ISC Class 11 Macbeth – Act I: Scene-by-Scene Summary, Characters and Solved Questions
Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked
In Act I of Macbeth, three witches greet the victorious general Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor and future king. When the first title comes true, he begins to imagine murdering King Duncan. His wife, Lady Macbeth, overcomes his doubts, and by the end of the act he resolves to kill Duncan that night at Inverness.
What Macbeth – Act I is about
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is the drama prescribed for ISC Literature in English (English 801). The ISC 2028 syllabus divides it: Acts I and II for Class XI and Acts III, IV and V for Class XII, and says 'The Class XI Examination is to be conducted on the portion of the syllabus that is prescribed for Class XI.' (Modern English candidates study *Pygmalion* instead.)
Act I has seven scenes and moves from the battlefield to the bedchamber door. It introduces the witches and their prophecies, shows Macbeth as Scotland's bravest soldier, plants the idea of murder in his mind, and ends with him and Lady Macbeth agreeing to kill King Duncan. Almost every key idea of the play begins here: ambition, the supernatural, appearance and reality ('Fair is foul, and foul is fair'), and the partnership of husband and wife.
The syllabus says drama questions 'will be central to the text' and will 'test understanding, appreciation and ability to analyse and synthesise', in the candidates' own words. Your school sets the Class XI paper; CISCE's Literature paper pattern (2025 specimen and board paper) has multiple-choice questions, one-line reason completions ('...because ____'), and on the drama two 5-mark answers of 100-150 words on given bullet points and one 10-mark answer of 200-250 words with an internal choice.
This page is grounded in the public-domain text of the play (Project Gutenberg eBook #1533, checked against #2264); quotations follow that spelling. Your prescribed edition may differ slightly in punctuation and line numbering.
Weightage: CISCE publishes no chapter weightage. In the CISCE Literature paper pattern the drama has a 20-mark question (5 + 5 + 10) plus a share of the 20 one-mark items. Class XI papers are set by schools on Acts I and II only.Source: CISCE ISC 2028 English (801) syllabus, Literature in English, Class XI; ISC Specimen Question Paper 2025, English Paper 2
Macbeth – Act I: summary
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
Scene i: an open place. In thunder and lightning, three witches agree to meet again 'Upon the heath' to see Macbeth when the battle is over. Their chant, 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair', announces a world in which things are not what they seem.
Scene ii: the camp near Forres. A wounded Captain tells King Duncan how Macbeth cut the rebel Macdonwald open 'from the nave to the chops' and fixed his head on the battlements, then, with Banquo, fought off a fresh attack by the King of Norway. Ross reports that the Thane of Cawdor helped Norway and that Scotland has won. Duncan orders Cawdor's execution and gives his title to Macbeth: 'What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.'
Scene iii: the heath. The witches hail Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and 'king hereafter'. To Banquo they say he will be 'Lesser than Macbeth, and greater' and will father kings without being one. They vanish. Ross and Angus arrive and greet Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor. Banquo warns that 'The instruments of darkness tell us truths' to lead people to harm, but Macbeth, in asides, is already picturing murder and is shaken by 'horrible imaginings'. He hopes chance may crown him 'Without my stir'.
Scene iv: the palace at Forres. Duncan hears that Cawdor died repentant and admits he had 'built / An absolute trust' in him. He welcomes Macbeth and Banquo warmly, then names his son Malcolm 'The Prince of Cumberland', his heir. Macbeth sees Malcolm as a step he must 'o'erleap' and asks the stars to hide his 'black and deep desires'. Duncan announces that he will visit Macbeth's castle at Inverness.
Scene v: Inverness. Lady Macbeth reads her husband's letter about the prophecies. She fears his nature is 'too full o' th' milk of human kindness' and resolves to persuade him. Hearing that Duncan will arrive that night, she calls on spirits to 'unsex' her and fill her with cruelty. When Macbeth arrives she tells him to 'look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't' and to leave the plan to her.
