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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 more about Act 1, Scenes 5–7 with our 3-minute Summary & Analysis
Read explanations of all 28 scene in Macbeth in 4 minutes
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 more about Lady Macbeth in our 2-minute Character Analysis
Read more 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 more about how Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill King Duncan (1-minute 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 more about Lady Macbeth’s famous speech in Act 1, Scene 3 (2-minute read)
Read more about 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.)
Read more about our notes on Lady Macbeth’s Act 1, Scene 5 monologue for theater students
Read more about our notes for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s Act 1, Scene 7 dialogue for theater study
