macbeth-questions-act-i.doc 

1. We started with a reminder on the board: “Not all things are as they seem.” This is very similar to the first few lines of the play that the witches chant and also a line Macbeth himself repeats: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”. The way something appears may be different from the reality of that thing.  This is central to understanding how the witches are able to tempt Macbeth to alter his fate.
2. We continued with the reading, going through it one scene at a time and then answering the questions together right after.
3. The central part of today’s discussion is the understanding that Macbeth had been plotting to kill King Duncan, even before the witches predicted he would be king. He was very upset by the thought of it though, so it is unlikely he will actually go through with his wish. However, his wife, who is considered the fourth witch in the play, seems to have a stronger heart for going through with the deed and sets about plotting to go through with it herself since her husband has “too much of the milk o’ human kindness”. The question to consider is, ultimately, who is responsible for the murder?