Scene vi: before the castle. Duncan and Banquo admire the castle's pleasant air and the martlets nesting there, an ironic calm. Lady Macbeth welcomes the King with elaborate courtesy.
Scene vii: a lobby in the castle. Alone, Macbeth weighs the murder: he is Duncan's kinsman, subject and host, Duncan has been a virtuous king, and he has no motive but 'Vaulting ambition'. He tells his wife, 'We will proceed no further in this business.' She attacks his courage and manhood, swears she would have killed her own baby rather than break such a promise, and explains her plan: drug the two chamberlains with wine, kill Duncan with their daggers and blame them. Macbeth is persuaded: 'I am settled', and 'False face must hide what the false heart doth know.'
Themes and message
Ambition
The prophecy does not create Macbeth's ambition; it awakens it. In scene iii his thoughts leap to murder before anyone has suggested it, and in scene iv he treats Malcolm as an obstacle. Yet in scene vii he recognises that ambition is his only motive and that it 'o'erleaps itself'. Act I shows ambition as a force that grows when fed by opportunity and encouragement.
From the text: 'I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’ other' (I.vii).
Appearance and reality
The witches' paradox runs through the act. The traitorous Cawdor seemed trustworthy; Duncan learns 'There’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face' just before trusting another traitor. Lady Macbeth teaches her husband to hide his intentions, and the act ends with Macbeth adopting the same rule. The pleasant castle in scene vi is about to become a place of murder.
From the text: 'look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t' (I.v); 'False face must hide what the false heart doth know' (I.vii).
The supernatural and fate
The witches open the play and set its tone of disorder. Their prophecies raise the central question of how far Macbeth is driven by fate and how far by choice. Banquo hears equally tempting words but treats them with suspicion; Macbeth lets them work on his imagination. Lady Macbeth, too, calls on dark spirits.
From the text: 'This supernatural soliciting / Cannot be ill; cannot be good' (I.iii); Banquo: 'The instruments of darkness tell us truths' (I.iii).
Manhood, courage and gender
Macbeth's courage on the battlefield is unquestioned, yet his wife defines manhood as the willingness to kill for one's desires. He answers with a moral definition: 'I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none.' She asks the spirits to 'unsex' her so that pity cannot stop her. Act I examines what courage really is.
From the text: Macbeth: 'I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none' (I.vii); Lady Macbeth: 'When you durst do it, then you were a man' (I.vii).
Loyalty, trust and betrayal
The act begins with one traitor (Cawdor) and ends with another planning murder. Duncan rewards loyalty generously, and Macbeth himself lists the 'double trust' that should protect the King. The tragedy lies in the distance between what Macbeth owes Duncan and what he decides to do.
From the text: 'He’s here in double trust: / First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; then, as his host' (I.vii).
Characters
Macbeth
Thane of Glamis, made Thane of Cawdor; Duncan's general and kinsman
- Fearless and ruthless in battle
- Ambitious, with a vivid, troubled imagination
- Morally aware: he knows the murder is wrong
- Hesitant, but open to persuasion
The Captain calls him 'brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)'. In scene iii the 'horrid image' of murder makes his heart 'knock at my ribs'. In scene vii he lists every reason against the deed, decides to stop, and is persuaded within minutes by his wife.
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth's wife
- Determined and quick to act
- Manipulative; uses taunts about love and manhood
- Calls on evil to suppress pity
- Practical planner of the murder
She judges her husband 'too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness', invokes spirits to 'unsex me here', and in scene vii plans every detail: wine for the chamberlains, their daggers, the pretended grief.
Banquo
Fellow general; receives a prophecy that his descendants will be kings
- Brave and loyal
- Cautious and sceptical about the witches
- A moral contrast to Macbeth
He asks the witches to speak to one 'who neither beg nor fear / Your favours nor your hate' and warns that the 'instruments of darkness' may 'betray’s / In deepest consequence'.
King Duncan
King of Scotland
- Generous and grateful
- Trusting, even naive
- A virtuous ruler
He rewards Macbeth with Cawdor's title, admits he could not read Cawdor's treachery in his face, and then trusts Macbeth completely. Macbeth himself says Duncan's virtues 'Will plead like angels'.
