Homonym of “son.” This line foreshadows the conflict revolving around succession aka the “set of son.”

[note by Elizabeth Ferry]

This is again a reference to Macduff being born via a C-section, so he was considered not born of a woman.

[note by Grace Maher and Elizabeth Ferry]

Reference to a C-Section, an uncommon birth method and very dangerous at the time.

[note by Grace Maher and Elizabeth Ferry]

Roman fool is a reference to political figures in ancient Rome that committed suicide. Here Macbeth is saying that he would rather inflict violence upon his enemies than himself.

[note by Grace Maher and Elizabeth Ferry]

Reference to “royal touch” or the belief that being touched by a monarch could cure a person of disease. This would also be a sign of the divine right to rule for a monarch since the healing came from God through the King.

[note by Grace Maher and Elizabeth Ferry]

This could be a possible reference to King James’ belief that he was attacked by witches on his trip from Denmark and a reference to the relationship between the Crown and the Church.

[note by Elizabeth Ferry]

Colmekill is an island on the west coast of Scotland where all of the Scottish kings are said to have been buried. It is now called Iona. For more relevant geography, see this map of Scotland.

Here Lady Macbeth faints, using a stereotypical example of femininity to disguise her real role in the events that have transpired.

[note by Grace Maher]

Macbeth is overcome with the guilt of Duncan’s murder, symbolized by the blood that’s literally on his hands. He fears that he will not be able to cleanse himself of this guilt, which is why he says he will turn the oceans red before he is relieved of it.

[note by Grace Maher]

Hecate is the Greek Goddess of magic and witchcraft.

[note by Grace Maher]

The title "Weird Sisters" connotes a certain connection these characters have with fate, but is also a phrase used to describe those of uncanny or unusual appearance. See our Closer Look "Women, Witchcraft, and Power/Humanistic_Studies_463%3A_Early_Modern_Literature/Macbeth/3._A_Closer_Look%3A_Essays_in_Cultural_Context/Gender_Power_and_Witchcraft)" for more about witchcraft in this work and society.

[note by Grace Maher]

Here Lady Macbeth is asking to be "unsexed" because the kind of cruelty and desire for power she has and intends on acting upon is not "feminine" and would go against the nature society has thrust upon her.

[note by Grace Maher]

The witches seem to exist beyond or between genders. For more analysis of this, see the Closer Look essay "Women, Witches, and Power/Humanistic_Studies_463%3A_Early_Modern_Literature/Macbeth/3._A_Closer_Look%3A_Essays_in_Cultural_Context/Gender_Power_and_Witchcraft)" for more about gender and witchcraft

[note by Grace Maher]

In the original folio, headings ran across the top of each page, flagging both the era (in this case, the reign of King Henry VIII) and the topic of the text that followed.

This is a sample note for this page 1.1