- He and Banquo are returning victorious from a battle, and they are greeted with praise from King Duncan.
- Macbeth quickly proves his worth by defeating and killing the evil Thane of Cawdor, and Duncan makes him the new Thane.
- Macbeth is clearly ambitious and eager for power, but he is also loyal to Duncan and grateful for his favor.
By the end of Act 1, however, Macbeth has undergone a significant change.
- The witches’ prophecies have planted the seed of ambition in his mind, and he begins to contemplate murdering Duncan in order to become king.
- He is torn between his loyalty to Duncan and his desire for power, and he experiences guilt and remorse over the thought of killing him.
- His internal struggle is evident in the famous soliloquy, “If it were done when ‘tis done,” in which he weighs the pros and cons of murder.
Overall, the first scene of the play introduces Macbeth as a noble and honorable soldier, but by the end of Act 1, he has become a ruthless and ambitious murderer. This change is the result of the witches’ prophecies and Macbeth’s own desire for power.