SCENE 2 - King Duncan's armies have recently battled the armies of Macdonwald near Forres. King Duncan, his sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, and Lennox encounter a wounded Captain and inquire about the course of the battle. The captain informs them that just when the battle seemed lost to Macdonwald's rebel forces, Macbeth rallied the forces, idlled Macdonwald, an ally of the Swedo, King of Norway, and placed the rebel's head upon a pike on the battlements of the castle. As soon as it seemed that Macbeth had rallied the forces and won the battle, the Norwegian forces attacked. The Captain was wounded and could not tell how the battle went from then on. The attendants take the Captain to the surgeon for attention.

Ross, another of the Scottish noblemen loyal to Duncan, enters. He informs King Duncan that the Norwegians attacked along with the support of the Scottish Thane of Cawdor. However, King Duncan's armies prevailed. The Scottish armies refused to allow the Norwegians to bury their dead until King Swedo agreed to pay $10,000.

Because the Thane of Cawdor has betrayed King Duncan, the king strips h

Later in the same scene, Macbeth, after hearing the witches' prophecy, says to himself: "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir" . This seems to indicate that he doesn't regard the witches as the voice of fate, but of "chance." Also, Macbeth is right. Like King Duncan, Macbeth is the grandson of a king, so he has a legitimate claim to the throne, and war or disease could easily kill off other claimants. However, Macbeth eventually decides that "chance" needs some help, and so he murders Duncan.

SCENE 5 - At Inverness, Lady Macbeth reads aloud from her husband's letter. He tells her of his encounter with the witches and their prophecies that have come true. To herself, Lady Macbeth vows to help Macbeth become all that the witches promised. She also comments that her husband is often too compassionate and lacking in ambition, but she will help him.

SCENE 6 - When the royal court arrives, Lady Macbeth greets the members as the perfect hostess, escorting the king into the castle.

SCENE 4 - In the Duncans' palace at Forres, Malcolm reports to his father that the former Thane of Cawdor has been executed for treason. When Macbeth enters with Banquo, he thanks the king for his new title and reaffirms his loyalty to Duncan.

"So from that spring whence comfort seem'd to come / Discomfort swells", says the sergeant who is telling of Macbeth's battle against the rebels. He means that just when the coming of spring makes us think that the weather is going to be fair and give us "comfort," foul weather can bring extreme "discomfort." The sergeant then goes on to tell how this same kind of thing happened in battle. Just as Macbeth had defeated one enemy, a new one attacked.

One of the witches is going to take out her spite on a sailor, and she and her sister witches will control the winds so that the sailor won't be able to come into port. She boasts that, "Weary se'nnights nine times nine / Shall he dwindle, peak and pine: / Though his bark cannot be lost, / Yet it shall be tempest-toss'd" Although these witches can control winds, there is something stronger than them that keeps the sailor's ship ("bark") from sinking.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lady Macbeth, Cawdor Macbeth, King Duncan, Weird Sisters, King Duncan's, Duncan Macbeth, Thane Cawdor, Macbeth Banquo, King Norway, Inverness Macbeth's, thane cawdor, king duncan, lady macbeth, witches' prophecies, macbeth banquo, thane cawdor macbeth, prophecies true, murder duncan, cawdor macbeth, king duncan's, macbeth enters, named thane cawdor, rest witches' prophecies, macbeth rallied forces, witches control winds,
Approximate Word count = 1761
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)