The Tragedy of Macbeth: Act 1

by William Shakespeare
In this tragedy, Macbeth's belief in a prophecy and his ambition to become king lead to murder and madness. Read the full text of the play here.

Here are links to our lists for the play: Act I, Act II, Act III, Act IV, and Act V
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. thane
    a feudal lord or baron
    Whence cam’st thou, worthy thane?
  2. heath
    uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation
    Say from whence
    You owe this strange intelligence or why
    Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
    With such prophetic greeting.
  3. interim
    the time between one event, process, or period and another
    Think upon what hath chanced, and at more time,
    The interim having weighed it, let us speak
    Our free hearts each to other.
  4. recompense
    payment or reward, as for service rendered
    Thou art so far before
    That swiftest wing of recompense is slow
    To overtake thee.
  5. harbinger
    something indicating the approach of something or someone
    The rest is labor which is not used for you.
    I’ll be myself the harbinger and make joyful
    The hearing of my wife with your approach.
    So humbly take my leave.
  6. peerless
    eminent beyond or above comparison
    Let’s after him,
    Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome.
    It is a peerless kinsman.
  7. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    Hie thee hither,
    That I may pour my spirits in thine ear
    And chastise with the valor of my tongue
    All that impedes thee from the golden round,
    Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
    To have thee crowned withal.
  8. impede
    be a hindrance or obstacle to
    Hie thee hither,
    That I may pour my spirits in thine ear
    And chastise with the valor of my tongue
    All that impedes thee from the golden round,
    Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
    To have thee crowned withal.
  9. beguile
    influence by slyness
    To beguile the time,
    Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye,
    Your hand, your tongue.
  10. frieze
    an ornament consisting of a horizontal sculptured band
    This guest of summer,
    The temple-haunting martlet, does approve,
    By his loved mansionry, that the heaven’s breath
    Smells wooingly here. No jutty, frieze,
    Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird
    Hath made his pendant bed and procreant cradle.
    In these lines, Banquo praises the quality of the air around the castle by noting that the martin, a bird with finicky tastes, builds nests there.
  11. buttress
    a support usually of stone or brick
    This guest of summer,
    The temple-haunting martlet, does approve,
    By his loved mansionry, that the heaven’s breath
    Smells wooingly here. No jutty, frieze,
    Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird
    Hath made his pendant bed and procreant cradle.
    Banquo lists a number of architectural elements here. In addition to a frieze and a buttress, he mentions a jutty and a coign, two different types of projections from a building's walls.
  12. trammel
    place limits on extent or access
    If th’ assassination
    Could trammel up the consequence and catch
    With his surcease success, that but this blow
    Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
    But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
    We’d jump the life to come.
  13. adage
    a condensed but memorable saying embodying an important fact
    Wouldst thou have that
    Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life
    And live a coward in thine own esteem,
    Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would,”
    Like the poor cat i’ th’ adage?
  14. undaunted
    unshaken in purpose
    Bring forth men-children only,
    For thy undaunted mettle should compose
    Nothing but males.
  15. mettle
    the courage to carry on
    Bring forth men-children only,
    For thy undaunted mettle should compose
    Nothing but males.
Created on Tue Feb 27 11:51:13 EST 2018 (updated Mon Aug 11 16:24:38 EDT 2025)

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