Macbeth Act 1, Scene 5

At Inverness in Macbeth's castle his wife, Lady Macbeth, reads a letter from her husband. His letter tells her of his encounter with the three witches on the heath and their predictions of his rise to power. Lady Macbeth resolves to make the prophecies true because she thinks that her husband lacks the wickedness or guts to do what will be necessary to take the throne. An attendant comes in as she is scheming and tells her that the king is on his way to Inverness and that Macbeth is riding ahead of them.

When Macbeth arrives his wife tells him that she read his letter and she will see to it that the witches are right about Macbeth's royalty. Lady Macbeth warns her husband to disguise his fear and deceit so that the king won't suspect that he is in danger while he is at Inverness for the night. She vows that the king will not live to see the morning and tells Macbeth to leave everything to her.

Topic Tracking: Betrayal 5