MYPNA_TE_G12_U3_web.pdf

NOTES

Scene i • A witches’ haunt.

[Thunder. Enter the Three Witches.]

First Witch. Thrice the brinded^1 cat hath mewed.

Second Witch. Thrice and once the hedge-pig^2 whined.

Third Witch. Harpier^3 cries. ’Tis time, ’tis time.

First Witch. Round about the caldron go:

In the poisoned entrails throw.

Toad, that under cold stone

Days and nights was thirty-one

Swelt’red venom sleeping got,^4

Boil thou first i’ th’ charmèd pot.

All. Double, double, toil and trouble;

1. brinded striped.


2. hedge-pig hedgehog.


3. Harpier one of the spirits
   attending the witches.

5

4. Swelt’red... got venom
   sweated out while sleeping.

10

The Tragedy of

Macbeth

Act IV

William Shakespeare

REVIEW AND ANTICIPATE

In Act III, Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and Banquo’s son,

Fleance. The murderers botch the job, killing Banquo but allowing

Fleance to escape. Then, at a state banquet, Macbeth is shocked to

see the ghost of Banquo sitting in the king’s chair. Macbeth decides

to visit the witches again, determined to know “the worst.” At the

end of Act III, we learn that Malcolm is in England preparing to invade

Scotland, and that Macduff has gone to join him. In Act IV, Macbeth

seeks help from the witches to secure his power. The forces of good,

however, are beginning to gather against him.

ANCHOR TEXT | DRAMA

Copyright © SAVVAS Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act IV 315

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Interpret Foreshadowing

Students may have marked the opening lines

of the witches’ chant during their first read.

Use these lines to help students understand

how Shakespeare creates a mood of horror

and dread that foreshadows greater depravity

and wickedness ahead. 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

Scene i, lines 1–10 that suggest malevolence

and wickedness 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 the opening of the

witches’ chant, as well as “poisoned entrails”

(guts), and “swelt’red venom,” and accept

student responses.

Possible response: The witches’ chants suggest

that they are revealing to a fuller extent their evil

nature, just as Macbeth’s actions may reveal the

depths of his depravity.

CONCLUDE: Help students to formulate

conclusions about the importance of

these details in the text. Ask students why

Shakespeare might have included these

details.

Possible response: Shakespeare is

foreshadowing greater horror and wickedness

from Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Just as the

witches now display the full “venom” of their

nature, the audience can expect that the lead

characters will do the same.

Remind students that foreshadowing is

the use of clues hinting at events that are

going to occur later in the plot. Point out that

this technique helps create suspense, the

quality in a literary work that keeps the reader

wondering what will happen next.

CLOSER LOOK

CROSS-CURRICULAR PERSPECTIVES

Humanities Review Scene i with students.

Shakespeare, the master entertainer, understood

that horror attracts and repels an audience. No

doubt, the first scene of Act IV both delighted

and horrified his audience, many of whom

believed in witches and the occult. Point out

that movie viewers today flock to horror films,

anticipating the pleasure of a good scare. Invite

students to choose a scene from a horror movie

and identify aspects of that scene that both

“thrill and chill.”

Whole-Class Learning 315

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