Present – a room in the king’s palace
- Duncan – King of Scotland
- Malcolm – King’s son
- Macbeth – Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, General in Kings army
- Banquo – General in Kings army
- Rosse – Nobleman
- Angus – Nobleman
Summary
- Duncan wants to know if Macdonwald is dead
- Malcolm told him that Macdonwald is dead and that he confessed his treason before he got killed
- Duncan said that he can tell whether someone is trustworthy just by looking at them
- Kings thanks Macbeth and asks if there is anything he can do to repay him
- Macbeth says that the service is payment enough
- Duncan says that he is going to invest in Macbeth and Banquo
- Duncan names Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland – this means that Malcolm will be his successor
- Macbeth says aside that Malcolm now stands in the way of him being king and that he must hide away want he wants “Stars, hide your fires! and he hopes that no one knows his “black and deep desires’
Quote
MACBETH [Aside]
“The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires:
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.” (1.4.55-60)
Translation
Now that Malcolm is the Prince of Cumberland, he is a step in the way of me becoming king. I must either give up on my dream or rise above him because fate is on my side. Stars hide your light so that no one can see my dark and intense desires. Don’t let my eyes see what I may do because what I may see is something to be feared.
Explaination
Now that Duncan has named Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland Malcolm will now become the successor to the throne, meaning that for Macbeth to become king he would have to kill both Duncan and Malcolm. This makes Malcolm a ‘step’ that lies in his way to becoming king. Banquo is beginning to become suspicious of Macbeth’s actions and he told Macbeth to not listen to the witched earlier.
However, Macbeth doesn’t listen to Banquo and instead believes that he is worthy to be king and that Duncan has overlooked him. Although it is generally assumed that the king would choose his own son rather than some nobleman Macbeth was so self centred that he was only thinking about what the witches had told him and how he could become King asap.
Significance
I believe this quote is significant because it leaves the audience is suspense of what’s going to happen next. It also makes the audience feel like they know what the other characters don’t know. It also makes the audience question whether he is going to do something to become king or just let it happen by itself.
