The extract is divided into two main sections: the first one is Macbeth’s letter to his wife, the second one contains Lady Macbeth’s reactions to the letter itself.

 

 

The first 14 lines are occupied by the text of the letter Lord Macbeth sent to his wife after having met the witches.

Right from the beginning, Macbeth wants to convey his wife all the joy and pride he is feeling for everything has happened to him during the day: indeed he calls it “the day of success”, because it is the day he and the King’s army have won against the Thane of Cawdor and his rebels. The day has started in the best way, and just the same day he has met “them”.

Macbeth doesn’t dare referring to them as “witches” but only using the relative pronoun “they” or the expression “weird sisters”. This is probably because witches were considered evil and dangerous creatures in the Middle Ages, carriers of doom, while Macbeth only wants to see the positive side of their predictions: he has met them “in the day of success”, so he wants to believe they are good omens.
Anyway, in order to persuade his wife to give greater weight to their prophecies, he immediately adds that “they had more in them that mortal knowledge”, and he knows it by experiences. A few lines further he also mentions the way they “vanished” in the air as a proof of their powers.
Macbeth doesn’t immediately tell his wife the prophecy of the three witches. He first arranges the information to create an appropriate context: positive omens (“success”, “perfectest repost”), suspense (“I burned in desire”, “I stood rapt in the wonder of it”) and mystery (“they have more in them than mortal knowledge”, “they made themselves air”, “they vanished”).

From line 6 Macbeth finally tells his wife the reason of his wonder: some messengers sent from the King suddenly came and told him he had just become Thane of Cawdor, that was the same title by which three sisters had hailed him just a few moments before. Their first prophecy has become true. But Macbeth doesn’t stop here and he doesn’t even finish the sentence. On the wave of success, he goes on telling his wife the second part of the prediction: the three sisters had referred to him as the “king who shalt be!”.
Here ends Macbeth’s description of the facts.

He ends the letter by reporting the reasons why he decided to immediately write it: he wanted his wife to be prepared and already start rejoicing as he is doing, in front of the promise of greatness made by the three witches. Indeed Macbeth is sure that the second prediction is going to become true, too. He refers to his wife as “my dearest partner of greatness”. This expression underlines Macbeth’s deep emotional bond with his wife, but also their link on the social plan: if Macbeth is going to become King of Scotland, then his wife will automatically become Queen. In case of success, they will share the same “greatness”. This word comes to the forefront thanks to its repetition in the 11^th and 13^th line: the greatness and the power are what both Macbeth and his wife are aiming at, and they will be the propelling of all their future actions.

The letters closes with the reminder of keeping everything written there in secret.

 

 

The last 16 lines are dedicated to Lady Macbeth’s reflections about the letter and her husband’s character.

First of all Lady Macbeth lists the titles of his husband, as if she is trying to bring order to her mind, adding the new information together with the old ones: he is Thane of Glamis, he has just become Thane of Cawdor, he shall be King of Scotland (as the witches promised). She, too, wants to believe in what the three said.

But then she goes on expressing her concerns: they are all regarding her husband’s nature. The following 6 lines (17-22) are a glimpse of his personality and, particularly, a careful list of his flaws. Macbeth has a kind nature: he is too kind to take the easiest way. Indeed he doesn’t lack in ambition (he wants to achieve greatness, as pointed out by his own letter), but lacks in “illness”, that is the greed for power that his wife considers indispensable to accomplish their goal. He wants to gain power, and he wants to do it in an honourable way, without cheating; but at the same time he would not mind if somebody had given him more power without him having the right to hold it.

He is ambitious but yet kind, and it makes him insecure about his decisions. On the contrary, Lady Macbeth immediately shows her wilfulness and strength.

A few minutes later has already taken the decision for his husband, too: he has to do everything he can to achieve his goal, even if he fears what he will have to do more than the results if he had not done it.
She is aware of her strong willpower and is eager to use it and her words to inflame the mind of his husband, pushing him to act more strongly (like her). She literary wants to infuse her character in her husband by her words.

And she has already prepared her battle plan:
- her husband will do whatever it takes to be crowned king
- she will fight and stop anyone who will try to prevent the advance of his husband with the boldness of her tongue
- victory is already assured, since both fate and supernatural powers (witchcraft) are by their side and seem to have already crowned him King of Scotland

In her plan her husband is only a pawn: an empty doll she has to fill with her “spirits”, guide and protect with “the valour of her tongue”. His only quality is of having been blessed by fate and witchcraft.