The Witches (Weird Sisters)
Supernatural figures who prophesy
- Ambiguous and malicious
- Speak in paradoxes and rhymes
They open the play with 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' and in scene iii punish a sailor because his wife refused them chestnuts, before greeting Macbeth with three titles.
Malcolm, Ross and Angus
Duncan's elder son and heir; noblemen who bring news
- Malcolm reports Cawdor's dignified death
- Ross and Angus deliver the title that fulfils the prophecy
Malcolm says 'Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it'. Ross greets Macbeth: 'He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor'.
How it is written
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Paradox and antithesis | 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' (I.i); Macbeth's first line, 'So foul and fair a day I have not seen' (I.iii). | Macbeth echoes the witches before he has met them, linking him to their world of confusion. |
| Dramatic irony | Duncan: 'He was a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust', just as Macbeth enters (I.iv); Duncan praises the castle's 'pleasant seat' (I.vi). | The audience knows what Duncan does not: he is trusting another traitor and walking into danger. |
| Soliloquy and aside | Macbeth's asides in I.iii ('Two truths are told') and his soliloquy 'If it were done when ’tis done' (I.vii); Lady Macbeth's 'The raven himself is hoarse' (I.v). | They reveal private thoughts that contradict the characters' public faces. |
| Imagery of clothing, darkness and babes | 'why do you dress me / In borrow’d robes?' (I.iii); 'Stars, hide your fires!' (I.iv); 'pity, like a naked new-born babe' (I.vii). | Clothing suggests titles that do not fit; darkness hides evil; the babe stands for innocence and pity. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.
The three Witches: The end of I.i, as they leave to meet Macbeth.
Announces the confusion of good and evil and the gap between appearance and reality.
This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill; cannot be good.
Macbeth (aside): I.iii, after Ross greets him as Thane of Cawdor.
Shows his divided mind: the prophecy has come true, yet he is horrified by the murderous thoughts it raises.
There’s no art To find the mind’s construction in the face
Duncan: I.iv, about the executed Thane of Cawdor.
Dramatic irony: he says it moments before welcoming Macbeth, the next traitor.
It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way.
Lady Macbeth: I.v, after reading her husband's letter.
Her judgement of his nature: ambitious, but too gentle to seize the crown by murder.
look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t.
Lady Macbeth: I.v, advising Macbeth before Duncan arrives.
The theme of deceit; the serpent recalls the tempter in the Garden of Eden.
I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none.
Macbeth: I.vii, replying to his wife's taunts.
His moral definition of manhood, which she immediately overturns.
False face must hide what the false heart doth know.
Macbeth: The last line of Act I.
He has adopted his wife's creed of deception; the decision to murder is made.
Macbeth – Act I in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Temptation and rationalisation
Suppose a classmate finds the answer key to a test left on a teacher's desk and says, 'Nobody will know, and I deserve a good mark after all my hard work.'
How does Macbeth's behaviour in Act I mirror this reasoning?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Opportunity appears (the prophecy and Duncan's visit; the unguarded key).
- Desire is already present (ambition; the wish for marks).
- The person knows it is wrong (Macbeth's soliloquy) but builds excuses or listens to someone who supplies them.
Answer: Macbeth shows how opportunity plus desire, plus a persuasive voice, can overcome a conscience that clearly sees the wrong. Recognising the pattern is the first step to resisting it.
Memory hook: Opportunity knocks, ambition answers, conscience whispers.
Peer pressure and the language of courage
Imagine friends calling you 'scared' for refusing to cycle without lights on a highway at night.
Which exchange in Act I Scene vii does this resemble, and who has the better definition of courage?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Lady Macbeth equates manhood with daring to do the deed.
- Macbeth replies that true manhood has moral limits.
- Pressure works by redefining courage as recklessness.
Answer: Macbeth's line 'I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none' is the better definition: courage includes the strength to refuse. His tragedy is that he abandons it under pressure.
