explanation for act 4 scene 1 macbeth

1. Enjoy
 By:
 Tadisa
 Blessing
 Chelsea

2.  This scene takes place at the pit by the river
because in Act 3 Scene 5 Hecate says to the three
witches “ Meet me i’ th' morning”.
 Go away now and in the morning meet me in the
pit by the river in hell
 They meet in a desolate place far away from all
humanity because what they did was to evil for
humans to witness.
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3. Charactices in
the scene
 The three witches
 Hecate
 Macbeth
 The three apparition (minor
Charactices)
 Lennox

4.  One of the witches has a
sharp pain in her thumb
and she senses that
something wicked is
coming (Macbeth)…..she
says:
 “by the pricking of my
thumbs, something wicked
this way comes” act 4
scene 1 lines 44-45
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5. Events that take
placeents that
take place
 The three witches meet and they
mix up different ingredients to
come up with a charm that would
cause trouble. We think that the
charm that they were making
was for Macbeth so that they
would cause trouble for him
because in Act 3 Scene 5 Hecate
said she was going to trick
Macbeth that he was greater
than fate. She was going to
make him mock death.

6.  In the scene we also meet
Hecate for the second time. She
praises the witches by saying
“Oh done! I commend your
pains, And every one shall
share i' th' gains. Well done! I
admire your efforts, and all of
you will share the rewards.
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7. The aparitions
 Apparation 1: line 71
 The witches show Macbeth an apparition(a ghostly image)
 The first vision is of a mans head wearing armour
 “beware Macduff” line 71
 Apparition 2: line 80-81
 A bloody child who says that Macbeth will not be a
threatened to anyone born of a woman
 “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth”
 Apparition 3: line 91
 This one is of a child wearing a crown holding a tree
 “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam
Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall vome against him”
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8.  When the first apparition appears
he says to Macbeth “Macbeth!
Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware
Macduff. Beware the thane of
Fife”. This shows us that Macbeth
was worried that Macduf knew his
secret ( his killing to king
Duncan), this is confirmed when
Macbeth says “Whate'er thou art,
for thy good caution, thanks. Thou
hast harped my fear aright”
meaning that Whatever you are,
thanks for your advice. You have
guessed exactly what I feared.
 The second apparition appears
and misleads Macbeth by telling
him that he should be violent,
bold and firm. He also tells him
that he should laugh at the power
of other man because nobody
born from a woman will be able to
harm Macbeth. The quotation
reads Be violent, bold, and firm.
Laugh at the power of other men,
because nobody born from a
woman will ever harm Macbeth.


9.  The third apparition appears and
says to Macbeth “Be lion-mettled,
proud, and take no care Who
chafes, who frets, or where
conspirers are. Macbeth shall never
vanquished be until Great Birnam
Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall
come against him,”meaning that Be
brave like the lion and proud. Don’t
even worry about who hates you,
who resents you, and who
conspires against you. Macbeth will
never be defeated until Birnam
Wood marches to fight you at
Dunsinane Hill.


 When Macbeth heard this he said “That will
never be. Who can impress the forest, bid
the tree Unfix his earthbound root? Sweet
bodements! Good! Rebellious dead, rise
never till the wood Of Birnam rise, and our
high-placed Macbeth Shall live the lease of
nature, pay his breath To time and mortal
custom. Yet my heart Throbs to know one
thing. Tell me, if your art Can tell so much:
shall Banquo’s issue ever Reign in this
kingdom?” meaning - That will never
happen. Who can command the forest and
make the trees pull their roots out of the
earth? These were sweet omens! Good! My
murders will never come back to threaten
me until the forest of Birnam gets up and
moves, and I will be king for my entire
natural life. But my heart is still throbbing to
know one thing. Tell me, if your dark powers
can see this far: will Banquo’s sons ever
reign in this kingdom

10.  The ghost of Banquo appears
once again to Macbeth. He
appears with eight of his
descendants and many more
showing in the mirror that was
being held by one of the men
who were with Banquo.
Macbeth tells the ghost of
Banquo to go away when he
says “Thou art too like the
spirit of Banquo. Down!”
meaning You look too much
like the ghost of Banquo. Go
away!

11.  Lastly Lennox came to
Macbeth and told him that
Macduf fled to England.
Macbeth says from there on
forth he will not think about
anything he will just act and he
will act immediately. He says
that he is going to raid
Macdufs castle, seize the town
of Fife and kill Macdufs wife
and children. He also says he
was going to kill anyone else
unfortunate enough to stand in
line for his inheritance.
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12. Important
quotations.
 Act 4 scene 1 lines 10-11
 The witches chant
“double ,double, toil and trouble
Fire burn and cauldron bubble
This is a chant and they are saying
whoever drinks the potion will have double
hard work and double trouble.
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13. Themes in the scene
 The theme of Ambition is revealed when
Macbeth decides that he will do anything
he has to do to get want he wants. He is
going to kill anyone who comes in his way
 Quotation
 The castle of Macduff I will surprise,
Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th'
sword His wife, his babes, and all
unfortunate souls That trace him in his
line.

14. Analysis
 The Witches' charm is fantastic: Its
ingredients, thrown into a bubbling
cauldron, are all poisonous. Moreover,
these ingredients are all the entrails or
body parts of loathed animals or human
beings, which, taken together, can be
interpreted as making a complete
monster: tongue, leg, liver, lips, scales,
teeth, and so on. The strong implication
is that Macbeth himself is no longer a
complete human being; he himself has
become a half-man, half-monster, a kind
of chimera.

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15.  Macbeth arrives at the Witches' lair with extraordinary
boldness, knocking at the entrance in a way that
ironically recalls the entry of Macduff into Macbeth's
castle in Act II, Scene 3. When he "conjures" the
Witches to answer him, his language is
uncompromising: He matches their power with a
powerful curse of his own, demanding to have an
answer even if it requires the unleashing of all the
elements of air, water, and earth; even if all the
universe

16.  The cauldron sinks and a strange sound is heard. The
witches now show Macbeth a procession of kings, the
eighth of whom holds a mirror in his hand, followed by
Banquo. As Banquo points at this line of kings,
Macbeth realizes that they are indeed his family line.
After the witches dance and disappear, Lennox enters
with the news that Macduff has fled to England.
Macbeth resolves that he will henceforth act
immediately on his ambitions: the first step will be to
seize Fife and kill Macduff's wife and children.

17. Act 4 scene 1 summary
 The witches circle a cauldron, mixing in a variety of
grotesque ingredients while chanting "double, double toil and
trouble; / Fire burn, and cauldron bubble" (10-11). Hecate
appears, they sing all together, and Hecate leaves. Macbeth
then enters, demanding answers to his pressing questions
about the future. The witches complete their magic spell and
summon forth a series of apparitions. The first is an armed
head that warns Macbeth to beware the Thane of Fife
(Macduff). The second apparition is a bloody child, who tells
him that "none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth" (96-
97). This news bolsters Macbeth spirits. The third apparition
is a crowned child with a tree in its hand, who says that
"Macbeth shall never vanquished be until / Great Birnam
Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him" (107-
09). This cheers Macbeth even more, since he knows that
nothing can move a forest. Macbeth proceeds to ask his last
question: will Banquo's children ever rule Scotland?
