Macbeth walks in on his waiting wife with bloody daggers in his hands. The deed has been done, and Macbeth is horrified by his actions. Plus he’s managed to mess up the plan by bringing the daggers away from the scene of the crime (he was supposed to leave them there to point the finger at Duncan’s drunk servants). Since Macbeth is too shaken up to do anything, Lady Macbeth takes charge, calls him a wimp, and hauls the daggers back to Duncan’s chambers.
Macbeth and Banquo are discussing the witches’ prophecies once again. Banquo has been dreaming about them, but Macbeth lies and says they’ve slipped his mind. He then tells Banquo to stick with him, and he’ll be rewarded in the future. Banquo agrees, so long as he gets to keep his conscience clear. After he departs, Macbeth sees a vision of a dagger drawing him toward Duncan’s room. That’s when he hears a bell, which is his signal that the time for murder has arrived.
Macbeth is talking to himself again. He hems and haws over the consequences he’ll face if he decides to commit murder. He knows that killing Duncan could mean bad news for him and just about everyone else in Scotland. When Lady Macbeth enters, he tells her he can’t go through with this sordid plan. But she’s got other ideas. Trying to psych her husband up for some regicide, she tells him he’s not much of a man if he can’t find the courage to kill the king.
It’s time to roll out the red carpet as Duncan arrives at Inverness—the home of Macbeth and his lady. Duncan’s got Malcolm, Donalbain, Lennox, Macduff, Ross, Angus, and some other attendants to accompany him. After praising the castle, Duncan eagerly asks Lady Macbeth to show him to their host: the one and only Macbeth.
Alone, Lady Macbeth reads a letter from her husband aloud. Like a good spouse, he tells her everything—including the witches’ prophecy—and she’s worried Macbeth doesn’t have it in him to actually kill the king. That means she’ll have to channel her own inner monster. When she hears that Duncan is coming for a visit, she asks for some help in the evil-doing department from supernatural spirits. By the time Macbeth arrives, she’s ready to take charge of the situation and bring about Duncan’s untimely, but convenient, demise.
Back in the court, Duncan demands to know whether or not the Thane of Cawdor has been executed for his treason. After his son Malcolm assures him that the deed is done, Macbeth and company arrive. Duncan’s over the moon. He heaps praise on Macbeth, and tells the newly minted Thane of Cawdor that he can’t thank him enough for his heroism on the battlefield. He also reveals that he intends to have his son Malcolm succeed him on the throne, which throws Macbeth for a bit of a loop. He privately ponders his growing desire to kill Duncan so that he can grab the throne for himself.
Cue thunder. The witches are back, and they finally get to meet Macbeth, who’s got Banquo in tow. The witches greet a rather bewildered Macbeth as the “Thane of Glamis,” “Thane of Cawdor,” and “king hereafter.” Since he was, in fact, the Thane of Glamis, and he’s about to become the Thane of Cawdor, we can’t help but wonder if “king hereafter” might hold some water as well. Banquo wants to know if they’re telling the truth--and he wants to know what lies ahead in his future, too. The three witches tell Banquo that his descendants will be kings, but he won’t.
