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Key scenes
You don't need every scene. You need these, understood properly, with a quotation you can actually use.
Act 1, Scene 3
The witches meet Macbeth
- The witches greet Macbeth with three titles, one of which he already holds and one he is about to receive.
- Banquo is told his children will be kings, though he will not be.
- News arrives that Macbeth is Thane of Cawdor. He immediately begins imagining murder.
Character development: Macbeth goes from loyal soldier to a man privately picturing a killing — inside a single scene.
Context: James I wrote a book about witchcraft. An audience in 1606 would treat these figures as genuinely dangerous.
Quotations from this scene
- “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” — The Witches
- “The swelling act of the imperial theme” — Macbeth
Think about
- • What is the difference between how Macbeth and Banquo react to the same news?
- • Why does Shakespeare have one prophecy come true so quickly?
PRTEE task: How does Shakespeare present Macbeth's reaction to the witches in Act 1, Scene 3?
Full exam question: Starting with this scene, explore how Shakespeare presents the influence of the supernatural in Macbeth.
Act 1, Scene 5
Lady Macbeth reads the letter
- Lady Macbeth reads her husband's letter and decides at once that he must be king.
- She fears his nature is too full of kindness to take the shortest route.
- Alone, she calls on dark spirits to remove her gentleness so she can act.
Character development: She is introduced as the one with the plan — the reverse of what a 1606 audience expected from a wife.
Context: Women were expected to be obedient and gentle. Lady Macbeth asking to have that stripped away would feel shocking, even unnatural.
Quotations from this scene
- “Unsex me here” — Lady Macbeth
- “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't” — Lady Macbeth
Think about
- • Why does she have to ask to be changed, rather than simply being cruel?
- • What does her language borrow from the witches?
PRTEE task: How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth's ambition in Act 1, Scene 5?
Full exam question: Starting with this speech, explore how Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a powerful character.
Act 1, Scene 7
Macbeth's decision
- Alone, Macbeth lists every reason not to kill Duncan: he is his host, his kinsman and a good king.
- He admits the only thing pushing him is his own ambition.
- Lady Macbeth attacks his courage and manhood. He agrees to the murder.
Character development: This is the last moment Macbeth could stop. Everything after this is consequence.
Quotations from this scene
- “Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself” — Macbeth
- “Screw your courage to the sticking-place” — Lady Macbeth
Think about
- • If he knows every reason not to do it, why does he do it?
- • What does Lady Macbeth attack — his morals, or his image of himself?
PRTEE task: How does Shakespeare present Macbeth's ambition in Act 1, Scene 7?
Full exam question: Starting with this soliloquy, explore how Shakespeare presents ambition as dangerous in Macbeth.
Act 2, Scene 2
Straight after the murder
- Macbeth returns with bloody hands and cannot say 'Amen'.
- He hears a voice telling him he has murdered sleep.
- Lady Macbeth calls the blood a small problem that water will fix, and takes the daggers back herself.
Character development: Their positions are set here — and completely reversed by Act 5.
Quotations from this scene
- “A little water clears us of this deed” — Lady Macbeth
- “Macbeth does murder sleep” — Macbeth
Think about
- • What does blood come to stand for in this scene?
- • Which of the two seems more in control, and how does Shakespeare show it?
PRTEE task: How does Shakespeare present guilt in Act 2, Scene 2?
Full exam question: Starting with this scene, explore how Shakespeare presents the effects of guilt in Macbeth.
Act 3, Scene 4
The banquet
- Macbeth hosts a feast to look like a settled king.
- Banquo's ghost takes his seat. Only Macbeth can see it.
- He speaks to the empty chair in front of his court, and Lady Macbeth has to send everyone home.
Character development: His guilt becomes public. From here his power depends on fear, not respect.
Quotations from this scene
- “Blood will have blood” — Macbeth
Think about
- • Why does Shakespeare let the audience see the ghost too?
- • What does the ruined banquet suggest about Macbeth's rule?
PRTEE task: How does Shakespeare present Macbeth's guilt in Act 3, Scene 4?
Full exam question: Starting with this scene, explore how Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a troubled ruler.
Act 5, Scene 1
The sleepwalking scene
- A doctor and a gentlewoman watch Lady Macbeth walk, speak and wash her hands in her sleep.
- She repeats fragments of the murders she helped plan.
- The doctor says her illness is beyond his help.
Character development: The most controlled character in Act 1 has no control left at all.
Context: Sleep was linked to a clear conscience. A character who cannot rest was understood as spiritually punished.
Quotations from this scene
- “Out, damned spot” — Lady Macbeth
Think about
- • Why does Shakespeare give her prose here, when she spoke in verse in Act 1?
- • Who is she talking to, and why does that matter?
PRTEE task: How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth's guilt in Act 5, Scene 1?
Full exam question: Starting with this scene, explore how Shakespeare presents the consequences of guilt in Macbeth.
Act 5, Scene 5
Tomorrow
- Macbeth is told his wife is dead and barely reacts.
- He describes life as a meaningless repetition of days.
- A messenger reports that Birnam Wood appears to be moving.
Character development: He is emptied out. Ambition gave him everything and left him feeling nothing.
Quotations from this scene
- “Signifying nothing” — Macbeth
Think about
- • What has ambition actually bought him by this point?
- • Why place this speech immediately before the news that the wood is moving?
PRTEE task: How does Shakespeare present Macbeth at the end of the play?
Full exam question: Explore how Shakespeare presents the consequences of ambition in Macbeth.