Macbeth Act 1 & 2 Quotes

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair:Hover through the fog and filthy air."Who is speaking? Why is this significant and thematic?

• The three witches

  They are introducing the main theme of the play, that things are not as they seem; they can be the opposite of what they seem. Things can exist in duality, with an appearance that is far from the reality.

• First Witch

  She is upset because a woman would not share her chestnuts with her. So she is going to get revenge by sailing to Syria to harm her husband.

• Second witch

  It shows to what great lengths these witches will go just to harm others, even for trivial reasons like this. This also explains why they will trick Macbeth and destroy him.

• Third witch

  They reveal that the witches are putting a curse on Macbeth. This may be the reason that he begins to act the way he does; however, he may just be overly ambitious, without the curse having been put on him.

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"Norway himself, / With terrible numbers, / Assisted by that most disloyal traitor / The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict; / Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof, / Confronted him with self-comparisons, / Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm. / Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude, / The victory fell on us."

Who is the speaker? Who is being spoken to?

• Lady Macbeth, Macbeth

• Ross, Duncan

• Duncan, Ross

• Macbeth, Lady Macbeth

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"Norway himself, / With terrible numbers, / Assisted by that most disloyal traitor / The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict; / Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof, / Confronted him with self-comparisons, / Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm. / Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude, / The victory fell on us."

What does "Bellona's bridegroom" mean? To whom is it attributed and why?

• Bellona is the goddess of war, so this is a reference to how intensely Ross fought; he is such a warrior that he might be married to the goddess of war.

• Bellona is the goddess of war, so this is a reference to how intensely Macbeth fought; he is such a warrior that he might be married to the goddess of war.

• Bellona is the goddess of war, so this is a reference to how intensely Duncan fought; he is such a warrior that he might be married to the goddess of war.

• Bellona is the goddess of war, so this is a reference to how intensely Lady Macbeth fought; she is such a warrior that she might be married to the god of war.

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"No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceiveOur bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, / And with his former title greet _____."

Who is the speaker? Fill in the blank. Why is this an important moment?

• Banquo & His giving the title of the Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth will fulfill the prophecy that the witches are about to share with Macbeth.

• Three witches & His giving the title of the Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth will fulfill the prophecy that the witches are about to share with Macbeth.

• Ross & His giving the title of the Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth will fulfill the prophecy that the witches are about to share with Macbeth.

• Macbeth & His giving the title of the Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth will fulfill the prophecy that the witches are about to share with Macbeth.

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"A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap,

And munch'd, and munch'd, and munch'd:

'Give me,' quoth I: / 'Aroint thee, witch!' the rump-fed ronyon cries. / Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' the Tiger: / But in a sieve I'll thither sail, / And, like a rat without a tail, / I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do."

Who is speaking?

What is being explained?

• First witch & She is upset because a woman would not share her chestnuts with her. So she is going to get revenge by sailing to Syria to harm her husband.

• Lady Macbeth & She is upset because a woman would not share her chestnuts with her. So she is going to get revenge by sailing to Syria to harm her husband.

• Third witch & She is upset because a woman would not share her chestnuts with her. So she is going to get revenge by sailing to Syria to harm her husband.

• Second witch & She is upset because a woman would not share her chestnuts with her. So she is going to get revenge by sailing to Syria to harm her husband.

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"A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap,

And munch'd, and munch'd, and munch'd:

'Give me,' quoth I: / 'Aroint thee, witch!' the rump-fed ronyon cries. / Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' the Tiger: / But in a sieve I'll thither sail, / And, like a rat without a tail, / I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do."

Why is it important? What does it say about the speaker?

• She is upset because a woman would not share her chestnuts with her. So she is going to get revenge by sailing to Syria to harm her husband.

• This is Macbeth's first line, and it shows him echoing the theme and curse that the witches "wound up" in the first scene. the main theme of the play is that things are not as they seem; they can be the opposite of what they seem. Things can exist in duality, with an appearance that is far from the reality.

• It shows to what great lengths these witches will go just to harm others, even for trivial reasons like this. This also explains why they will trick Macbethand destroy him.

• They reveal that the witches are putting a curse on Macbeth. This may be the reason that he begins to act the way he does; however, he may just be overly ambitious, without the curse having been put on him.

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"The weird sisters, hand in hand,/ Posters of the sea and land, / Thus do go about, about: / Thrice to thine and thrice to mine / And thrice again, to make up nine. / Peace! the charm's wound up."Who is speaking? Why are these lines important?

• Malcolm

  They reveal that the witches are putting a curse on Macbeth. This may be the reason that he begins to act the way he does; however, he may just be overly ambitious, without the curse having been put on him.

• Macbeth

  They reveal that the witches are putting a curse on Macbeth. This may be the reason that he begins to act the way he does; however, he may just be overly ambitious, without the curse having been put on him.

• Lady Macbeth

  They reveal that the witches are putting a curse on Macbeth. This may be the reason that he begins to act the way he does; however, he may just be overly ambitious, without the curse having been put on him.

• The witches or weird sisters

  They reveal that the witches are putting a curse on Macbeth. This may be the reason that he begins to act the way he does; however, he may just be overly ambitious, without the curse having been put on him.

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"So foul and fair a day I have not seen."Who is speaking? Why is this important? Explain (discuss) the play's theme found in these lines.

• Banquo

  This is Banquo's first line, and it shows him echoing the theme and curse that the witches "wound up" in the first scene. the main theme of the play is that things are not as they seem; they can be the opposite of what they seem. Things can exist in duality, with an appearance that is far from the reality.

• Macbeth

  This is Macbeth's first line, and it shows him echoing the theme and curse that the witches "wound up" in the first scene. the main theme of the play is that things are not as they seem; they can be the opposite of what they seem. Things can exist in duality, with an appearance that is far from the reality.

• Lady Macbeth

  This is Lady Macbeth's first line, and it shows him echoing the theme and curse that the witches "wound up" in the first scene. the main theme of the play is that things are not as they seem; they can be the opposite of what they seem. Things can exist in duality, with an appearance that is far from the reality.

• Duncan

  This is Duncan's first line, and it shows him echoing the theme and curse that the witches "wound up" in the first scene. the main theme of the play is that things are not as they seem; they can be the opposite of what they seem. Things can exist in duality, with an appearance that is far from the reality.

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"All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!"

Who is speaking? Why is this important? What does it mean?

• The first witch

  She is giving him a prophecy that will soon come true. Macbeth will be given the title and rights of being the Thane of Cawdor.

• The second witch

  She is giving him a prophecy that will soon come true. Macbeth will be given the title and rights of being the Thane of Cawdor.

• The third witch

  She is giving him a prophecy that will soon come true. Macbeth will be given the title and rights of being the Thane of Cawdor.

• Lady Macbeth

  She is giving him a prophecy that will soon come true. Macbeth will be given the title and rights of being the Thane of Cawdor.

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"All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!"

Who is speaking? Why is this important? What does it mean?

• Lady Macbeth

  She is prophesying that Macbeth will become King at some point in the future. It's important because he may not have thought about this ambition had they not put it in his head.

• The third witch

  She is prophesying that Macbeth will become King at some point in the future. It's important because he may not have thought about this ambition had they not put it in his head.

• Second witch

  She is prophesying that Macbeth will become King at some point in the future. It's important because he may not have thought about this ambition had they not put it in his head.

• First witch

  She is prophesying that Macbeth will become King at some point in the future. It's important because he may not have thought about this ambition had they not put it in his head.

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