Memory hook: Real courage can say no.
Reading people: appearance and reality
Suppose a friendly stranger online offers you a well-paid internship if you share your bank details first.
What does Duncan's mistake teach about trust?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Duncan admits he could not read Cawdor's mind in his face.
- He immediately trusts Macbeth on appearances again.
- Trust should rest on evidence, not on pleasant faces or words.
Answer: Like Duncan, people are deceived when they confuse a pleasant appearance with good intentions. 'There’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face' is a lesson in caution.
Memory hook: A kind face is not a contract.
Topics in this chapter
How the school exam asks Macbeth – Act I
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple-choice question (1 mark) | A quotation or event with four options: who says it, what it reveals, or the order of events; sometimes a statement pair or a match-type item, as in the 2025 CISCE specimen. | Place the line in its scene and speaker; eliminate options from other scenes; write one option only. |
| Complete the sentence with a reason (1 mark) | 'In Act I Scene iv, Macbeth calls Malcolm a step on which he must fall down or o'erleap because ____.' | Give the precise cause in one clause, in your own words: here, because Duncan has named Malcolm his heir, which blocks Macbeth's path to the throne. |
| 5-mark answer on two bullet points (100-150 words) | A question on a character, relationship or scene with two given bullet points, for example: 'How does Lady Macbeth react to her husband's letter? • Her view of his nature • Her decision.' | Give each bullet half the paragraph, with a specific event or a short quotation from Act I or II; answer every part; keep to 150 words. |
| 10-mark analytical answer (200-250 words), (a) or (b) | A view to discuss: 'Macbeth is a reluctant murderer pushed by his wife. Do you agree?' or a contrast: 'Compare the reactions of Macbeth and Banquo to the witches.' | State a clear position; four or five points, each backed by an event or quotation; analyse rather than narrate; conclude. |
Tricks to remember Macbeth – Act I
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Seven scenes in seven words
Witches, Battle, Prophecy, Heir, Letter, Arrival, Decision (scenes i to vii).
Use it when: Recall the order of Act I quickly.
Three titles, three hails
Glamis (already his), Cawdor (comes true in the same scene), King (hereafter).
Use it when: Prophecy questions.
Kinsman, subject, host
The 'double trust' in three words; then add 'virtuous king' and 'pity' for Macbeth's five reasons against.
Use it when: Analysing the I.vii soliloquy.
Macbeth – Act I: exam-level solved questions
Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: MCQ: Duncan's irony · 1 mark · MCQHarder exam level
Duncan says, 'There’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face.' Which statement best explains the dramatic irony of this line? (a) Duncan has just discovered that Malcolm is plotting against him. (b) Duncan says it about Cawdor just as Macbeth, who is already thinking of murder, enters. (c) Duncan is criticising the witches for deceiving Macbeth. (d) Duncan is warning Banquo not to trust Lady Macbeth.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Context: I.iv, Duncan speaks of the executed Thane of Cawdor.
- Immediately afterwards, Macbeth enters; in I.iii he has already imagined murder.
- Duncan does not know about the witches, and nothing suggests Malcolm or Lady Macbeth here.
Answer: (b) Duncan says it about Cawdor just as Macbeth, who is already thinking of murder, enters.
Example 2: Reason completion: Banquo's warning · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
Complete the sentence: In Act I Scene iii, Banquo is uneasy about the witches' prophecy even after Macbeth is made Thane of Cawdor because ____.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Find his words: 'The instruments of darkness tell us truths; / Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s / In deepest consequence.'
- Express the reason in one clause.
Answer: ...he believes evil powers tell small truths to win people's trust and then lead them to ruin.
Example 3: 5-mark model: Lady Macbeth's response to the letter · 5 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
How does Lady Macbeth respond to her husband's letter and the news of Duncan's visit in Act I Scene v? (100-150 words) • Her assessment of Macbeth's nature • Her invocation and resolve
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Bullet 1: her judgement that he is ambitious but too kind, with the milk image.
