In the Scottish court, King Duncan is rehashing a recent battle with his sons and other noblemen. He’s hoping a wounded sergeant can give him the scoop on what went down on the battlefield. The sergeant tells them that “brave Macbeth” and Banquo were the heroes of the hour, and then he's promptly hauled off to the doctor. In walk Ross and Angus, two Scottish nobles (also known as thanes). Ross brings another tale of Macbeth’s battle skills: apparently he bested the King of Norway, who was being helped by the traitorous Thane of Cawdor. Duncan may be pleased to hear of Macbeth’s awesome feats, but he’s pretty peeved that the Thane of Cawdor has betrayed him. Duncan demands the Thane of Cawdor's execution and plans to hand over the Thane's titles to our main man, Macbeth.