SCENE 4: THE KING’S CAMP
FX: Marching soldiers, horses. The single drumbeat of Macbethapproaches.
NARRATOR: Macbeth and Banquo finally arrive at King Duncan’s camp. Standingoutside the King’s tent are three of his noblemen: Angus, Ross andLennox.
LENNOX: Aha! The good generals, Macbeth and Banquo!
MACBETH: Greetings, Lennox! We come fresh from the battle and have news for theKing!
ROSS: He has already heard of your battle, Macbeth.
ANGUS: And how bravely you fought!
ROSS: And he has told us to call you Thane of Cawdor!
MACBETH: Thane of Cawdor, Ross? But that’s not possible. Cawdor lives. How can I beThane of Cawdor?
ANGUS: Cawdor joined the rebels and is under sentence of death!
MACBETH: The witches. What they said has come true. Banquo - could the next step bethe throne itself? Could I become King?
BANQUO: Be careful. Sometimes the devil tempts us with small truths - to make usbelieve the bigger lie to come.
LENNOX: Look! Here comes King Duncan himself!
ALL: The King! The King!
DUNCAN: My generals Macbeth and Banquo.
BANQUO/MACBETH: Your majesty.
DUNCAN: It is true. The battle is won. The rebels and the Norwegians have fled.
ALL: Victory! The King!
DUNCAN: So, my cousin, Macbeth! How can I pay the debt I owe you after today?
MACBETH: Serving you is its own reward, your majesty.
DUNCAN: And noble Banquo too!
BANQUO: I am your servant, King Duncan.
DUNCAN: Today’s joy overwhelms me! But I have one last announcement. I havechosen my eldest son, Malcolm, as my successor! He is now to be knownas Prince of Cumberland.
ALL: Malcolm, Prince of Cumberland!
MACBETH: Malcolm now Duncan’s heir! Prince Malcolm? If I am going to be king - thiscould cause problems.
DUNCAN: We shall go now to your castle, Macbeth, to celebrate.
MACBETH: Your majesty, I shall go ahead to Dunsinane. (GOING) My Lady Macbeth willbe delighted at the good news of your coming.
DUNCAN: We shall follow! (TO ALL) Macbeth is valiant and worthy. We are lucky tohave him as our kinsman. Now, let us prepare for the journey to Dunsinane.
SCENE 5: LADY MACBETH’S CHAMBER AT DUNSINANE
NARRATOR: At Dunsinane, Macbeth’s castle, his wife Lady Macbeth is waiting inher bedroom for him to return from the battle. In her hands she holds aletter from him…
LADY MACBETH: ‘My beloved wife. I believe these weird sisters do have special powers. Theytold me I’d be Thane of Cawdor - and it came true! They even said - I wouldbe King!’ King! ‘Keep this secret. I shall be with you soon…’Macbeth - you want greatness. But are you ruthless enough to get it? Youare ambitious. But I fear you will be too scared to do what is needed. Comehome soon. So I can inspire you to take the crown. Without me - you willnever do it.
FX: A clattering of footsteps on the stairs, doors bang, the bedroom dooropens.
MACBETH: My lady. Have you heard…?
LADY MACBETH: Great Thane of Cawdor! Macbeth - your future starts now.
MACBETH: King Duncan comes here tonight.
LADY MACBETH: And when does he leave?
MACBETH: Tomorrow.
LADY MACBETH: That must not happen. He must not live to see the morning sun.
MACBETH: What are you saying?
LADY MACBETH: He must be taken care of tonight!
MACBETH: ‘Taken care of…’?
LADY MACBETH: Yes. Oh, Macbeth - your face is so easy to read. But at the banquet tonight
- you must hide your feelings. Be friendly to our king…and leave the plan tome…
2: All hail, Macbeth! Thane of Cawdor!
Macbeth and Banquo arrive at King Duncan's camp to relay the news of the victory. They are met by three nobles - Lennox, Ross and Angus - who tell Macbeth he is the new Thane of Cawdor.
The first of the Witches' prophecies has come true, leading Macbeth to speculate whether he will now somehow become king also. However, when King Duncan joins the nobles, he tells them he has decided to name his own son, Malcolm, heir to the throne.
Macbeth then leaves for his castle at Dunsinane in order to ready it for victory celebrations. He tells King Duncan that his wife, Lady Macbeth, will be delighted at the news of their coming.
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.
1. The Weird Sisters. video
Macbeth and Banquo are returning from battle when they meet the Weird Sisters on a heath.
3. Daggers for King Duncan. video
Macbeth returns to Dunsinane where Lady Macbeth persuades him to murder King Duncan.
4. All Hail, Macbeth! King of Scotland! video
Duncan's murder is discovered; Malcolm and Donalbain flee, while Macbeth is crowned king.