- Bullet 2: her call to the spirits and her decision to take charge.
- Short quotations as evidence; keep within 150 words.
Answer: On reading the letter, Lady Macbeth at once believes the prophecy, but she fears her husband's nature. He is ambitious, she says, yet 'too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way'; he wants greatness but will not 'play false' to get it. She resolves to 'pour my spirits in thine ear' and remove every scruple that stands between him and the crown.
When she hears that Duncan will stay that night, she sees the opportunity instantly. She calls on the spirits that 'tend on mortal thoughts' to 'unsex' her, thicken her blood and block 'remorse', so that pity cannot shake her purpose. When Macbeth arrives she gives him the rule of deceit, to look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it, and tells him to leave everything to her. She emerges as decisive, ruthless and in control. (146 words)
Example 4: 5-mark model: Macbeth's reaction to the prophecies · 5 marks · Long answerExam level
Describe Macbeth's reaction to the witches' prophecies in Act I Scene iii. (100-150 words) • His first reaction and questions • His thoughts after he is made Thane of Cawdor
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Bullet 1: he starts and seems to fear; he demands to know more.
- Bullet 2: the asides: 'Two truths are told', the horrid image, chance may crown me.
- Evidence from the text; within 150 words.
Answer: When the witches hail him as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and future king, Macbeth starts, as Banquo notices, and seems 'to fear / Things that do sound so fair'. He then becomes eager, calling them 'imperfect speakers' and demanding to know how he can be Cawdor when the Thane still lives. When they vanish he wishes they had stayed.
Once Ross greets him as Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth is 'rapt'. In his asides he treats the two fulfilled titles as 'happy prologues' to kingship, yet the thought of murder, whose 'horrid image' makes his heart knock at his ribs, terrifies him. He finally hopes that 'chance may crown me / Without my stir'. The prophecy has revealed both his ambition and his conscience. (128 words)
Example 5: 10-mark model: Is Macbeth pushed into murder by his wife? · 10 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
'In Act I, Macbeth is a reluctant murderer who is pushed into crime by Lady Macbeth.' Do you agree? Give reasons. (200-250 words)
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Take a clear position: partly agree; she pushes, but the desire is his.
- Evidence for his own ambition: asides in scene iii and iv.
- Evidence of reluctance: soliloquy in scene vii, 'We will proceed no further'.
- Evidence of her pressure: taunts about love and manhood, her plan.
- Conclude on shared responsibility.
Answer: The statement is only partly true. Lady Macbeth certainly pushes her husband, but the desire for murder is his own before she says a word.
In Act I Scene iii, minutes after the witches speak, Macbeth is already imagining murder; the 'horrid image' makes his hair stand on end. In scene iv, when Malcolm is named heir, he calls the prince a step he must 'fall down, or else o’erleap' and begs the stars to hide his 'black and deep desires'. No one has suggested murder to him; the idea is his.
He is, however, reluctant. In scene vii he lists strong reasons against the deed: he is Duncan's kinsman, subject and host, and Duncan has been a good king. He admits that only 'Vaulting ambition' drives him and tells his wife, 'We will proceed no further in this business.'
Here Lady Macbeth's pressure is decisive. She calls him a coward, mocks his love, and claims she would have killed her own baby rather than break such a vow. She also removes his fear of failure with a practical plan to drug the chamberlains and blame them. Only then does he say, 'I am settled.'
Thus Lady Macbeth supplies the push and the plan, but she works on an ambition that already exists. Macbeth chooses the crime with full knowledge of its evil, which is what makes him a tragic figure rather than a mere tool. (247 words)
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
10-mark drama answer (200-250 words). Indicative split: CISCE marking schemes list expected points and accept any interpretation supported by the text; no numerical split is printed. (10 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| A clear position that answers the exact question | 1 |
| Four or five relevant points from the prescribed acts | 4 |
| Textual evidence: specific events and short accurate quotations | 3 |
| Organisation, expression and conclusion within the word limit | 2 |
5-mark answer on two bullet points (100-150 words). (5 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| First bullet point developed with evidence | 2 |
| Second bullet point developed with evidence | 2 |
| Expression and focus within 150 words | 1 |
Where students lose marks in Macbeth – Act I
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Retelling the scene instead of answering the question
Narration feels safe. CISCE examiners repeatedly report answers that narrate events without analysis; the syllabus tests 'ability to analyse and synthesise'.
