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What happens in Act 1, Scenes 5–7 of Macbeth?
In Scene 5 of Act 1, Lady Macbeth learns of the witches' prophecies, and because she worries that Macbeth won't do what is necessary to make himself king, she plots Duncan's death herself. In Scene 6, Lady Macbeth welcomes King Duncan to Macbeth’s castle. In Scene 7, Macbeth has second thoughts about murdering Duncan. Lady Macbeth berates him, convinces him to go through with it, and then frames Duncan's servants for the murder.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Act 1, Scenes 5–7. (3-minute read)
Read single-sentence summaries of all 28 scenes of Macbeth. (3-minute read)
Are any key characters introduced in Act 1, Scenes 5–7 of Macbeth?
Lady Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most famous and intriguing characters, is introduced in Act 1, Scene 5. The relationship between gender and cruelty is central to Lady Macbeth’s character and a key theme to the play overall. Indeed, when we are first introduced to her in Scene 5, she is already plotting King Duncan’s murder.
Read our in-depth Character Analysis of Lady Macbeth. (2-minute read)
Read about the Relationship Between Cruelty and Masculinity as a Theme (#2). (2-minute read)
Does Lady Macbeth question Macbeth’s masculinity?
Yes, she does in Scene 7 of Act 1 when he voices his reluctance to kill King Duncan to fulfill the witches’ prophecy that he will become king. How she persuades him to kill Duncan is the subject of one of the 15 FAQs about Macbeth on SparkNotes (see link below).
Read about how Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill King Duncan. (30-second read)
What is the most important quote in Act 1 of Macbeth?
There are many key quotes in Act 1 of the play. One is from Scene 5 as Lady Macbeth awaits the arrival of King Duncan at the castle (which is also the subject of one of the SparkNotes Scene Studies for the play, described below). Another that stands out is Macbeth’s soliloquy at the start of Scene 7 in which he tries to decide if he should kill Duncan. SparkNotes offers succinct explanations for dozens of key quotes from the play in our Quotes by Section feature.
Read about Lady Macbeth’s famous speech in Act 1, Scene 3. (2-minute read)
Read an explanation of Macbeth’s famous Act 1, Scene 7 soliloquy. (2-minute read)
Is there anything about Macbeth on SparkNotes specifically to help theater students?
Yes, the SparkNotes Scene Study feature helps prepare students to perform key scenes for theater class or auditions. We offer helpful performance notes for two important scenes from Act 1 of Macbeth. (Details about these scenes in the feature should benefit non-theater students studying Macbeth as well.)
See the SparkNotes Scene Study materials for Lady Macbeth’s Act 1, Scene 5 monologue.
See the Scene Study for the Act 1, Scene 5 dialogue between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
