Macbeth Active Reading Notes

Kelly, Maddi and I got together and read Macbeth, pausing to ask each other questions and determine meaning in Shakespeare's words. These are those notes.

Act I Scene IV

-Duncan trusted the Thane of Cawdor to run the army but fled and was a traitor

-Duncan (The king) found this out from Malcom who heard it from another dude.

-Duncan was all sad that he had put so much of his trust in that dude

-Thane of Cawdor died on the battlefield a traitor, Duncan gives Malcom the role of Prince of

Cumberland.

Questions:

Exact translation of dialogue between two might be needed for more depth, but otherwise we

understood the general idea

Act I Scene V

Lady Macbeth

-Witches told her about Macbeth’s future and fortune

-She gets all excited and then worried her hubby is “too full of the milk of human kindness” to

get all the fortune and do what he needs to do

-Ironic at this point because Macbeth was introduced as a crazy killer dude, and now his wife is

saying he’s too much of a sweetie to be the king

-Messenger comes by and tells Lady that the king is coming (because the Thane of Cawdor died

and Macbeth was made the new one) and Lady is all EHMEHGEHD better get ready

-She decides to get all cray cray and unsex herself saying “make my blood thick” so that she can

be the man for Macbeth

Macbeth shows up

-Macbeth and the queen conspire to kill the king

-decide to put on faces that they’re super innocent but really the evil serpent on the inside

Act I Scene VI

Rando’s Chatting

-The air is clean, guilt free, allusions to the air about to get real thick with guilt and death

-Lady Macbeth is busy sucking up to everyone in the castle

Act I Scene VII

Macbeth talking

-Gives soliloqouy about killing the king, trying to rationalize it for himself.

-Decides it will be a quick assassination, and that Duncan isn’t a great king anyways, but all of his virtues

will be remembered so he’ll go to heaven. (Therefore its totally chill to kill someone)

-Tells himself that the king has put Macbeth on to kill him unknowingly, because he made Macbeth the

Thane of Cawdor so how could he not continue with the prophecy??

Lady Macbeth arrives

-Lady Macbeth is annoyed with her girl husband. Wants him to go ahead and do the deed. Kill

the dude (Just kill deh dude *insert singing crab*)

-Comments on his attire being all stupid, basically insults him until Macbeth has to get all mad

and defend himself and then go kill the king.

-She says she super manly, and if a baby were sucking her milk she’d “pluck thy nipple from his

boneless head and dash’d the brains out.” So she’s like real scary, and real serious now.

-The guards will be the bearer of the “guilt”, in other words they’re framing the murder on the guardsby

killing the king with their daggers and leaving them in the guard’s hands

-Lady Macbeth drugs them with wine

Act II Scene I

People Chatting, Macbeth comes in

-Small talk about whatever, (?) they leave

-Macbeth gives a post-kill soliloquy, “Tarquin’s ravishing strides towards his design” an allusion

to Tarquin who killed Tullis (?) in order to rule rome, and then got kicked out of rome. Macbeth doesn’t

want to be exiled, reference to greek history.

Act II Scene II

Lady Macbeth

-Lady is all mad cause Macbeth brought the daggers back with him

-She has to go put them back herself

-A knocking keeps sounding and both Lady and Macbeth hear it.

Act II Scene III

Porter is chillin

-Porter sits around and talks about how drunk he is

-Also hears the knocking, explains that perhaps the knocking his the feeling of guilt, getting

louder and louder in their lives

Everyone else enters

-They all “find out” about the murder from Macbeth, who makes a big deal about being sad

about it, and that Duncan was such a great guy.

-Donalbain and Malcom decide to leave the scene and retreat to different countries until they

find out what happened to their father.

Act III Scene I

-Macbeth is suspicious of Banquo after he questioned when his sons will get their “fortune” and

be kings. (Fleance is Banquo’s son.)

-Macbeth feels that he must kill Banquo because he was there for the prophecy, and is probably

suspicious of the murder, and also fleance because Fleance will try to avenge his father’s death

-Macbeth gets some murderers to kill them

Act III Scene II

Lady and Macbeth talking

-Lady wants Macbeth to let the murder go

-Machbeth still feels like they are in danger and won’t relax

-Tells Lady about Banquo and how he could be an issue, Lady is like well whathcha gon’ do son,

and he tells her he’s gonna have them murdered

-They agree the night will cover and end their guilt, and they are sure of their new plan to kill

some more

Act III Scene III

Three murders and Banquo and Fleance

-Murderers are Macbeth’s lackies that no one in the kingdom would trust if they double crossed

him

-The murders find Banquo in the night and attack him and kill him pretty brutally, Banquo yells

at his son to flee, and his son gets away

-Murderers and pretty proud about getting one out of two.

Act III Scene IV

Everyone hanging out for dinner

-Lady and Macbeth are being all super nice and happy about the new kingdom for them

-Everyone is going along with it because they’re unaware/afraid/stupid

-First Murderer shows up and tells him that Banquo is dead, twenty gashes in his head, safe in

some dirt

-They all sit down for dinner when the Ghost of Banquo shows up and takes Macbeth’s seat

-Macbeth is asked to sit and FREAKS OUT when he sees Banquo, which no one else can see, and

is confused about finding somewhere to sit

-Lady tries to cover it up and tell everyone Macbeth is totes fine don’t worry

-Macbeth still losing his mind about why B isn’t dead and away instead of sitting at his dinner

table.

-Ghost disappears and Macbeth is suddenly macho man again and all fine, but then they ghost

comes back and Macbeth is all “No! A Russian bear, a crazy shark anything but Banquo’s body!” and gets

all wimpy again

-Lady takes over and tells everyone to leave because Macbeth is sick.

-They all leave and wish him well

Lady and Macbeth

-Lady is all FTW you ruined dinner

-Macbeth explains he’s sees dead people, and that they must go talk to the witches again