Wrong working
'Then Lady Macbeth read the letter. Then a messenger came. Then Macbeth came home...'
Right working
'Her first reaction reveals her ruthlessness: she fears his kindness, not the crime.'
Do this: Open every paragraph with a point that answers the question; use events only as evidence.
Usually costs: Most of the analysis marks in 5- and 10-mark answers.
Mistake: Mixing up who says what
Act I has many short scenes and speakers. Students give Duncan's 'There’s no art...' to Malcolm, or Banquo's warning to Macbeth.
Do this: Revise quotations as speaker + scene + line, and test yourself on them.
Usually costs: MCQs and the evidence marks in long answers.
Mistake: Answering from Acts III-V in a Class XI paper
Students who know the whole play use later events (the sleepwalking scene, Banquo's murder). The syllabus says the Class XI examination is on the Class XI portion.
Do this: Use evidence from Acts I and II only, unless the question says otherwise.
Usually costs: Relevance; evidence that earns no marks.
Mistake: Long, inaccurate quotations
Students try to quote whole speeches from memory and get words wrong.
Wrong working
'Look like an innocent flower and be the snake below it.'
Right working
'look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t'
Do this: Learn short, exact quotations of three to ten words; paraphrase the rest.
Usually costs: Accuracy and credibility of evidence.
Mistake: Ignoring one bullet point
Students write fully on the bullet they know best. The 5-mark answers are built on two bullets.
Do this: Divide the paragraph in two and give each bullet roughly equal space.
Usually costs: Up to half the marks of the answer.
Practice questions on Macbeth – Act I
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
Which title does Macbeth already hold when the witches greet him in Act I Scene iii? (a) Thane of Cawdor (b) Prince of Cumberland (c) Thane of Glamis (d) Thane of Fife
Hint
He says he knows he holds it 'By Sinel’s death'.
Answer
(c) Thane of Glamis.
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level
Complete the sentence: In Act I Scene vii, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth, 'We will proceed no further in this business' because ____.
Hint
What reason does he give her (not the reasons in his soliloquy)?
Answer
...Duncan has recently honoured him, and he has won 'Golden opinions from all sorts of people' which he wishes to enjoy rather than throw away so soon.
Q3 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Contrast the reactions of Macbeth and Banquo to the witches in Act I Scene iii. (100-150 words) • Their first responses • Banquo's warning and Macbeth's private thoughts
Hint
Use 'neither beg nor fear', 'instruments of darkness', and Macbeth's asides.
Answer
Expected points: Macbeth starts and seems to fear 'things that do sound so fair', then presses the witches for more; Banquo is curious but detached, asking them to speak to one 'who neither beg nor fear / Your favours nor your hate'. After Ross's news Banquo warns that evil powers tell truths 'to win us to our harm', while Macbeth, in asides, dwells on the 'imperial theme' and on murder, though he is frightened by the thought. Banquo stays watchful; Macbeth is already tempted.
Q4 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
What is the significance of the setting in Act I Scene vi, when Duncan and Banquo arrive at Inverness? (100-150 words) • The description of the castle and the martlets • Dramatic irony
Hint
What do the audience know that Duncan does not?
Answer
Expected points: Duncan praises the castle's 'pleasant seat' and sweet air; Banquo notes the 'temple-haunting martlet' nesting there, a sign of delicate, healthy air; the calm, gentle imagery contrasts sharply with Lady Macbeth's invocation of darkness in scene v; the audience knows murder is planned, so the praise is heavily ironic; Lady Macbeth's lavish welcome shows the false face she advised. The scene heightens suspense and pity for Duncan.
