In this article you’ll find text and study questions from Act 1, Scene 1 in Macbeth.
PROPHECY AND EVIL
TASK 1: Read
- Read aloud if you can manage it
- If you get lost with the language, listen to a recording or watch a production of the scene on Youtube
Vocabulary:
Hurly-burly – chaos
Ere – before
Heath – moorland, harsh, wild landscape
Fair – correct or right, good, beautiful
Foul – bad, ugly, rotten, repulsive
A desert place
Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches
First Witch
When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
Second Witch
When the hurlyburly’s done,
When the battle’s lost and won.
Third Witch
That will be ere the set of sun.
First Witch
Where the place?
Second Witch
Upon the heath.
Third Witch
There to meet with Macbeth.
First Witch
I come, Graymalkin!
Second Witch
Paddock calls.
Third Witch
Anon.
ALL
Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.Exeunt
TASK 2: Reading comprehension questions
- What is the setting of this scene? How does it contribute to the mood and atmosphere of the play as a whole?
- Who are the first characters that we meet in the play?
- What do they speak about?
- What is the meaning of ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’?
TASK 3: Research
THEME: SUPERNATURAL
Research the theme of the Supernatural in Macbeth and write a few notes on how it relates to this opening scene.
CONTEXT: WITCHES
Spend time research the connection between King James I, Macbeth and Witches. What did people believe about witches in the Jacboean era (Shakespeare’s time)? Why do you think Shakespeare included witches as characters in the play?
If you need a refresher about Shakespeare‘s “Macbeth”, click this link where we have an in-depth summary or this one for Key Quotations.
Thanks for reading! If you liked this, we have a whole course dedicated to William Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth”, where you can find many useful documents.
COMING SOON: Macbeth Masterclass – click this link for more information.