ENGL100A Lecture Notes - W. M. Keck Observatory, Sleepwalking, Fleance
Document Summary
The play begins with the brief appearance of a trio of witches and then moves to a military camp, where the scottish. King duncan hears the news that his generals, macbeth and banquo, have defeated two separate invading armies one from ireland, led by the rebel macdonwald, and one from norway. Following their pitched battle with these enemy forces, macbeth and banquo encounter the witches as they cross a moor. The witches prophesy that macbeth will be made thane (a rank of scottish nobility) of cawdor and eventually king of scotland. Macbeth"s companion, banquo, will beget a line of scottish kings, although banquo will never be king himself. The previous thane betrayed scotland by fighting for the norwegians and duncan has condemned him to death. Macbeth is intrigued by the possibility that the remainder of the witches" prophecy that he will be crowned king might be true, but he is uncertain what to expect.