Q5 · 10 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Examine Macbeth's soliloquy 'If it were done when ’tis done' (Act I Scene vii). What reasons does he give against the murder, and what does the speech reveal about him? (200-250 words)
Hint
Fear of consequences in this life; the 'double trust'; Duncan's virtues; pity; ambition as his only spur.
Answer
Expected points: he fears 'judgement here', that violence returns to 'plague th’ inventor' (even-handed justice, poisoned chalice); he is Duncan's kinsman, subject and host, a 'double trust'; Duncan has been a meek, just king whose virtues 'Will plead like angels'; pity, 'like a naked new-born babe', will make everyone weep; he admits only 'Vaulting ambition' drives him. The speech reveals a man of conscience and powerful imagination who sees the evil clearly; his decision to stop shows moral struggle, making his later surrender to his wife more tragic. A clear argument with quotations, 200-250 words.
Q6 · 10 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
'Lady Macbeth is the more dominant partner in Act I.' Discuss with reference to Scenes v and vii. (200-250 words)
Hint
Who decides, who plans, who persuades? Is there any sign of her limits?
Answer
Expected points: she reads the letter and decides at once; she judges his nature and resolves to 'chastise with the valour of my tongue'; she calls on spirits to remove pity; she takes charge of 'This night’s great business'; in scene vii she overturns his decision by taunts about cowardice and love, the image of the baby, and a practical plan; he ends by saying 'I am settled'. A balanced answer may note that Macbeth's ambition and the murderous idea came first, and that her need to call on spirits suggests she must suppress natural feeling, but in Act I she clearly leads.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.What title does Duncan give Macbeth after the battle, and why?Show answer
Thane of Cawdor, because the previous Thane had helped the King of Norway and was sentenced to death.
2.What do the witches prophesy for Banquo?Show answer
He will be lesser than Macbeth and greater, not so happy yet much happier, and will father kings though he will not be one.
3.Why is the naming of Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland important?Show answer
It makes Malcolm Duncan's heir, a step Macbeth must 'o’erleap' to become king.
4.What is Lady Macbeth's plan for the murder?Show answer
To make Duncan's two chamberlains drunk, kill Duncan with their daggers, smear them with blood, and then loudly mourn so that the guards are blamed.
5.What is the last line of Act I, and what does it show?Show answer
'False face must hide what the false heart doth know': Macbeth has decided to murder Duncan and to hide it behind a show of loyalty.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you summarise each of the seven scenes of Act I in one sentence?
- Can you contrast Macbeth's and Banquo's responses to the witches with a quotation each?
- Can you list Macbeth's reasons against the murder in I.vii?
- Can you explain three methods Lady Macbeth uses to persuade her husband?
- Can you give two examples of dramatic irony in Act I?
Macbeth – Act I: frequently asked questions
Which acts of Macbeth are in the ISC Class 11 syllabus?
Acts I and II. Acts III, IV and V are the Class XII portion, and the Class XI examination is conducted on the Class XI portion only.
Do the witches make Macbeth commit murder?
No. They predict that he will be king but never tell him to kill. The thought of murder comes from Macbeth himself in Act I Scene iii, and Lady Macbeth encourages it.
Why does Lady Macbeth call on spirits to 'unsex' her?
She wants to be rid of the pity and tenderness her age associated with women, so that no feeling of remorse can stop her from helping to kill Duncan.
Why is Banquo important in Act I?
He hears similar prophecies but stays sceptical and warns of evil, so he acts as a moral contrast that shows Macbeth's choice more clearly. The prophecy that his descendants will be kings also matters later.
Based on: CISCE ISC 2028 English (801) syllabus (Classes XI and XII): Literature in English, Class XI (Macbeth, Acts I & II); CISCE ISC Specimen Question Paper 2025: English Paper 2 (Literature in English), with answer key (question pattern); William Shakespeare, Macbeth (Project Gutenberg eBook #1533, public domain); William Shakespeare, Macbeth (Project Gutenberg eBook #2264, second edition used for cross-checking)