asked me to."

When Macbeth brings up the possibility of them failing, she insults him, saying they will only fail if he isn't brave enough. She then explains that she will get the guards drunk so they fall asleep and Macbeth can sneak in, kill Duncan, and then leave the murder weapon on the guards so they will be accused of the crime. 

Macbeth, somewhat terrified of his wife, remarks that she should only ever give birth to sons because her murderous determination would be terrible for raising daughters.

Finally, he agrees and both go back to dinner.

Some important points (NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR READING):

• We see a lot of important literary terms in this act. One of which is the soliloquy. This is a speech that a single character gives on stage alone. It is usually longer, emotional, and a narration of a character's deep inner conflict. At the beginning of scene 4 when Lady Macbeth considers Macbeth's weaknesses or when Macbeth hesitates in killing Duncan at the beginning of scene 7 would both be considered soliloquies.
• We are seeing another instance of a theme regarding "things aren't always what they seem" or "twisting things from their natural state is dangerous." Macbeth is trying to twist his future from its natural course as Thane of Cawdor. He is attempting to overleap Malcolm and Duncan to take the throne for himself. Lady Macbeth prays to have hear heart and her mind twisted from its natural form in order to give her the drive she needs to convince her husband to commit murder. 
• Remember that Banquo heard the prophecy too. Which means if Duncan dies by murder, he basically will automatically know that it was Macbeth who has done it. Not to mention, Duncan would be murdered at Macbeth's house. Clearly, Macbeth isn't considering the full consequences of his planned actions.