Macbeth decides to act immediately this time to kill Macduff’s family as retribution. At Macduff’s castle, Lady Macduff is outraged by her husband’s flight, leaving his family unprotected. She tells her young son that his father is dead.

Excerpt: Macbeth “Come, You Spirits” – Actively Learnhttps://read.activelylearn.comhttps://read.activelylearn.com

1. Cached

1014-August 15, 1057] had more reasons for not killing King Duncan I [d. August 14, 1040] than for carrying out the killing. For example, he owed the King respect as the beneficiary of honors and titles; and as cousin, host, and subject.

At this point, Macbeth doesn’t make any moves to kill Macduff because he thinks Macduff is no threat to him. It is only after Macduff asserts that he was “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb that Macbeth begins to take his challenger seriously.

He is all consumed with doing whatever it takes to keep his crown. After he sees the witches again, he fears that Macduff poses the biggest threat to him. The witches warn Macbeth. This frightens Macbeth so he wants to get rid of the threat.

Macduff is loyal to King Duncan, even after he is murdered. He loves Scotland and puts his family at risk to help raise an army to topple Macbeth’s tyrannical rule. Macduff fights and kills Macbeth by decapitating him.

Betrayal and Murder (5) Macbeth betrays his own nature through the butchery of Macduff’s family; (5) Macbeth betrays Duncan by killing one who has shown kindness toward him and granted him titles and riches. The play begins with the betrayal of Scotland by Norway and the thane of Cawdor.

Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. When we first see her, she is already plotting Duncan’s murder, and she is stronger, more ruthless, and more ambitious than her husband. She seems fully aware of this and knows that she will have to push Macbeth into committing murder.

King Duncan

Macbeth’s betrayal of Banquo is much more personal however. They seem to be great friends in Act I. Macbeth is obsessed with the prophecy of Banquo’s sons being king and thinks nothing of murdering Banquo when he begins to get suspicious in Act II, Scene 1. Of course, Macbeth does feel guilty about murdering Banquo.

The Thane of Cawdor

He says that the Thane of Cawdor actually helped the King of Norway in the battle. The Thane of Cawdor betrayed King Duncan and his country. Duncan is furious at the Thane of Cawdor for betraying him and demands that he be executed immediately.

Duncan also strips him of his title, making Macbeth the new Thane of Cawdor. In act 1, scene 4, King Duncan learns that the former Thane of Cawdor confessed to committing treason, begged for forgiveness, and repented deeply for his crimes before he was executed.

Why does King Duncan decide to give Macbeth the title of than of Cawdor? because the thane of cawdor is a traitor and macbeth fought for the King. Macbeth sliced open Macdonwald from the navel to the head, beheaded him and posted his head on the battlements. What are the witches two predictions for Macbeths future?

He was found a traitor to the King of Scotland. He had helped the Norway and was caught. Because he was disloyal, he was executed. Because Macbeth showed such valiant efforts with great results in battle, he earned the new title as Thane of Cawdor to take the other’s place.

We learn that Macbeth killed Macdonwald himself in battle. King Duncan, overjoyed, decides to make Macbeth his new Thane of Cawdor. The previous Thane of Cawdor will be executed. The Three Witches establish their malicious nature before meeting Macbeth and Banquo.

Macdonwald was a traitor to King Duncan and Scotland. Macbeth is able to defeat him, and it is this brave and honorable feat that earns Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor, replacing the man he defeated. He is described as “merciless.” He seems to continue fighting even against Macbeth, his former countryman.

Leading an enormous army and assisted by that disloyal traitor, the thane of Cawdor, the king of Norway began a bloody battle. But outfitted in his battle-weathered armor, Macbeth met the Norwegian attacks shot for shot, as if he were the goddess of war’s husband.

There were three leaders who were fighting against Duncan. Cawdor was one of them, Macdonald was another. So the traitor that the king executes is the previous Thane of Cawdor. After he is executed, his title is given to Macbeth as a reward for how well he did in battle.

Hover for more information. The Thane of Cawdor is not named in Macbeth. But, in Act I, Scene 2, the Thane of Cawdor is labeled a Scottish traitor by the Thane of Ross when he returns to camp.

Review questions for Macbeth Act I quiz