Now that you have a good grasp of Lady Macbeth’s motivations and desires, let us shift focus to her husband. Macbeth is our protagonist, meaning our “good guy” or our main character. As we read the play, we want to pay close attention to how he changes. At the beginning of the play, he is presented with a prophecy, and he begins to struggle with how to respond to it.

For this Application Activity, you will write a journal entry as Macbeth. You should use your own words, but your entry needs to be grounded in the play’s text. Here are the steps you should follow:

• Go back into the play and locate instances where Macbeth reacts to the prophecy.
• Close Read the passages when Macbeth speaks.
• From your close reading, ask yourself how Macbeth is feeling and what he is considering doing.
• Do not worry about what you would do in this situation. Focus entirely on determining how Macbeth is reacting.
• Write Macbeth’s journal entry. Express his feelings (which you determined from your close reading) in your own words.