The withes meet in a dark cave and are in the middle of brewing a cauldron/magic brew. Macbeth arrives and demands for the witches to answer his questions no matter the consequences. The witches reveal his prophecies by showing him four apparitions.

Apparition 1 – an armed head wearing a helmet which warns him to beware Macduff.

Apparition 2 – A bloody child tells him that he shall not be harmed by none of woman born

Apparition 3 – A child crowned with a tree in his hand tells Macbeth that he will not be defeated until Great Birnam Wood comes to fight him

Apparition 4 – In the final apparition the line of the past 8 kings appear with the last king holding a glass, followed by the ghost of Banquo. Macbeth is deeply troubled and demands to know more but the witches dance and then vanish.

Scene 2

Scene 2 starts off with Lady Macduff, her son and Rosse delivering a message. Rosse has come to Lady Macbeth to give her warning that it is not safe her for after her husband (Macduff) has been deemed a traitor for going against Macbeth. Rosse leaves and Lady Macduff starts to tell her son that due to his father leaving he is close enough to dead and says that people who make promises and don’t keep them should be hung as they are traitors (referring to her husband who has fled and left them unprotected). A messenger then hurries in and informs them that danger is approaching and they should leave, lady Macduff is confused about what wrong she has done. The murderers enter and kill all of Macduffs children, wife and servants.

• what does it take to be an honest man?

Scene 3

Malcolm and Macduff are outside King Edwards Palace and to make sure that Macduff is loyal to Malcolm and not a spy for Macbeth he pretends to be a bad person. Malcolm lists of all his bad qualities that would not make him fit to be king, Macduff is outraged and says that Scotland must have no hope if the options for king is Macbeth or Malcolm. Malcolm then knows that Macduff must be trustworthy so he retracts all his lies and the two become allies. Rosse then enters and lies to Macduff that his children and wife are well but eventually tells Macduff the truth. Macduff is in a state of disbelief and grief, Malcolm tells him to channel his grief into anger for the battle against Macbeth in Scotland.