SCENE 6: THE GREAT HALL AT DUNSINANE
NARRATOR: In the great hall of Dunsinane, King Duncan and all the lords and ladiesstand to celebrate their victory.
SERVANT: Pray quiet for the King!
DUNCAN: A toast! To our hosts - Lord and Lady Macbeth!
ALL: Lord and Lady Macbeth!
DUNCAN :Your castle is beautiful, my lady. The air here is so sweet!
LADY MACBETH: Your majesty! You honour us with your visit to Dunsinane.
DUNCAN: I hope we have not troubled you…
MACBETH: We are at your service, my lord. Now, please everyone - take your seats atthe table!
NARRATOR: While the King and the lords and ladies sit down to feast, Macbeth andLady Macbeth stand to one side, so nobody can hear them…
MACBETH: Duncan trusts me. I should be protecting him - not killing him.
LADY MACBETH: When the King finishes supper and goes to sleep…that’s when you do it.
MACBETH: No. We’ll go no further with this plan. He has come here to honour me. Canwe not just enjoy that?
LADY MACBETH: What are you saying? ‘I’d like to wear the crown but I don’t dare take it’?
MACBETH: What if we fail?
LADY MACBETH: Have courage and we’ll not fail. Do it when Duncan is asleep and aftertonight - he’ll sleep forever. Is that settled?
MACBETH: Yes. It is…settled.
SCENE 7: THE BATTLEMENTS OF DUNSINANE
NARRATOR: The feast is over. Banquo and his son Fleance are taking a walk on thecastle walls.
BANQUO: What time is it, Fleance?
FLEANCE: After midnight, father. Listen. Someone’s coming! Who’s there?
MACBETH: A friend, Fleance. Banquo…
BANQUO: Macbeth. So you’re still awake too? The King at least is asleep. He went tobed in good spirits, thanks to your hospitality.
MACBETH: We did all we could.
BANQUO: A real feast. I dreamt of the witches last night. There was truth in what theysaid, Thane of Cawdor…
MACBETH: I haven’t really thought about it. But perhaps you’re right. We should talk,Banquo…
BANQUO: Whenever you like.
MACBETH: Stay with me, Banquo, and we could all share in the future…
BANQUO: My loyalty’s to the King - and ever will be. Now, we must go to bed. Come,Fleance.
FLEANCE: Good night, sir.
MACBETH:Sleep well!
BANQUO: And the same to you, my friend.
NARRATOR: Alone, Macbeth knows he must make his decision…
MACBETH: Soon everyone will be asleep but me. And then… What’s this? A dagger inthe air, its handle turned towards my hand. Come let me…hold you. Aagh. Ican’t touch it - but I can still see it. A dagger of the mind. I’m seeing things.And now there’s blood on the blade and handle! It is time to do the deed.
SCENE 8: LADY MACBETH’S CHAMBER
NARRATOR: In her bedroom, Lady Macbeth cannot sleep. She walks back and forth,thinking about her terrible plan…
LADY MACBETH: What is he doing? I left the daggers for him. He can’t have missed them!
FX: A door opens and Macbeth stumbles in.
MACBETH: Oh…oh…
LADY MACBETH: My husband. Have you…?
MACBETH: The deed is done. Look at my hands. The blood…it’s terrible.
LADY MACBETH: It will wash off.
MACBETH: Just after it was done, I heard a voice crying. ‘Sleep no more!’ it said. Andthen, ‘Macbeth has murdered sleep!’
LADY MACBETH: You’re imagining things. Go! Wash your hands! And why did you bring thedaggers? Put them back in the room!
MACBETH: I can’t go back there.
LADY MACBETH: Give them to me. I’ll wipe the faces of the sleeping servants with blood.(GOING) It will look as though they killed the King.
NARRATOR: Lady Macbeth goes to the King’s bedroom to leave the daggers there…while Macbeth waits for her return…
LADY MACBETH: Done. It will look as if the servants committed the crime. And see, my handsare the same colour as yours.
FX: Knocking.
Someone’s knocking at the South Gate.
MACBETH: I wish the knocking would wake Duncan…
LADY MACBETH: The dead King sleeps fore
3: Daggers for King Duncan
Dunsinane Castle. Lady Macbeth is reading a letter from her husband. Her ambition for Macbeth is clear, but so too her concern that he is not sufficiently ruthless to take matters into his own hands.
Macbeth arrives and Lady Macbeth makes it clear she wants him to kill King Duncan that night.
At the banquet in the evening Macbeth is reluctant to take the plan forward but is persuaded to see it through by Lady Macbeth. Later, on the castle walls, Macbeth has a vision of a bloodied dagger. It is time to do the deed.
Lady Macbeth waits in her chamber for Macbeth to return from the murder. He arrives but brings the daggers with him. Lady Macbeth returns to King Duncan's room to leave the daggers there and to daub his servants with blood to make it look as if they are responsible.
Teacher Notes
This series provides various opportunities to meet Key Stage 2 National Curriculum requirements, including study of a significant author, reading techniques such as prediction, drawing inferences, clarification and summary; and drama and writing opportunities - including poetry performance, descriptive writing, persuasive writing, letter writing, newspaper article writing, poetry and play scripts.
It could be used as an introduction to the play, consolidation of key aspects or for revision of the plot and characters.
More detail on how to use this series, including detailed lesson plans, can be found in the Teacher's Notes PDF.
Teacher's Notes (pdf) document
Information and guidance on using the content
This series is relevant for teaching English at KS2, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and at Second Level in Scotland.
2. All Hail, Macbeth! Thane of Cawdor! video
Macbeth and Banquo arrive at King Duncan's camp; Macbeth finds he is now Thane of Cawdor.
4. All Hail, Macbeth! King of Scotland! video
Duncan's murder is discovered; Malcolm and Donalbain flee, while Macbeth is crowned king.
5. A trap for Banquo. video
Macbeth sends assassins to kill Banquo and Fleance. Later he sees Banquo's ghost.
