Macbeth: there shall be done / A deed of dreadful note.

Lady Macbeth: What's to be done?

Macbeth: Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,

Till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night,

Scar up the tender eye of pitiful day;

And with thy bloody and invisible hand

Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond

Which keeps me pale! Light thickens; and the crow

Makes wing to the rooky wood:

Good things of day begin to droop and drowse;

While night's black agents to their preys do rouse.

Thou marvell'st at my words: but hold thee still:

Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.

So, prithee, go with me.

Close Reading - copy and paste questions in text entry & add answers

1. Why does Macbeth mention there will be a "dreadful" "deed" done and not tell his wife?

2. How does Lady Macbeth say her line? Is she afraid of her husband?

3. What does he (Macbeth) not want "pitiful day" to see?

4. What is the "great bond" he wants canceled?

5. How does Banquo's existence keep him "pale"?

6. Shakespeare uses many images throughout the play, including light and darkness. Think about the connotations of each. How can light thicken? What does Macbeth mean when he says that?

7. Shakespeare also uses many symbols. Here, Macbeth mentions a crow. What could the crow, a black bird, symbolize?

8. What do "droop and drowse" suggest about the "good things of day"? What will happen?

9. Who is Macbeth thinking of when he says "night's black agents"?

10. The word "preys" brings to mind what kind of imagery?