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Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear
Your favors nor your hate.
First Witch. Hail!
Second Witch. Hail!
Third Witch. Hail!
First Witch. Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.
Second Witch. Not so happy,^20 yet much happier.
Third Witch. Though shalt get kings, though thou be none.
So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!
First Witch. Banquo and Macbeth, all hail!
Macbeth. Stay you imperfect^21 speakers, tell me more:
By Sinel’s^22 death I know I am Thane of Glamis;
But how of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives.
A prosperous gentleman; and to be King
Stands not within the prospect of belief.
No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence
You owe^23 this strange intelligence?^24 Or why
Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
With such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you.
[Witches vanish.]
Banquo. The earth hath bubbles as the water has;
And these are of them. Whither are they vanished?
Macbeth. Into the air, and what seemed corporal^25 melted
As breath into the wind. Would they had stayed!
Banquo. Were such things here as we do speak about?
Or have we eaten on the insane root^26
That takes the reason prisoner?
Macbeth. Your children shall be kings.
Banquo. You shall be King.
Macbeth. And Thane of Cawdor too. Went it not so?
Banquo. To th’ selfsame tune and words. Who’s here?
[Enter Ross and Angus.]
Ross. The King hath happily received, Macbeth,
The news of thy success; and when he reads^27
Thy personal venture in the rebels’ fight,
His wonders and his praises do contend
Which should be thine or his.^28 Silenced with that,
In viewing o’er the rest o’ th’ selfsame day.
He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks,
Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make,
Strange images of death.^29 As thick as tale
Came post with post,^30 and every one did bear6065- happy fortunate.
70- imperfect incomplete.
- Sinel’s (SIH nuhlz) Macbeth’s
father’s.
75- owe own.
- intelligence information.
80- corporal real.
85 26. insane root henbane or
hemlock, believed to cause
insanity.90- reads considers.
- His wonders... his His
admiration contends with his
desire to praise you. - Nothing... death killing, but
not being afraid of being
killed. - As thick... post as fast as
could be counted came
messenger after messenger.
95The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I 265LIT17_SE12_U03_A1C_WC.indd 265 3/14/16 1:08 AMExamine Character
Students may have marked Scene ii,
lines 71−79 during their first read. Use these
lines to help students understand Macbeth’s
character. Encourage them to talk about the
annotations that they marked. You may want
to model a close read with the class based on
the highlights shown in the text.
ANNOTATE: Have students mark details
in these lines that reveal something about
Macbeth’s character, or have students
participate while you highlight them.
QuEsTiON: Guide students to consider what
these details might tell them. Ask what a
reader can infer from what Macbeth is asking
the witches, and accept student responses.
Possible response: He asks the witches to tell
him more. He does not understand why they are
saying he is the Thane of Cawdor.
CONCLuDE: Help students to formulate
conclusions about the importance of these
details in the text. Ask students why the
author might have included these details.
Possible response: Macbeth is becoming
fixated on the witches’ prophecies. He wants to
know more.
Point out that one way authors drive plot
is to use a character (or characters) to
manipulate other characters and their actions.
Shakespeare uses the witches and their
prophecy that Macbeth will become king to
trigger his ambitions and bring out his true
character.CLOSER LOOK
Whole-Class Learning 265
LIT17_TE12_U03_A1C_WC.indd 265 4/9/16 10:10 AM